King Eadred was a member of the House of Wessex. He was the second eldest son of King Edward the Elder by his third wife Eadgifu of Kent. After his brother Edmund was murdered, Eadred was chosen as King because Edmund’s two sons were considered too young to rule.
King Eadred Family Tree Image showing:
grandparents, parents, siblings and half-siblings
King Eadred Family Tree in Table Form showing:
grandparents, parents, siblings and half-siblings
GRANDPARENTS
Paternal Grandfather – King Alfred the Great – (849 – 899)
Paternal Grandmother – Ealhswith of Mercia – (d. 902)
Maternal Grandfather – (not known)
Maternal Grandmother – (not known)
SIBLINGS
King Edmund I – (921 – 946)
HALF-SIBLINGS
King Aethelstan – (895 – 939)
Edith – (d. c930)
King Aelfweard – (895 – 939)
Eadgifu of Wessex – (902 – 955)
Eadflaed of Wessex – (b. c905)
Edwin of Kent – (d. 933)
Eadhild of Wessex – (d. 938)
Eadgyth of Wessex – (910 – 946)
MARRIED
Eadred did not marry
CHILDREN
No known children
King Eadred Short Biography
Early Years
King Eadred was born in 923 the second son of King Edward the Elder by his third wife, Eadgifu of Kent. His elder brother, Edmund, had been born in 921.
Edward the Elder also had a son, Aethelstan by his first wife, Ecgwynn and two sons – Edwin and Aelfweard and four daughters by his second wife, Aelfflaed.
Eadred’s father died in 924 when Eadred was a baby. His half-brother Aelfweard is thought to have succeeded to the throne but died after a short while. Aethelstan, aged 29 years, then became King.
Path to the Throne
King Aethelstan ruled England for the next 15 years until his death on 27th October 939. He had not married and had no children so the throne passed to Eadred’s elder brother, Edmund.
Eadred’s brother King Edmund married and had two sons and so Eadred did not expect to become King. However, Edmund was murdered in 946 and Eadred was selected as King because Edmund’s sons were considered too young to take the throne.
King of England
Eadred was crowned King of England on 16th August 946 at Kingston upon Thames by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
In 947 the Viking Eric Bloodaxe took control of Northumbria. King Eadred immediately mounted a campaign to regain control of the kingdom. Eadred supported the rule of Olaf Sihtricson but was challenged by Archbishop Wulfstan of York who supported Eric Bloodaxe. In 952 Eadred managed to capture and imprison the Archbishop. Eric Bloodaxe was then expelled from Northumbria.
Eadred did not marry or have children. He suffered from a digestive disorder that prevented him from properly digesting food and he died at the age of 32 years on 23rd November 955. He was succeeded by his nephew Eadwig.
Published Apr 14 2022 @ 7:12 pm – Updated –
Harvard Reference for King Eadred Family Tree:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2022 – 2024). King Eadred Family Tree & Biography (923-955) . Available: https://www.treesofblue.com/king-eadred-923-955. Last accessed July 14th, 2024
