View source for Osric of Deira

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'''Osric''' (died 633 or 634) was a [[List of monarchs of Northumbria|King of Deira]] (632&ndash;633 or 633&ndash;634) in northern [[England]]. He was a cousin of king [[Edwin of Northumbria]], being the son of Edwin's uncle [[Æthelric of Deira]]. Osric was also the father of [[Oswine of Deira|Oswine]].

After Edwin was killed in battle against [[Cadwallon ap Cadfan]] of [[Kingdom of Gwynedd|Gwynedd]] and [[Penda of Mercia]], [[Northumbria]] fell into disarray, with [[Eanfrith of Bernicia|Eanfrith]] taking power in the sub-kingdom of [[Bernicia]] and Osric taking power in Deira. According to [[Bede]], Osric was, like Eanfrith, a Christian who reverted to [[paganism]] upon coming to power.

Cadwallon continued his ruinous invasion of Northumbria, however. Bede says that Osric [[siege|besieged]] Cadwallon "in a strong town", but Cadwallon successfully "sallied out on a sudden with all his forces, by surprise, and destroyed him [Osric] and all his army."

The year in which he and Eanfrith ruled was subsequently deemed so abhorrent because of their paganism that it was decided to add that year to the reign of the Christian [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald of Bernicia]], who defeated Cadwallon and came to rule both Bernicia and Deira, so as to ignore the brief reigns of Osric and Eanfrith.

==References==
*Bede, ''[[Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum|Ecclesiastical History of the English People]]'', [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/bede-book3.html Book III, Chapter I.]

==External links==
* {{PASE|18182|Osric 1}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[Edwin of Northumbria|Edwin]]}} 
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of monarchs of Northumbria|King of Deira]]|years=}} 
{{s-aft|after=[[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Kings of Northumbria}}
{{Deira Monarchs}}

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[[Category:630s deaths]]
[[Category:Anglo-Saxon warriors]]
[[Category:Deiran monarchs]]
[[Category:7th-century English monarchs]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Converts to pagan religions from Christianity]]


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