of Mercia and came to the throne in 675, when his brother, Wulfhere of
Mercia, died. Within a year of his accession he invaded Kent, where his
armies destroyed the city of Rochester. In 679 he defeated his brother-
in-law, Ecgfrith of Northumbria, at the Battle of the Trent in a major
setback for the Northumbrians; it effectively ended their military
involvement in English affairs south of the Humber and permanently
returned the kingdom of Lindsey to Mercia's possession. Nevertheless,
Æthelred was unable to re-establish his predecessors' domination of
southern Britain. He was known as a pious king, and he made many grants
of land to the church. His wife, Osthryth, was a daughter of King Oswiu,
one of the dominant 7th-century Northumbrian kings. Osthryth was
murdered in unknown circumstances in 697, and in 704 Æthelred
abdicated, leaving the throne to Wulfhere's son Coenred. Æthelred
became a monk at Bardney, a monastery which he had founded with his
wife, and was buried there. His son Ceolred became king after Coenred;
it is also possible that Æthelred had another son named Ceolwald who
was briefly king before Ceolred.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelred_of_Mercia>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1861:
American Civil War: Jefferson Davis was named as the
provisional president of the Confederate States of America.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Davis>
1913:
A group of meteors was visible across much of the eastern
seaboard of North and South America, leading astronomers to conclude
that the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the
Earth.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1913_Great_Meteor_Procession>
1920:
The Svalbard Treaty was signed, recognizing Norwegian
sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, but all signatories
were also given equal rights to engage in commercial activities on the
islands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard>
1945:
World War II: A force of Allied aircraft unsuccessfully
attacked a German destroyer in Førdefjorden, Norway.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(1945)>
1976:
The Australian Defence Force was formed by the unification of
the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian
Air Force.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Defence_Force>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
northerly:
1. Facing the north; directed towards the north.
2. Located in a northern region.
3. Coming from the north.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/northerly>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
If you want to be respected by others the great thing is to
respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel
others to respect you.
--Fyodor Dostoevsky
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoevsky>
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