The first known Saxon king was the pagan Ethelbert of Kent, who married Bertha, Christian grand-daughter of Clovis of France. In Northumbria, another warlord, Ethelfrith, defeated a north British army from Edinburgh, recorded by the Welsh-speaking bard, Aneurin. We know little of these Saxons. They were fierce fighters – witness the Sutton Hoo treasure in Suffolk – and their politics was rooted in loyalty not to king but to family and village, to "kith and kin". This bond to territory implied a contract, a "consent to power", that was to prove crucial in the struggles against the Vikings and Normans, struggles that dominated the next phase of English history.
He reigned from 580-590. He descended directly from Hengist and was the King Of Kent. He is referred in the Saxon Chronicle as ruler of Britain and was the first King to convert to Christianity. He was married to Bertha and ensured that Kent had strong trade with the continent and so was very rich; Coins then began being used in Kent. he was canonised and his feast day is on 25th February. He was succeeded by by Eadbald who was a pagan who married his step mother.
He reigned from 580-590. He descended directly from Hengist and was the King Of Kent. He is referred in the Saxon Chronicle as ruler of Britain and was the first King to convert to Christianity. He was married to Bertha and ensured that Kent had strong trade with the continent and so was very rich; Coins then began being used in Kent. he was canonised and his feast day is on 25th February. He was succeeded by by Eadbald who was a pagan who married his step mother.
Edwin, King of Deira and Bernicia, which later became Northumbria, reigned from 586-632/633. He founded Edinburgh or Edwin's burgh and from 627 onwards was the most powerful King among Anglo-Saxons, ruling Bernicia, deira, and most of E.Mercia, Isle of Wight and Anglesey. He was later made a saint after he fell at the Battle of Hatfield Chase. King Raedweld was requested by Elhelfrith to murder Edwin, his rival, but Raedweld killed him in a battle by the River Idle in 606 and installed Edwin King of Northumbria. After Edwin was killed, the newly established Church became in danger. Oswald reclaimed his throne and requested the help of the Irish Monastery, Iona. A base was then set up in Lindisfarne for the Church.
Cadwallon, also spelled Caedwalla or Cadwalader (died 633 or 634), British king of Gwynedd (in present north Wales) who, with the Mercian king Penda, invaded Northumbria in 632 or 633, killed the Northumbrian king Edwin in battle in Hatfield Chase (south of York), and devastated the region. A year later Cadwallon was defeated and slain by Oswald, who became king of Northumbria, ending one of the greatest Welsh threats to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
KIng Offa.
King Offa: Reigned from 757-796. King of Mercia and came to the throne after a period of civil war. He gained control of Sussex in the kingdom of Kent by 771and became overlord of E.Anglia after having King Ethelberht 11 of E.Anglia beheaded in 1794. He is recognised as being the most powerful English King and was treated as an equal to Charlemagne, the greatest ruler in Europe and King of the Franks! He issued the first penny coins here in silver and built the dyke along the border with Wales.This marks the boundary between Mercia and Wales and was probably built to defend against the growing power of the Kings of Gwynedd. Cynethryth, his wife, was the only Saxon Qyeen to be depicted on a coin. He was succeeded by his son Ecgrith but Coenwulf of Mercia became King. Mercians and Kent fought at Otford in 776 but Offa's authority over them only came in 785. He is buried in Bedford.
It was about the year 785 when he introduced the silver penny, a coin that would impress his subjects and most of Europe.
Until then a coin called the sceat, which weighed 20 troy grains, was the most prolific coin used for trading, both in Britain and in mainland Europe.
The new penny was very impressive, with different profiles of Offa's head embossed, along with different inscriptions, including 'Offa Rex', which simply means 'King Offa', and 'Rex Anglorum' which translates to 'King of the English'.
There were several different portrayals of the great man, all intended to show him at his best.
He also had a coin struck portraying his wife, Queen Cynethryth, which was unique as no other queen in Anglo-Saxon times enjoyed such an honour.
The coins, probably struck at several different mints but mainly at Canterbury, weighed slightly heavier than the sceat, having a designated value of 24 troy grains (one pennyweight of silver or about 1.5 gms.).
A sum total of 240 of these sterling silver coins weighed one pound, hence the name £1 sterling.
