[November 23] Edred, king of England

Parents: Edward the Elder, king of Wessex, and Eadgifu of Kent
Date of Birth: 923
House: Wessex
Predecessor: Edmund I

Reign: 946 – 955
Brief: Edred succeeded his elder brother, Edmund I, in 946 and soon after was recognized by the local Welsh rulers and the northern earls as king of Wessex. By the end of his first year as king, all of Northumbria was under his control and the Scots pledged fealty to him as overlord. But as soon as his control was complete, two Viking lords usurped the Northumbrian throne and began to harass the north. Olaf Sihtricson, a former king of Northumbria and Dublin, set up camp in York. Edred could do little to remove the menace, but the Northumbrians forced him out, replacing the king with Eric Haraldson, another Viking raider but one that could be controlled. When Eric Bloodaxe, a former king of Norway, moved in, however, Edred launched a campaign north to destroy the usurper. By convincing the Anglo-Saxon nobles to stay loyal to him, Edred managed to defeat Eric and push him off the island. By 952, Northumbria was under the control of lords loyal to Edred. The king died in 955, unmarried and without an heir. His nephew, Eadwig, succeeded him.

Date of Death: 23 November 955
Successor: Eadwig

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Berthold, duke of Bavaria (947)
• Ladislaus, king of Bohemia & Hungary (1457)
• William III, king of the Netherlands (1890)

[October 26] Ælfred, king of Wessex

Surnamed: "The Great"
Parents: Æthelwulf, king of Wessex, and Osburh
Born: 849
House: Wessex
Spouse(s): Ealhswith, daughter of Æthelred, ealdorman of the Gaini, and Eadburh of Mercia

Reign: 871 – 899
Brief: Prior to his coronation, Alfred travelled with his father throughout Europe. As the fourth son, it was unlikely that he would ever rule. Each brother succeeded the prior in turn, with Alfred rising to prominence during the reign of Æthelred I. He was in charge of the Wessex military and fought against the Danes in up to ten battles in 870-871, the last at Merton causing the death of Æthelred and the ascension of Alfred to the kingship. The Danes settled around York while Alfred consolidated his rule. In 876, the Danes invaded the interior of England and Alfred was put on the defensive, losing all of his allies to the Viking threat. He fought back starting in 787 by raising an army and attacking Danish strongholds throughout England. Alfred won the battle and forced the conversion of the Danes to Christianity and may have delineated the borders between the two kingdoms around 880. A long peace ensued during which time Alfred reoccupied the former capital of London and began to rebuild the city. Anglo-Saxon kingdoms throughout England submitted to Alfred's authority during this time. Alfred reformed the legal system, the economy, and the status of religion within Wessex and his dependencies. Danish attacks increased in the early 890s but Alfred was prepared this time. He fought them off at every turn and died in 899, probably from Crohn's disease.

Date of Death: 26 October 899
Successor: Edward the Elder

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Andrew II, king of Hungary (1235)
• Horio Tadaharu, daimyo in Japan (1633)

[July 8] Edgar I, king of England

Surnamed: "The Peaceable"
Parents: Edmund I, king of England, and Ælfgifu of Shaftsbury

Date of Birth: 7 August 943
Royal House: Wessex
Spouse: (1) Æthelflæd, then (2) Wulthryth, then (3) Ælgthryth, daughter of Ordgar
Predecessor: Eadwig
Reign: 959 – 975
Summary: The youngest son of Edmund the Magnificent, it took many years for him to succeed in making a name of himself in England. For his early years, little is known, but he was elected king in contest of his elder brother Eadwig, who was king in the north, in the year 957 when he was only around fourteen years old. A group of nobles supported by Dunstan, a Benedictine monk, elected Edgar king, and Eadwig had to negotiate a division of the kingdom for the final two years of his life. Thus, in East Anglia, a half-brother ruled, while in Wessex and Kent, Eadwig ruled. Edgar ruled Northumbia and Mercia, the two largest components of the realm. When Eadwig died in 959, Edgar inherited the lot of England and kept it unified throughout this reign.


As his first act, Edgar installed Dunstan as the bishop of Worcester. He eventually became archbishop of Canterbury and was canonized. Edgar may have killed his nephew and rival in East Anglia due to love, though historical sources are sparse and historians are conflicted over the matter. The king was crowned at Bath in 973 with his wife, setting a precedent of king-queen coronation in England. He had waited to be crowned for when his reign was at its height. Six kings in Great Britain came to pledge fealty to Edgar at his coronation, including the king of Scots and the king of Strathclyde. Edgar died two years after his formal coronation and was buried at Glastonbury Abbey. His eldest son, Edward, who was probably illegitimate, succeeded him but was later murdered through the assistance of his younger brother, Æthelred. Edgar's reign was the last peaceful and uncontested reign in England until the reign of Henry II.
Date of Death: 8 July 975
Successor: Edward the Martyr

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Pepin, king of Italy (810)
• Eugene III, pope of Rome (1153)
• Gregory XV, pope of Rome (1623)
• William IV, king of the United Kingdom (1837)
• Oscar I, king of Sweden and Norway (1859)