Æthelric of Deira

Æthelric (died c. 604?) was supposedly a King of Deira (c. 589/599–c. 604). He is thought to have succeeded Ælla of Deira, but his existence is historically obscure.

Manuscript A of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Ælle, king of Deira, was succeeded by Æthelric in 588.^[1] According to Bede, Deira was invaded and taken over by Æthelfrith of Bernicia in about the year 604.^[2] The circumstances of this are unclear, and Æthelric's fate is unknown. The fact that Edwin, a son of Ælla and possibly Æthelric's brother, had to flee into exile suggests that Deira may have been conquered by Æthelfrith, and in this case Æthelric may have been killed during warfare. Æthelfrith ruled both Deira and Bernicia, the two components of Northumbria, until he was killed in battle and the Deiran line was restored for a time under Edwin.

References

1. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (MS A) s.a. 588.
2. Bede, Historia Ecclesiastica, I.34, III.6; Historia Brittonum, chapter 61.

Further reading

• Kirby, D.P. The Earliest English Kings. London, 1991. 56-8.
• Miller, M. "The dates of Deira." Anglo-Saxon England 8 (1979): 35–61.
• Yorke, Barbara. Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England. London, 1990. p. 77.