Eardwulf was king of Northumbria from 796 until at least 806. Northumbria in the last years of the eighth century was the scene of dynastic strife between several noble families, and in 790, Æthelred I attempted to have Eardwulf assassinated. Æthelred himself was assassinated in 796. The reign of his successor Osbald lasted only twenty-seven days before he was deposed, and Eardwulf became king on 14 May 796. In 798 Eardwulf fought a battle at Billington Moor against a nobleman named Wada, who had been one of those responsible for King Æthelred's death; Wada was defeated and driven into exile. In 801 Eardwulf led an army against Coenwulf of Mercia, perhaps because of Coenwulf's support for other claimants to the Northumbrian throne. Eardwulf was deposed in 806. According to a Frankish source, he returned to his kingdom in 808, but no record has survived of his death or the end of his reign. He was possibly buried at the Mercian royal monastery of Breedon on the Hill, which carries a dedication to Saint Mary and Saint Hardulph, identified as Eardwulf by several historians.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eardwulf_of_Northumbria

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1509:

War of the League of Cambrai: French forces defeated the Venetians at the Battle of Agnadello in present-day Northern Italy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Agnadello

1796:

English physician Edward Jenner began testing cowpox as a vaccine against smallpox. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Jenner

1868:

Boshin War: Troops of the Tokugawa shogunate withdrew from the Battle of Utsunomiya Castle and retreated north towards Nikkō and Aizu. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Utsunomiya_Castle

1943:

Second World War: Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine off the coast of Queensland, killing 268 people aboard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AHS_Centaur

1973:

The NASA space station Skylab was launched from Cape Canaveral. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

presage: 1. (transitive) To predict or foretell something. 2. (intransitive) To make a prediction. 3. (transitive) To have a presentiment of; to feel beforehand; to foreknow. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/presage

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Remember... the Force will be with you, always.   --Star Wars https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Star_Wars_(film)