king of the West Saxons, or Wessex, who acceded to the throne (740) when neighbouring Mercia was at the height of its power. Cuthred was apparently a dependent of Aethelbald, king of Mercia, and throughout much of his reign of 16 years had to struggle against the Mercians as well as the Welsh. In 752 he defeated Aethelbald's forces at Burford in Oxfordshire, an epic event freeing Wessex from foreign overlordship. In 753 he decisively defeated the Welsh.