Page "Æthelred of Mercia" Paragraph 20

Despite this evidence of Mercian involvement in the southeast there is very little indication that Æthelred had expansionist ambitions to the south.

The increasing strength of the West Saxons under Cædwalla and Ine would have limited Mercian opportunities in that direction.

The Northumbrians were no longer a distraction ; they had been contained north of the Humber since the Battle of the Trent, and became even less of a threat after their disastrous defeat in 685 at the hands of the Picts.

A possible explanation is that Æthelred was preoccupied with war with the Welsh.

It was also at this time that the Hwicce came more definitely into the Mercian orbit.

The last Hwiccean ruler to take the title of king was Oshere, who died in 685 ; but from the mid-670s he sought Æthelred's consent for his grants, and Æthelred regarded him as a subking.

Further evidence of Æthelred's involvement among the Hwicce comes from a charter in which he grants land for a minster in Gloucestershire, in Hwiccean territory ; the charter is generally thought to be a fabrication, but it appears to be based on an authentic earlier source.