Eormenred

Eormenred

• Married: Oslava and had at least four children, possibly five:

Children

• Æthelberht
• Aethelred
• Domne Eafe
• Eormengyth

Wikipedia

Eormenred (died before 664) was a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Kent, who is described as king in some texts. There is no contemporary evidence for Eormenred, but he is mentioned in later hagiographies, and his existence is considered possible by scholars.

In the Kentish royal legend, Eormenred is described as a son of Eadbald, who was King of Kent from 616 to 640,[1] and his second wife Emma, who may have been a Frankish princess. "Eormenred" is a name of Frankish origin, as is that of his brother, Eorcenberht.[1] Before his father's death, Eormenred married Oslava and had at least four children, possibly five: two sons, Æthelberht and Aethelred, and two daughters, Domne Eafe and Eormengyth. Eormenburh may be a further daughter, or a synonym for Domne Eafe.

Following his father's death, Eorcenberht ascended to the throne. The description of Eormenred as king may indicate that he ruled jointly with his brother or, alternatively, that he held a subordinate position while being granted the title of "king". He died before his brother, and is said to have left his two sons in Eorcenberht's care. However, after Eorcenberht himself died, his son and successor Ecgberht arranged for the murder of these potential rival claimants to the throne, who were later venerated as saints. Domne Eafe was not killed, and was subsequently granted land on Thanet by Ecgberht for a monastery, as penance for the murder of her brothers.[1] This land is stated to have previously belonged to Eormenred.

From MedLands:

EORMENRED (-[640/64]). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle names "Eormenred and Eorcenberht" as the two sons of King Eadbald, adding that Eorcenberht succeeded their father[303]. Roger of Wendover names "Ermenredum et Erkenbertum" as the two sons of King Eadbald, adding that "junior Erkenbertus" deprived his brother of the throne[304]. If this is correct, it is not clear why he did not succeed as king of Kent on the death of his father. One explanation could be that Eormenred was the son of his father’s scandalous first marriage, and therefore considered unfit for succession. It has been suggested that Eormenred did share power with his brother in Kent[305], although it is not clear on what evidence this suggestion is based. Eormenred's being the older son of his father is consistent with the treatment of his two sons by their cousin King Ecgberht, best explained if they had a superior claim to the throne. Eormenred presumably died before his brother in 664, as there is no mention of his having asserted his claim to succeed at that time. In addition, if he had still been alive, he would presumably have been able to ensure adequate protection for his two sons. m OSLAVA, daughter of --- (-after [664/73]). The Vitæ…Virginis Mildrethæ, written by Goscelin (mid- to late-11th century), names "Oslava" as wife of Eormenred and mother of his children[306]. William of Malmesbury records that she was granted land on the Isle of Thanet on which to construct a monastery by her husband's nephew Ecgberht King of Kent on whose orders her two sons had been murdered, presumably in expiation of the crime[307].

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLAND,%20AngloSaxon%20&%20Danish%...

Sources

• S. E. Kelly, "Eorcenberht", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Mary Dockray-Miller, Motherhood and mothering in Anglo-Saxon England, p.19
• Eormenred 1 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
• Wikipedia - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eormenred_of_Kent