Also, the suffix 'd' was used to denote the penny until 1971, when the letter 'p' replaced it.
Until then a coin called the sceat, which weighed 20 troy grains, was the most prolific coin used for trading, both in Britain and in mainland Europe.
The new penny was very impressive, with different profiles of Offa's head embossed, along with different inscriptions, including 'Offa Rex', which simply means 'King Offa', and 'Rex Anglorum' which translates to 'King of the English'.
There were several different portrayals of the great man, all intended to show him at his best.
He also had a coin struck portraying his wife, Queen Cynethryth, which was unique as no other queen in Anglo-Saxon times enjoyed such an honour.
The coins, probably struck at several different mints but mainly at Canterbury, weighed slightly heavier than the sceat, having a designated value of 24 troy grains (one pennyweight of silver or about 1.5 gms.).
A sum total of 240 of these sterling silver coins weighed one pound, hence the name £1 sterling.
Also, the suffix 'd' was used to denote the penny until 1971, when the letter 'p' replaced it.
Offa's Dyke.
Offa was frequently in conflict with the various Welsh kingdoms. There was a battle between the Mercians and the Welsh at Hereford in 760, and Offa is recorded as campaigning against the Welsh in 778, 784 and 796 in the tenth-century Annales Cambriae.
The best known relic associated with Offa's time is Offa's Dyke, a great earthen barrier that runs approximately along the border between England and Wales. It is mentioned by the monk Asser in his biography of Alfred the Great: "a certain vigorous king called Offa ... had a great dyke built between Wales and Mercia from sea to sea".
The best known relic associated with Offa's time is Offa's Dyke, a great earthen barrier that runs approximately along the border between England and Wales. It is mentioned by the monk Asser in his biography of Alfred the Great: "a certain vigorous king called Offa ... had a great dyke built between Wales and Mercia from sea to sea".
Battle of Englefield.
The Battle of Englefield was a battle on 31 December 870 at Englefield, near Reading in what is now the English county of Berkshire.
In 870, the village was the site of the Battle of Englefield. This was fought between the Anglo-Saxons, under Æthelwulf, Ealdorman of Berkshire, and the Danes, and resulted in a resounding victory for the Saxons. The battle was the first of a series in the winter of 870-1. The village is thought to be named after the battle: Englefield meaning either "English field" or "warning beacon field".
It was one of a series of battles, with honours to both sides, that took place following an invasion of the then kingdom of Wessex by an army of Danes, during which the Danes had established a camp at Reading.
Three days after their arrival in Reading, a party of Danes, led by two of their earls, rode out towards Englefield. Here Æthelwulf, the Ealdorman of the shire, had mustered a force and was waiting for them. In the ensuing Battle of Englefield many of the Danes – including one of the earls named Sidrac – were killed, and the rest driven back to Reading.
The Saxon victory at Englefield did not last long. Four days later, the main West Saxon army, led by King Ethelred and his brother, Alfred the Greatattacked the main Danish encampment at Reading and were bloodily repulsed, in what became known as the first Battle of Reading.
In 870, the village was the site of the Battle of Englefield. This was fought between the Anglo-Saxons, under Æthelwulf, Ealdorman of Berkshire, and the Danes, and resulted in a resounding victory for the Saxons. The battle was the first of a series in the winter of 870-1. The village is thought to be named after the battle: Englefield meaning either "English field" or "warning beacon field".
It was one of a series of battles, with honours to both sides, that took place following an invasion of the then kingdom of Wessex by an army of Danes, during which the Danes had established a camp at Reading.
Three days after their arrival in Reading, a party of Danes, led by two of their earls, rode out towards Englefield. Here Æthelwulf, the Ealdorman of the shire, had mustered a force and was waiting for them. In the ensuing Battle of Englefield many of the Danes – including one of the earls named Sidrac – were killed, and the rest driven back to Reading.
The Saxon victory at Englefield did not last long. Four days later, the main West Saxon army, led by King Ethelred and his brother, Alfred the Greatattacked the main Danish encampment at Reading and were bloodily repulsed, in what became known as the first Battle of Reading.
BATTLE OF READING.
ALFRED THE GREAT.
