FOCUS: To study the Competition between the kingdoms and the declining power of Northumbria

and Mercia.

Northumbria, Mercia, and Wessex

Northumbria

As said the previous lesson, Northumbria was one of the three most powerful kingdoms in Anglo-Saxon England.

It was actually a unification of two sub-kingdoms – Bernicia and Deira in 604– and covered a vast amount of land

In 627, King Edwin accepted Christianity and became one of the most powerful kings in England – holding the title Bretwalda.

However Edwin was killed in battle by an exiled king by the name of Cadwallon and King Penda of Mercia in the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633.

After Edwin’s death, a cousin of his, Osric became king but allowed Eanfrith the son of Aethelfrith to take control of Bernicia, whilst the King ruled mostly over Deira.

But both these leaders were killed in the year that followed by Cadwallon’s forces, and Oswald [the brother of Eanfrith] stopped Cadwallon’s invasion and killed him in the Battle of Heavenfield in 634.

Oswald’s kingdom expanded.

Northumbria

King Oswald re-introduced Christianity to the kingdom by appointing monks to convert his people, and established a monastery in Lindisfarne.

However, war with Mercia continued and Oswald was killed at the Battle of Maserfield, in 642.

In 655, King Penda launched a huge invasion of Northumbria aided by the sub-king of Deira, Aethelwald – but these forces were diminished by an inferior force under Oswald’s successor, Oswiu, at the Battle of Winwaed.

Turning point – Penda died in battle and King Oswiu gained supremacy over Mercia; making himself the most powerful king in England.

Northumbria

In the year 664, Northumbria became inclined towards the beliefs of the Roman Catholic church, the Celtic Bishop was sent back to Iona.

Northumbria lost control over Mercia in the late 650s, after Penda’s son – Wulfhere – led a successful revolt.

However, Northumbria retained its dominant power until it was attacked and suffered defeat at the hands of the Picts , at the Battle of Dun Nechtain in 685.

Northumbria’s King, Ecgfrith son of Oswiu, was killed; and Northumbria’s northern power was seriously weakened.

The peaceful reign of Ecgfrith’s half-brother, Aldfrith, somewhat limited the damage that had been done.

However, from this point on Northumbria’s power began to decline and chronic instability followed Aldfrith’s death in 704

Northumbria

In 867, Northumbria became the northern kingdom of Danelaw, after Viking conquerors – Halfdan and Ivarr the Boneless – installed a there puppet king, Ecgberht.

Despite all of the pillaging of the kingdom, the Vikings brought substantial trade to Northumbria – especially to their capital, York.

The kingdom then fluctuated between English, Norse, and Norse-Gaelic kings until it was finally absorbed by King Eadred after the death of the last Northumbrian King, Erik Bloodaxe, in 954

Timeline: Northumbria604 – The unification of Bernicia and Deira to form Northumbria627627 – King Edwin accepts Christianity and attains the title Bretwalda633 633 – The Battle of Hatfield Chase. King Edwin is killed.ThenThen – Osric and Eanfrith – the next two Northumbrian leaders – are appointed and killed in battle 634 – King Oswald ends the invasion of Northumbria in the Battle of Heavenfield and the Kingdom expand.642642 – Invasion by the Mercians continue and Oswald is killed in the Battle of Maserfield.

655 655 – King Oswiu crushes large-scale Mercian invasion – although being an inferior force – in the Battle of Winwaed. Gains supremacy over Mercia.

Late 650’s Late 650’s – Mercian rebellion is a success. Northumbria lose power over Mercia685685 – The Battle of Dun Nechtain. Northumbria suffers defeat at the hands of the Picts.ThenThen – King Aldfrith limits the damage of the war, somewhat.704704 – Aldfrith dies, and Northumbria suffers chronic instability.867867 – Northumbria becomes the Northern kingdom of Danelaw954954 – Death of the last independent Northumbrian king. Northumbria becomes part of united England under King Eadred.

Mercia

Mercia’s beginning is relatively ambiguous and uncertain amongst most historians and they differ greatly.

The earliest king of Mercia with any known history was Creoda, said to have been the successor of his great-grandfather Icel.

Creoda came to power around 584, and he built a fortress in Tamworth which became the seat of the Mercian kings to come.

His son, Pybba, succeeded him in 593Then in 606, Cearl – a kinsman of Creoda – succeeded Pybba. In 615, Cearl gave his daughter in marriage to King Edwin of

Deira (Northumbria), with whom Cearl settled with in whilst he was exiled.

Mercia

The next Mercian king was Penda, who ruled from 626/633 to 655. The historian, The Venerable Bede, had very hostile accounts

against Penda – because Penda was an enemy king to Northumbria and because of Penda’s pagan ways.

However, the Bede admits that Penda did allow missionaries from Lindisfarne into Mercia and did not prevent them from preaching.

Penda defeated Bretwalda Edwin of Northumbria in the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633, along side one of Penda’s Allies, Cadwallon of Gwynedd.

