Burgred was King of Mercia from 852 to 874. Burgred may be related to his predecessor, Beorhtwulf. In 853, he appealed to Æþelwulf, King of Wessex, to help him subdue the Welsh. Æþelwulf complied and together they crushed the rebellion. After Easter, Æþelwulf gave his daughter Æþelswið to Burgred as his queen. The marriage was celebrated at Chippendam in Wessex.
Burgred penny, London mint, Monhussaeta moneyer
In 865, the Great Heathen Army invaded England. After marching through East Anglia and Northumbria, the army reached Nottingham in 867. Burgred appealed to his neighbors, Æþelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred (the Great) for assistance. His allies helped little and the Vikings wintered in Nottingham. In 874, the Vikings marched from Lindsey to Repton, driving Burgred from Mercia. He fled to Rome. The Viking’s appointed Ceolwulf of Mercia to replace him.
Burgred died in Rome and was buried “in the church of Sancta Maria, in the school of the English nation”. Æþelswið, his wife, lived in Italy until her death in 888. She was buried in Pavia.
- Coin images from “Money Museum“
- “Burgred of Mercia“, Wikipedia