Alfred The Great: Reigned from 871-899. He defined himself as King of the Saxons and was the only King to be labelled "Great!" His capital was Winchester, he accepted advise from nobles and church leaders, had books translated from Latin into English and told monks to write The Anglo Saxon Chronicle! He also built warships, forts and walled towns, called burhs. He introduced a part time army where one half could be at home on their farms while the others would be preparing for battles. Alfred won an important battle at Edington, in Wiltshire, so the Vikings agreed to live in relative peace.He was the King Of Wessex, made peace and encouraged people to learn and so governed fairly.
One of the most easily recognisable landmarks in Winchester is the striking statue of King Alfred the Great, which stands at the eastern end of The Broadway, close to the site of the city's medieval East Gate. The statue of a suitably heroic Alfred was designed by Hamo Thornycroft, R.A., and erected in 1899 to mark one thousand years since Alfred's death.
Æthelred of Wessex. REigned BETWEEN 865-871.
The first Battle of Reading was a battle on 4 January 871 at Reading in what is now the English county of Berkshire. It was one of a series of battles, with honours to both sides, that took place following an invasion of the then kingdom of Wessex by an army of Danes led by Bagsecg and Halfdan Ragnarsson in an attempt to conquer Wessex.
The Danes had established a camp at Reading, defended by the Thames and Kennet rivers on two sides, and by a rampart on the western side. Three days after their arrival, a party of Danes rode out towards nearby Englefield, where a West Saxon force under the command of Æthelwulf, the Ealdorman of the shire, was waiting for them. In the ensuing Battle of Englefield many of the Danes were killed, and the rest driven back to Reading.
Four days later, Æthelwulf had been joined by the main West Saxon army, led by King Æthelred and his brother, Alfred the Great. The entire Saxon force marched on Reading. The assault was directed mainly at a gateway through the ramparts, and fierce and bloody fighting followed, before the attack was repulsed. Among the many dead of both sides was Æthelwulf. The Saxon forces were forced to retreat, allowing the Danes to continue their advance into Wessex.
Following the Battle of Reading, Æthelred and Alfred reformed their army, and a few days later won a famous victory at the Battle of Ashdown, forcing the Danes to retreat to Reading once more. Two weeks later the Danes won the Battle of Basing, and then, on 22 March, the Battle of Marton. In April Æthelred died, to be succeeded by Alfred. The Danish army remained in Reading until late in 871, when they retreated to winter quarters in London, and much of King Alfred's 28-year reign was taken up with the Danish conflict.
An EARLIER DANE ATTACK: BaTTLE OF ASHDOWN.
Battle of Ashdown took place on 8 January, 871.
In 870, the Danes embarked on an invasion of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex. They sailed up the Thames and came ashore at Maidenhead in Berkshire. Moving inland, they captured Reading and began fortifying the site as their base. The Danish commanders, Kings Bagsecg and Halfdan Ragnarsson, were supported by five Earls. They met considerable resistance from Aethelwulf the Earl of Berkshire, who was backed up by King Ethelred of Wessex and his younger brother, Alfred. After initial successes Ethelred planned an assault on the Danes' camp at Reading but was unable to break through the defences and was driven back to the Berkshire Downs. The Danes, seeing an opportunity now to crush the Saxons and take Wessex, rode out from Reading with the bulk of their army to take on the Saxons on the Berkshire Downs. The Saxons prevailed but not without great carnage on each side. The Danes were chased back eastward, across Berkshire. Many hundreds of bodies covered the chalky slopes. King Bagsecg and the five Danish Earls perished.
In 870, the Danes embarked on an invasion of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex. They sailed up the Thames and came ashore at Maidenhead in Berkshire. Moving inland, they captured Reading and began fortifying the site as their base. The Danish commanders, Kings Bagsecg and Halfdan Ragnarsson, were supported by five Earls. They met considerable resistance from Aethelwulf the Earl of Berkshire, who was backed up by King Ethelred of Wessex and his younger brother, Alfred. After initial successes Ethelred planned an assault on the Danes' camp at Reading but was unable to break through the defences and was driven back to the Berkshire Downs. The Danes, seeing an opportunity now to crush the Saxons and take Wessex, rode out from Reading with the bulk of their army to take on the Saxons on the Berkshire Downs. The Saxons prevailed but not without great carnage on each side. The Danes were chased back eastward, across Berkshire. Many hundreds of bodies covered the chalky slopes. King Bagsecg and the five Danish Earls perished.
