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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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