Deorlaf (died 886) was the Anglo-Saxon Roman Catholic Bishop of Hereford from 861 to 886 AD (succeeding Mucel and preceding Cynemund), as well as the Mercian ealdorman of Shropshire from 874 to 886 (succeeding Ceolbert).
Biography[]
Deorlaf was born in Shropshire, Mercia, and he became a Roman Catholic priest before being consecrated Bishop of Hereford in 861 AD. Deorlaf was a devout and honest Christian who saw his job as that of a peacemaker, and, in 874 AD, he was sent by King Ceolwulf II of Mercia to stand in for the slain Ealdorman of Shropshire in peace talks with King Rhodri the Great of the Britons at Quatford. Deorlaf facilitated talks between the designated Ealdorman Ceolbert and King Rhodri at the church, but the peace conference went awry due to King Rhodri's stubborn insistence that his brother Gwriad ap Merfyn be released first, and due to the cruel Viking warlord Ivar the Boneless' slitting of Gwriad's throat amid an argument with Rhodri. The fracas led to the resumption of hostilities between the Anglo-Saxons and the Welsh, and Deorlaf worked with the Norwegian Viking Eivor to put an end to the conflict. After burning the Britons' supplies, freeing their captives, and killing Rhodri's guard captain Ynyr ap Cadfarch in the Battle of Wesberie, the Mercians and Norse were able to secure a new peace treaty from Rhodri's wife Lady Angharad, which Deorlaf celebrated. However, Ivar secretly murdered Ceolbert and blamed it on the Welsh, motivating the Saxon and Norse army to storm Caustow Castle and capture Rhodri, whom Ivar then had executed in the cruel "Blood Eagle" style. Ivar later confessed to Eivor that he had killed Ceolbert, hoping to provoke a holmgang between them; Eivor ultimately slew Eivor, and he returned to Quatford and informed Deorlaf and Ivar's brother Ubbe Ragnarrsson of this. In that same meeting, Deorlaf also told Eivor that King Ceolwulf had been felled by his son's death, but that he was still making plans for Shropshire, and had decided that Deorlaf would be appointed Ealdorman. Now empowered by a new title, Deorlaf pledged to be allied with Eivor until the day he died. Deorlaf ultimately died twelve years later.