Milred facts for kids

Milred (died 774) was an important Anglo-Saxon church leader. He was also known as Mildred or Hildred. Milred served as the Bishop of Worcester from about 744 until he passed away in 774. A bishop is a high-ranking church official.

Milred's Life and Role

Becoming a Bishop

Milred became a bishop sometime between the years 743 and 745. This process is called consecration. It means he was officially made a bishop in a special ceremony.

Important Meetings and Travels

In 747, Milred attended a very important meeting called the Council of Clofesho. This was a major gathering of church and political leaders. He often signed important documents, known as charters, for the kings of Mercia. These kings included Æthelbald and Offa.

In the early 750s, Milred traveled to Germany. There, he met two famous church figures: Boniface and Lull. After returning home, Milred wrote a letter to Lull. In this letter, he talked about Boniface's martyrdom. Martyrdom means dying for your beliefs. Milred's letter showed he knew a lot about famous ancient writers like Virgil and Horace.

Milred's Writings

Milred also wrote a book that is mostly lost today. It was a collection of short writings called epigrams and epigraphs. These were about Anglo-Saxon churchmen. Some of these churchmen are only known because Milred wrote about them.

Only one page of his work still exists. It is a copy from the 10th century. You can find it at the library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A person who studied old things, called an antiquarian, named John Leland, copied some other parts of Milred's work in the 16th century. These copies are all that remain of those parts.

His Legacy

Milred died in the year 774. His death was recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. This chronicle is a very old collection of historical records from Anglo-Saxon England.