Osred I of Northumbria
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Osred was king of Northumbria from 705 until his death. He was the son of King Aldfrith of Northumbria
. Aldfrith's only known wife was Cuthburg, but it is not certainly known whether Osred was her son. Osred did not directly succeed his father as Eadwulf
seized the throne, but held it for only a few months.
At the time that the usurper Eadwulf was overthrown, Osred was only a child, and the government was controlled by the powerful Bishop Wilfrid
, presumably assisted by ealdormen
such as Berhtfrith son of Berhtred. Osred was adopted as Wilfrid's son at this time. Wilfrid's death in 709 appears to have caused no instability at the time, which, together with the rapid rise and more rapid fall of Eadwulf, speaks to a degree of stability and continuity in early 8th century Northumbria which would not long outlast Osred's reign.
In 711 ealdorman Berhtfrith inflicted a crushing defeat on the Picts
, in the area around the upper Forth
, but the reign of Osred is otherwise unremarkable politically. Domestically, a variety of eccelsiatical sources portray Osred as a dissolute and debauched young man, and a seducer of nuns. More positively, Aethelwulf's De Abbatibus describes Osred as energetic in deeds and words, mighty in arms and bold in his own strength and Bede
referred to him as a new Josiah
.
Osred reached his majority in 715 or 716, and within a very short period he was killed. The manner of his death is unclear. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
states that he was killed "south of the border". David Rollason and N.J. Higham presume that the border is question is the southern Pictish border, and that the Picts slew Osred.
Aldfrith of Northumbria
Aldfrith sometimes Aldfrid, Aldfridus , or Flann Fína mac Ossu , was king of Northumbria from 685 until his death. He is described by early writers such as Bede, Alcuin and Stephen of Ripon as a man of great learning, and some of his works, as well as letters written to him, survive...
. Aldfrith's only known wife was Cuthburg, but it is not certainly known whether Osred was her son. Osred did not directly succeed his father as Eadwulf
Eadwulf of Northumbria
Eadwulf was king of Northumbria from death of Aldfrith in December 704 until February or March of 705, when Aldfrith's son Osred was restored to the throne.Osred was a child when his father died, and it is assumed that Eadwulf usurped the throne...
seized the throne, but held it for only a few months.
At the time that the usurper Eadwulf was overthrown, Osred was only a child, and the government was controlled by the powerful Bishop Wilfrid
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
, presumably assisted by ealdormen
Ealdorman
An ealdorman is the term used for a high-ranking royal official and prior magistrate of an Anglo-Saxon shire or group of shires from about the ninth century to the time of King Cnut...
such as Berhtfrith son of Berhtred. Osred was adopted as Wilfrid's son at this time. Wilfrid's death in 709 appears to have caused no instability at the time, which, together with the rapid rise and more rapid fall of Eadwulf, speaks to a degree of stability and continuity in early 8th century Northumbria which would not long outlast Osred's reign.
In 711 ealdorman Berhtfrith inflicted a crushing defeat on the Picts
Picts
The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...
, in the area around the upper Forth
River Forth
The River Forth , long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland.The Forth rises in Loch Ard in the Trossachs, a mountainous area some west of Stirling...
, but the reign of Osred is otherwise unremarkable politically. Domestically, a variety of eccelsiatical sources portray Osred as a dissolute and debauched young man, and a seducer of nuns. More positively, Aethelwulf's De Abbatibus describes Osred as energetic in deeds and words, mighty in arms and bold in his own strength and Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
referred to him as a new Josiah
Josiah
Josiah or Yoshiyahu or Joshua was a king of Judah who instituted major reforms. Josiah is credited by most historians with having established or compiled important Jewish scriptures during the Deuteronomic reform that occurred during his rule.Josiah became king of Judah at the age of eight, after...
.
Osred reached his majority in 715 or 716, and within a very short period he was killed. The manner of his death is unclear. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
states that he was killed "south of the border". David Rollason and N.J. Higham presume that the border is question is the southern Pictish border, and that the Picts slew Osred.