King Eadred of Wessex was born circa 923 in Wessex, England to Edward the Elder (c870-924) and Eadgifu of Kent (c902-968) and died 23 November 955 Frome, Somerset, England of unspecified causes.
Biography
King Eadred of Wessex was a son of Edward the Elder by his third marriage, to Eadgifu of Kent (c902-968), daughter of Sigehelm, ealdorman of Kent. He succeeded his elder brother King Edmund I (r. 939-946), who was stabbed to death at Pucklechurch (Gloucestershire), on St Augustine's Day, 26 May 946. The same year, on 16 August, Eadred was consecrated by Archbishop Oda of Canterbury at Kingston upon Thames (Surrey, now Greater London), where he appears to have received the submission of Welsh rulers and northern earls.
House of Wessex
He was of the royal English dynasty called House of Wessex, a family originating in the southwest corner of England and gradually increased in power and prestiege. The House became rulers of all the country with the reign of Alfred the Great in 871 and lasting until Edmund Ironside in 1016. This period of the English monarchy is known as the Saxon period.
Poor Health and Death
Towards the end of his life, Eadred suffered from a digestive malady which would prove fatal. 'Author B', the biographer and former apprentice of St Dunstan, described with vivid memory how the king sucked out the juices of his food, chewed on what was left and spat it out. Eadred died at the age of 32 on 23 November (St. Clement's Day), 955, at Frome (Somerset), and was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester.[10] He died a bachelor, and was succeeded by Edmund's son Eadwig.
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Athelstan (895-939) | 895 Wessex | 27 October 929 Gloucestershire, England | |
| Edith the Poleworth (c896-) | 896 England | Ireland | Sitric Cáech (c890-927) |
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Ælfweard of Wessex (904–924) | 904 Wessex, England | 2 August 924 Oxford, Oxfordshire, England | |
| Eadgifu of Wessex (902-aft955) | 902 | 955 | Charles the Simple (879-929) Herbert III de Vermandois (c913-c982) |
| Eadgyth of Wessex (910-946) | 910 | 26 January 946 | Otto I von Sachsen (912-973) |
| Eadhilda of Wessex (-937) | 937 | Hugh the Great (898-956) | |
| Ælfgifu of Wessex (-) | |||
| Eadflæd of Wessex (-) | |||
| Edwin Ætheling (c912-933) | 912 Wessex, England | 933 England | |
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Edmund of Wessex (922-946) | 922 England, United Kingdom (Wessex) | 26 May 946 Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom | Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury (-944) Æthelflæd of Damerham (c925-c975) |
| Eadred of Wessex (c924-955) | 923 Wessex, England | 23 November 955 Frome, Somerset, England | |
| Edburga of Winchester (c925-960) | 925 Wessex, England | 15 June 960 | |
References
- Eadred of Wessex - Wikipedia