Then the Northumbrian king, Oswald, rose; but was also defeated and killed in the Battle of Maserfield, in 642.

In 655, after some confusion in Northumbria, Penda brought 30 sub-kings to fight the new Northumbrian king, Oswiu, at the Battle of Winwaed, but Penda was defeated and killed in battle.

Mercia

The Battle of Winwaed led to a temporary collapse in Mercian power.

Penda was succeeded by his first son Peada (who had converted to Christianity) and was set up as an under-king by Oswiu of Northumbria.

However, in the spring of 656, Peada was murdered – meaning that Oswiu assumed full power over Mercia.

A revolt in 658, threw off the Northumbrian hold on Mercia and another son of Penda appeared, Wulfhere

Wulfhere ruled Mercia independently, although some historians have stated that he continued to render tribute to Northumbria for some time.

Wulfhere died in 675. His reign a successfully restored power to Mercia, but during the end of his reign; Mercia saw serious defeat by Northumbria.

Mercia

The next king of Mercia, Aethelred, defeated Northumbria at the Battle of Trent in 679, settling once and for all the control over the former kingdom of Lindsey.

Aethelred was then succeeded by Coenred son of Wulfhere – both these leaders were better known for their religious activities over everything else.

But the king who succeeded them in 709, Ceolred, is said to have been a dissolute youth and died insane – being the last of the Mercian kings who descended from Penda.

Mercia

Some time before the ascension of the Mercian king, Aethelbald, the Mercians conquered the region around Wroxeter or Pengwern (The Paradise of Powys) in Welsh.

Then Aethelbald ascended to the Mercian throne in 716. The first few years of his reign was difficult because he had two

face the obstacles laid by two rival kings, Wihtred of Kent and Ine of Wessex

But when Wihtred died in 725 and Ine abdicated his throne to become a monk in Rome; Mercia was free to setup leadership in the south of Anglo-Saxon England.

However, Aethelbald faced a setback in 752, when he was defeated by Wessex under the leadership of Cuthred.

Then he did restore Mercia's supremacy over Wessex before he died in 757.

Mercia

Following the murder of Aethelbald in 757 by one of his bodyguards, civil war broke out.

This civil war ended with the victory of Offa. Offa was forced to construct a leadership over the southern

English, which he did so successfully and became the most powerful king that Mercia knew.

He not only won battles and dominated the south of England, but also built up market cities and oversaw the first major issuing of gold coins in England.

He also assumed the role of administering the Catholic Church in England and even negotiated with Charlemagne as an equal.

Offa is also know for construction of Offa’s Dyke, separating Wales from Mercia.

Mercia

Offa exerted himself on the guarantee that his son, Ecgfrith, would become the next king.

However, on Offa’s death in 796, Ecgfrith only lived five more months.

The kingdom was then passed on to a distant relative, Coenwulf, in 796. And after him came his brother Ceowulf, in 821.

Ceowulf demonstrated his military power by his attack on and destruction of the Fortress of Deganwy in Powys.

Ceowulf was, however, overthrown by Beornwulf in 823.In the meanwhile, the power of Wessex under King Egbert

was rising and in 825, Egbert defeated Beornwulf at Ellendun.

Mercia

At the Battle of Ellendun, Beornwulf was slain, as was his successor, Ludeca.

After this Ludeca’s successor, Wiglaf, was only able to rule Mercia for less than two years, before being driven out of Mercia by Egbert.

In 830, Wiglaf regained Mercia’s independence, but by this time Wessex was the dominant power in Britain.

Wiglaf was succeeded by Beorhtwulf.

Mercia

In 852, Burgred of Mercia came to the throne, and with Ethelwulf of Wessex, subjugated North Wales.

In 868, Viking invaders occupied Nottingham. The Vikings drove Burgred from Mercia and he placed Ceolwulf II in his

place. In 877, the Vikings seized the eastern part of Mercia and it became part of

Danelaw. Ceolwulf II had only the western part of Mercia left, but he had

disappeared by 881. From 883 – 911, Earl Aethelred of Mercia ruled Mercia under the king of Wessex.

After Aethelred’s death his wife, Aethlflaed Daughter of Alfred the Great of Wessex, became the Lady of the Mercians.

In 917, she expelled the Danes from Derby, but gave London and Oxford freely, and concentrated on protecting the existing borders of Mercia.

She died in 918, and her brother Edward the Elder of Wessex, became king over Mercia.

Timeline: Mercia

Wessex

The first recorded king of Wessex was by the name of Cerdic, and he ruled from 519 to 534/554 and was succeeded by Cynric.

In turn Cynric was succeeded by Ceawlin, in 581.Ceawlin fought with Britons in the Chilterns,

Gloucestershire, and Somerset – capturing Cirencester, Gloucester, and Bath in 577; and opened the way to the southwest of England.

