Edred or Eadred [key], d. 955, king of the English (946–55), son of Edward the Elder. He succeeded his brother Edmund and was faced with invasions of Danish Northumbria by Norsemen from Ireland and by Eric Bloodaxe of Norway. Edred finally reestablished control over Northumbria in 954, thus bringing to an end the last independent Scandinavian kingdom in England. Edred, being sickly, left affairs to his friend Saint Dunstan, who allowed the Danes of England to live under their own laws.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: British and Irish History: Biographies