BATTLE OF BASING.
The Battle of Basing was a battle on 22 January 871 at Old Basing in what is now the English county of Hampshire. It was one of a series of battles that took place following an invasion of the then kingdom of Wessex by an army of Danes.
The Danes had established a camp at Reading, and the previous battles of Englefield, Reading and Ashdown had proved indecisive, with victories to both sides.
Two weeks after the Saxon victory at Ashdown, the armies met again at Basing. The Saxon army, led by King Ethelred, was beaten by the Danes. But just like its predecessors, this battle was indecisive, and it was followed two months later by the Battle of Marton, where the Vikings again prevailed. In April Ethelred died, to be succeeded by Alfred the Great, and much of King Alfred's 28-year reign was taken up with the Danish conflict.
The Danes had established a camp at Reading, and the previous battles of Englefield, Reading and Ashdown had proved indecisive, with victories to both sides.
Two weeks after the Saxon victory at Ashdown, the armies met again at Basing. The Saxon army, led by King Ethelred, was beaten by the Danes. But just like its predecessors, this battle was indecisive, and it was followed two months later by the Battle of Marton, where the Vikings again prevailed. In April Ethelred died, to be succeeded by Alfred the Great, and much of King Alfred's 28-year reign was taken up with the Danish conflict.
BATTLE OF MARTON.
The Battle of Marton or Meretum took place on 22 March 871 at a place recorded as Marton, perhaps in Wiltshire or Dorset, after Æthelred of Wessex, forced (along with his brother Alfred) into flight following their costly victory against an army of Danish invaders at the Battle of Ashdown, had retreated to Basing (in Hampshire), where he was again defeated by the forces of Ivar the Boneless.
It was the last of eight battles known to be fought by Æthelred against the Danes that year, and the defeated King is reported to have died on 15 April 871. Whether he died in battle, or as a result of wounds suffered in battle is unclear. The site of the battle is unknown. Suggestions include the borders of the London Borough of Merton, Merton in Oxfordshire, Marden in Wiltshire or Martin in Dorset. The more westerly locations tend to be favoured because King Ethelred was buried in Wimborne Minster in Dorset shortly afterwards.
It was the last of eight battles known to be fought by Æthelred against the Danes that year, and the defeated King is reported to have died on 15 April 871. Whether he died in battle, or as a result of wounds suffered in battle is unclear. The site of the battle is unknown. Suggestions include the borders of the London Borough of Merton, Merton in Oxfordshire, Marden in Wiltshire or Martin in Dorset. The more westerly locations tend to be favoured because King Ethelred was buried in Wimborne Minster in Dorset shortly afterwards.
King Ethelred the first was born in 834, he was a man of Great faith, who was taught by his mother, Queen Osburh, to put his faith totally in Christ.
At thirty he fought his last great battle near Windborne Dorset and was buried at nearby Wimborne Minster.
King Ethelred was popularly regarded as a saint.
In Wimborne Minster there is a 14th century brass commemorating the Saxon King Ethelred, the elder brother of King Alfred the Great who was killed at that great battle , and buried in the Minster.
At thirty he fought his last great battle near Windborne Dorset and was buried at nearby Wimborne Minster.
King Ethelred was popularly regarded as a saint.
In Wimborne Minster there is a 14th century brass commemorating the Saxon King Ethelred, the elder brother of King Alfred the Great who was killed at that great battle , and buried in the Minster.
Battle of Eddington took place in May 878.
The first Viking raid on Anglo-Saxon England is thought to have been between AD 786 and 802 at Portland in the Kingdom of Wessex, when three Norse ships arrived and killed King Beorhtric's reeve. At the other end of the country, in the Kingdom of Northumbria, during AD 793 the Holy Island of Lindisfarne was raided.
The raiding continued and with each year became more and more intense. In 865/866 it escalated further on the arrival of what the Saxons called the Great Heathen Army, the size of which has been estimated at between five hundred and a thousand men which was under the leadership of the brothers Ivar the Boneless, Ubbe and Halfdan Ragnarsson. What made this army different from those before it was its intent. Its arrival began "a new stage, that of conquest and residence". By 870, the northmen had conquered the kingdoms of Deira and East Anglia, and in 871 they attacked Wessex. Of the nine battles mentioned by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicleduring that year, only one was a West Saxon victory; but in this year Alfred succeeded his brother Ethelred, who died after the Battle of Merton.
