Cædwalla
Cædwalla (c. 659–689) was the King of Wessex from c. 685 until his abdication in 688. His name comes from the British name Cadwallon. He was a powerful king and war leader. It was through his efforts that Wessex rose to become the third kingdom, after Northumbria and Mercia, in what would become the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the heptarchy. Cædwalla was a pagan king who fought for and promoted Christianity.
| Cædwalla | |
|---|---|
| King of Wessex | |
 From a Lambert Barnard mural at Chichester Cathedral. | |
| King of Wessex | |
| Reign | 685–688 |
| Predecessor | Centwine |
| Successor | Ine |
| Born | c. 659 |
| Died | 20 April 689 (aged 30) Rome |
| Consort | Cynethryth |
| House | House of Gewissae |
| Father | Centberht |
Early career
changeCædwalla[a] was born c. 659.[2] He the son of Cenberht (Coenbryht) and the brother of Mul.[3] They were of the royal house of the Gewissae.[4] Cædwalla was a descendant of Cerdic.[3] His father, an underking in Wessex, was killed in 661 when Cædwalla was about two years old.[5] His family took refuge in the great forest of the Weald[b] Cædwalla was apparently one of those trying to claim territory in Wessex after the death of Cenwalh. But he was exiled from Wessex in 680 by Centwine.[5] During that time he had gathered around him a band of warriors. In 685 Cædwalla "began to strive for the kingdom" (or wanted to become king).[3] He repeatedly attacked Sussex and killed king Ethelwalth.[1] Two of the Sussex ealdormen drove Cædwalla out of that kingdom. Still landless, Cædwalla turned his attentions again towards Wessex.[1] This same year Centwine retired to a monastery and abdicated the throne of Wessex.
King of Wessex
changeBy 686 Cædwalla was able to declare himself king.[7] The remaining underkings in Wessex did not oppose him and kept their territories. During the three years Cædwalla reigned over Wessex he was constantly at war.[1] He and his brother Mul ravaged Kent in 686.[7] After subjecting Kent to his rule he left his brother Mul in charge as king of Kent.[5] That summer he attacked Sussex and killed king Berhthun.[8] In 687 the men of Kent rose up against Mul and he was burned with twelve of his companions.[9] They soon restored their own royal line on the throne. Cædwalla invaded a second time and ruled Kent himself.[10] Cædwalla next invaded the Isle of Wight. King Arwald was killed.[5] Caewalla allowed the two young athelings of Wight, Arwald's brothers, to convert to Christianity before executing them.[5] He then began to kill all the inhabitants and replace them with settlers from Wessex.[7] Although still a pagan, he gave several large estates on the Isle of Wight to bishop Wilfrid.[7] It was during his war on the Isle of Wight that Cædwalla was badly wounded.[9] His wound seemed mortal to him. But he had succeeded in conquering most of the south-east of England.[10] In 688 he abdicated the throne of Wessex.[5] He was able to journey to Rome where on Easter day 689, he was baptised by Pope Sergius.[5] About ten days later on 20 April he died and was buried in Rome.[5] He set a precedent for the west Saxon kings who followed him to dominate all of south-east England.[4]
Cædwalla remained a pagan until end of his life. He was a friend of bishop Wilfrid and at times called himself the defender of the church.[5] He granted land for a monastery to an Abbot Ecgbald at Hoo in Kent.[10] His authority in Surrey is demonstrated by a grant of land for an monastery in Farnham.[10] He saw his attempts to remove all the Jutes from the Isle of Wight as a war of Christianity against the pagans.[5] When he left England on his pilgrimage to Rome he stopped at Calais and donated money to build a church there.[4] He did the same at the court of the Lombards before going on to Rome. Cædwalla was succeeded by Ine.
Notes
change- ↑ His name is a form of the British name Cadwallon. This indicates Britons in his family tree even though he was a West Saxon atheling (prince).[1]
- ↑ The great Weald (Old English: meaning forest) was an area of wild forested country that stretched over Kent, Surrey and Sussex.[6]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Frank Stenton, Anglo Saxon-England (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1989), p. 69
- ↑ Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, trans. Leo Sherley-Price, Revd. R. E. Latham (New York: Penguin Books, 1990), p. 276
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: According to Several Original Authorities, ed. & trans. Benjamin Thorpe, Vol II (London: Longman, Green, Longman and Roberts, 1861), p. 34
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Michael Frassetto, The Early Medieval World: from the fall of Rome to the time of Charlemagne (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2013), p. 137
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 Mike Ashley, The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens (New york: Carroll & Graf, 1999), p. 307
- ↑ The South Saxons, ed. Peter Brandon (London: Phillimore, 1978), p. 138
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 D. P. Kirby, The Earliest English Kings, Second Edition (London; New York: Routledge, 2000), p. 101
- ↑ Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, trans. Leo Sherley-Price; D. H. Farmer, revis. R.R. Latham (London, New York: Penguin, 1990), p. 230
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Frank Stenton, Anglo Saxon-England (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1989), p. 70
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 D. P. Kirby, The Earliest English Kings, Second Edition (London; New York: Routledge, 2000), p. 102
Other websites
change- Britannia: Kings of Wessex Archived 2013-07-27 at the Wayback Machine