Beornrad of Mercia
Encyclopedia
Beornred was briefly King of Mercia
in 757, following the murder of Æthelbald
. However, he was defeated by Offa
and fled.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
, in 757:
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
in 757, following the murder of Æthelbald
Ethelbald of Mercia
Æthelbald was the King of Mercia, in what is now the English Midlands, from 716 until 757. During his long reign, Mercia became the dominant kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons, and recovered the position of pre-eminence it had enjoyed during the seventh century under the strong Mercian kings Penda and...
. However, he was defeated by Offa
Offa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
and fled.
According to 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...
, in 757:
- ⁊ þy ilcan geare mon ofsloh Æþelbald Mearcna cyning on Sæcandune, ⁊ his lic ræsteð on Hreopandune, ⁊ he ricsade .xli. wintra. ⁊ Beornred feng to rice ⁊ lytle hwile heold ⁊ ungefealice, ⁊ þy ilcan geare Offa geflemde Beornred ⁊ feng to þam rice ⁊ heold .xxxix. wintra, ...
- "... and in the same year Aethelbald, king of Mercia, was killed at SeckingtonSeckingtonSeckington is a village and civil parish located near the B5493 road in the North Warwickshire district, in the county of Warwickshire, England. Seckington has a church called All Saints Church, Seckington and a castle called Seckington Castle. Seckington was recorded in the Domesday Book as...
, and his body rests at ReptonReptonRepton is a village and civil parish on the edge of the River Trent floodplain in South Derbyshire, about north of Swadlincote. Repton is close to the county boundary with neighbouring Staffordshire and about northeast of Burton upon Trent.-History:...
; and he ruled 41 years. And then Beornred succeeded to the kingdom, and held it a little while and unhappily; and that same year Offa put Beornred to flight and succeeded to the kingdom, and held it 39 years..."