With his small warband, a fraction of his army at Chippenham, Alfred could not hope to retake the town from the Danes, who had in previous battles (for example at Reading in 871) proved themselves adept at defending fortified positions.
So he retreated to the south, preparing himself and his forces for another battle, and then defeated Guthrum and his host. The first we read of Alfred after the disaster at Chippenham is around Easter, when he built a fortress at Athelney. In the seventh week after Easter, or between 4 and 7 May, Alfred called a levy at Ecgbryhtesstan (Egbert's Stone). Many of the men in the counties around (Somerset, Wiltshire, and Hampshire) who had not already fled rallied to him there. The next day, Alfred's host moved to Iley Oak, and then the day after that to Edington. There, on an unknown date between 6 and 12 May, they fought the Danes. According to the Life:
"Fighting ferociously, forming a dense shield-wall against the whole army of the Pagans, and striving long and bravely...at last he [Alfred] gained the victory. He overthrew the Pagans with great slaughter, and smiting the fugitives, he pursued them as far as the fortress [i.e., Chippenham]."
After the victory, when the Danes had taken refuge in Chippenham, the West Saxons removed from the area around all food that the Danes might be able to capture in a sortie, and waited. After two weeks, the hungry Danes sued for peace, giving Alfred "preliminary hostages and solemn oaths that they would leave his kingdom immediately", just as usual, but in addition promising that Guthrum would be baptized.The primary difference between this agreement and the treaties at Wareham and Exeter was that Alfred had decisively defeated the Danes at Edington, rather than just stopping them, and therefore it seemed more likely that they would keep to the terms of the treaty.
The first Viking raid on Anglo-Saxon England is thought to have been between AD 786 and 802 at Portland in the Kingdom of Wessex, when three Norse ships arrived and killed King Beorhtric's reeve. At the other end of the country, in the Kingdom of Northumbria, during AD 793 the Holy Island of Lindisfarne was raided.
The raiding continued and with each year became more and more intense. In 865/866 it escalated further on the arrival of what the Saxons called the Great Heathen Army, the size of which has been estimated at between five hundred and a thousand men which was under the leadership of the brothers Ivar the Boneless, Ubbe and Halfdan Ragnarsson. What made this army different from those before it was its intent. Its arrival began "a new stage, that of conquest and residence". By 870, the northmen had conquered the kingdoms of Deira and East Anglia, and in 871 they attacked Wessex. Of the nine battles mentioned by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicleduring that year, only one was a West Saxon victory; but in this year Alfred succeeded his brother Ethelred, who died after the Battle of Merton.
With his small warband, a fraction of his army at Chippenham, Alfred could not hope to retake the town from the Danes, who had in previous battles (for example at Reading in 871) proved themselves adept at defending fortified positions.
So he retreated to the south, preparing himself and his forces for another battle, and then defeated Guthrum and his host. The first we read of Alfred after the disaster at Chippenham is around Easter, when he built a fortress at Athelney. In the seventh week after Easter, or between 4 and 7 May, Alfred called a levy at Ecgbryhtesstan (Egbert's Stone). Many of the men in the counties around (Somerset, Wiltshire, and Hampshire) who had not already fled rallied to him there. The next day, Alfred's host moved to Iley Oak, and then the day after that to Edington. There, on an unknown date between 6 and 12 May, they fought the Danes. According to the Life:
"Fighting ferociously, forming a dense shield-wall against the whole army of the Pagans, and striving long and bravely...at last he [Alfred] gained the victory. He overthrew the Pagans with great slaughter, and smiting the fugitives, he pursued them as far as the fortress [i.e., Chippenham]."
After the victory, when the Danes had taken refuge in Chippenham, the West Saxons removed from the area around all food that the Danes might be able to capture in a sortie, and waited. After two weeks, the hungry Danes sued for peace, giving Alfred "preliminary hostages and solemn oaths that they would leave his kingdom immediately", just as usual, but in addition promising that Guthrum would be baptized.The primary difference between this agreement and the treaties at Wareham and Exeter was that Alfred had decisively defeated the Danes at Edington, rather than just stopping them, and therefore it seemed more likely that they would keep to the terms of the treaty.