Rædwulf of Northumbria
Encyclopedia
Rædwulf was king of Northumbria
for a short time. His descent is not known, but it is possible that he was a kinsman of Osberht
and Ælla.
Rædwulf became king when Æthelred
son of Eanred
was deposed. Coins from his reign are known, but other than the report in the Roger of Wendover
's Flores Historiarum
of his death fighting pagans (i.e. Vikings), nothing more is recorded of him.
Roger of Wendover dates this reign to 844, but his dates are known to be unreliable. The recent discovery of a coin of King Eanred, dated on stylistic grounds to circa
850, led to a reappraisal of the reigns of Northumbrian rulers in the 9th century. As a result, Rædwulf's reign is now thought to have been circa
858 rather than 844.
The numismatic and written evidence agrees that Æthelred was restored to the kingship after Rædwulf's death.
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
for a short time. His descent is not known, but it is possible that he was a kinsman of Osberht
Osberht of Northumbria
Osberht was king of Northumbria in the middle of the 9th century. Sources on Northumbrian history in this period are limited. Osberht's descent is not known and the dating of his reign is problematic.-Chronicles:...
and Ælla.
Rædwulf became king when Æthelred
Æthelred II of Northumbria
Æthelred was king of Northumbria. He was the son of Eanred.Relatively little is known of his reign from the surviving documentary record. He appears to have been expelled in favour of Rædwulf, whose reign is confirmed by the evidence of coinage. However, Rædwulf was killed the same year, fighting...
son of Eanred
Eanred of Northumbria
Eanred was king of Northumbria in the early ninth century.Very little is known for certain about Eanred. The only reference made by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to the Northumbrians in this period is the statement that in 829 Egbert of Wessex...
was deposed. Coins from his reign are known, but other than the report in the Roger of Wendover
Roger of Wendover
Roger of Wendover , probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century.At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell of Belvoir, but he forfeited this dignity in the early years of Henry III,...
's Flores Historiarum
Flores Historiarum
The Flores Historiarum is a Latin chronicle dealing with English history from the creation to 1326 . It was compiled by various persons and quickly acquired contemporary popularity, for it was continued by many hands in many manuscript traditions...
of his death fighting pagans (i.e. Vikings), nothing more is recorded of him.
Roger of Wendover dates this reign to 844, but his dates are known to be unreliable. The recent discovery of a coin of King Eanred, dated on stylistic grounds to circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
850, led to a reappraisal of the reigns of Northumbrian rulers in the 9th century. As a result, Rædwulf's reign is now thought to have been circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
858 rather than 844.
The numismatic and written evidence agrees that Æthelred was restored to the kingship after Rædwulf's death.
External links
- The Fitzwilliam MuseumFitzwilliam MuseumThe Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge, located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge, England. It receives around 300,000 visitors annually. Admission is free....
's Corpus of Early Medieval Coin Finds website