Ceawlin is also referred to as one of the BretwaldaCeawlin died in 588 and was succeeded by Ceol and

six years later Ceol was Ceolwulf and Ceolwulf was then succeeded by Cynegils in 617.

Wessex

Cynegils was baptized in 640 – hence starting Christiandom in Wessex.

However, Cynegils successor, Cenwealh, came to the throne in 642, as a pagan – converting to Christianity in a few years, henceforth causing the establishment of a Christian Wessex.

In the meanwhile, Mercia was growing Cenwealh married Penda of Mercia’s daughter. But when he

refused her, Penda invaded Wessex and Cenwealh was forced into exile for about 3 years.

After his return, Cenwealh faced further attacks from Penda’s son, Wulfhere, but was able to expand Wessex territory in Somerset [ at the expense of the Britons]

The city of Winchester was established – later to become an effective capital of Wessex.

Wessex

After Cenwealh’s death in 673, his widow, Seaxburh, held the throne for a year.

She was then succeeded by a distant relative, Aescwine. His reign only lasted two years, before one of Cenwealh’s

brothers, Centwine, ascended to the throne, in 676. Centwine was known for his battles against the Britons, but very

little evidence has survived. Then another distant relative ascended to the West Saxon

throne, Caedwalla. Although Caedwalla’s reign only lasted two years, he expanded

the kingdom dramatically – by conquering Sussex, Kent and the Isle of Wight.

His reign ended in 688, when he went on pilgrimage to Rome and was baptized by the Pope. He died soon after.

Wessex

His successor was Ine, who was one of the longest reigning kings of the West Saxons – he reigned for 38 years.

He issued the oldest surviving English laws.Near the end of his life, he abdicated and

also made pilgrimage to Rome.After this, the throne was passed to a number

of other kings who claimed to be descendants of Cerdic.

Wessex

During the 8th Century, Wessex was overshadowed by Mercia.

During this period, Wessex continued to expand in the west, absorbing places like Devon.

Wessex

In 802, the fortunes of Wessex had changed with the ascension of Egbert. Early in his reign he led two campaigns against the ‘West Welsh’ – first in 813 and then again at ‘Gafulford’ in 822.

Through these campaigns he drove out the remaining Britons in Devon, and reduced the number of them in modern day Cornwall.

In 825, he disturbed the political power of Mercia, by defeating the Mercian king, Beornwulf, at Ellendun

He seized Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Essex from the Mercians and – with the help of East Anglia – broke away from Mercian control.

In 829, he conquered Mercia and drove their king, Wiglaf, into exile; whilst securing the acknowledgement of his over-lordship with Northumbria – Becoming the Bretwalda.

This position proved short-lived as Wiglaf returned and restored Mercian independence in 830 – but the south-eastern expansion of Wessex proved permanent.

Wessex

Egbert’s later years saw frequent raids from the Vikings on Wessex, from 835 onwards.

Having defeated King Beorhtwulf of Mercia, the Danes set their eyes on Wessex. But they were driven back and crushed by Egbert and his successor, Aethelwulf, in the Battle of Aclea, in 851.

The victory post-poned Viking conquests in England for fifteen years, but raids continued.

Wessex

From 855-6, Aethelwulf went on pilgrimage to Rome.And his eldest surviving son, Aethelbald, took

advantage of his absence to seize the throne.On his return, Aethelwulf agreed to split Wessex with

his son to avoid bloodshed.After Aethelwulf’s death in 858, all four of his sons

succeeded him one after the other: Aethelbald, then Ethelbert, then Aethelred, and finally Alfred the Great.

Aethelbald and Ethelbert both died in wars with the Danes, whilst Aethelred’s sons where too young to rule when their father died.

Wessex

In 865, another huge Danish army arrived in England. In the course of the following years, this army had overwhelmed

the kingdoms of Northumbria and East Anglia Wessex was invaded in 871 and although Aethelred and Alfred

managed to win some victories and prevent the conquest of Wessex – the heavy losses of men and arrival of a fresh Danish army, compelled Alfred to pay the Danes to leave Wessex.

The Danes spent the next few years subduing Mercia and settling in Northumbria; but returned to conquer Wessex in 876.

Alfred was able to withdraw there advances and acted effectively whilst fighting very little, in 877.

In 878, the Danes mounted a winter invasion of Wessex – taking Alfred by surprise – and overrun the kingdom.

Alfred was forced to flee and seek refuge in Somerset.

Wessex

But after a few months, he was able to gather an army and defeated the Danes at the Battle of Eddington, bringing about their final withdrawal from Wessex.

Over the following year, Alfred made dramatic changes to political systems and military defenses in Wessex – building warships, creating two divisions in the army (who fought alternatively) and building fortified burhs (a fortified town or city) across the kingdom

By the 890s, it crushed the Danish invasions with minimal losses

Timeline: Wessex

Essay Question

Explore the relationship between the three kingdoms

Authority Religion

Challenges to authority Subordinate/ overshadowing

Desire to expandFluctuating powerCompetition

Society & Culture

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