Looking into the three major kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England and how they behaved with each other before the Viking attacks later on.

1. FOCUS: To study the Competition between the kingdoms
and the declining power of Northumbria and Mercia.
Northumbria, Mercia, and
Wessex

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. Timeline: Northumbria
604 – The unification of
Bernicia and Deira to form
Northumbria
627627 – King Edwin accepts
Christianity and attains the
title Bretwalda
633633 – 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.
655655 – King Oswiu crushes
large-scale Mercian invasion
– although being an inferior
force – in the Battle of
Winwaed. Gains supremacy
over Mercia.
Late 650’sLate 650’s – Mercian
rebellion is a success.
Northumbria lose power over
Mercia
685685 – 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
Danelaw
954954 – Death of the last
independent Northumbrian
king. Northumbria becomes
part of united England under
King Eadred.

7. 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 593
Then 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. Timeline: Mercia

17. 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 Bretwalda
Ceawlin died in 588 and was succeeded by Ceol and six
years later Ceol was Ceolwulf and Ceolwulf was then
succeeded by Cynegils in 617.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. Wessex
During the 8th
Century, Wessex was overshadowed by
Mercia.
During this period, Wessex continued to expand in
the west, absorbing places like Devon.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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

27. Timeline: Wessex

28. Essay Question
Explore the relationship between the three kingdoms
Authority
 Religion
Challenges to authority
 Subordinate/ overshadowing
Desire to expand
Fluctuating power
Competition
Society & Culture

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