Æthelred was King of Mercia from 675 until 704. He was the son of Penda
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>
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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>
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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>
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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>