Cuthred of Wessex

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Cuthred of Wessex or Cuþræd (died 756) was the monarch of Wessex from 740 (739 according to Simeon of Durham, 741 according to Florence of Worcester) until 756. He succeeded Aethelheard, his relative and possibly his brother.

Cuthred inherited the kingdom while Mercia was at its peak. The two kingdoms often fought, but it appears that Aethelbald of Mercia was Wessex's overlord, and that he compelled Cuthred to join him in fighting the Welsh in 743.

Cuthred's reign was a troubled time. In 748, Cuthred's aetheling Cynric, possibly his son, was killed (according to Henry of Huntingdon in a mutiny), while in 750 the ealdorman Æthelhun led an unsuccessful rebellion.

In 752, Cuthred led a successful rebellion against Aethelbald at Battle Edge in Burford and secured independence from Mercia for the rest of his reign. He is also said to have fought the Cornish in 753.