Early Medieval History Of Northumbria Beginnings King Oswald

Bernicia and Deira were first united by Aethelfrith, a king of Bernicia who conquered Deira around the year 604. He was defeated and killed around the year 616 in battle at the River Idle by Raedwald of East Anglia, who installed Edwin, the son of Aellalla Ella Ille (d. 588), is the first known king of Deira. One of his sons was Edwin of Northumbria. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle he became king the same year as Ceawlin of Wessex ( 560) on the death of Ida, and ruled 30 years. However, the Chron, a former king of Deira, as king. Edwin, who accepted ChristianityChristian cross and its many variations are widely recognized as an ancient Christian symbol. Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. Although Christians generally chara in 627Events April 11 Paulinus, a Roman missionary, baptizes King Edwin of Deira December 12 Battle of Nineveh: Byzantine Emperor Heraclius defeats the Persians Births Deaths November 10 Justus, Archbishop of Canterbury 627., soon grew to become the most powerful king in England: he was recognized as BretwaldaThe title of Bretwalda was one perhaps used by some of the kings of the kingdoms of England (the so-called Anglo-Saxon heptarchy) in the second half of the first millennium AD. Such a king was considered to be the overlord of several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. and conquered the Isle of ManThe Isle of Man Ellan Vannin in Manx), a British crown dependency, lies in the Irish Sea almost equidistant from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. With an area of 572 km² (221 square miles) and a population of around 76,315 (2001 Census) it arguably h and GwyneddThis article is about the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd. For the modern administrative county of Wales, see Gwynedd. Gwynedd was one of the kingdoms or principalities of medieval Wales. Covering an area in the north-west of the country around Snowdonia and in northern WalesFor alternate meanings, see Wales (disambiguation Wales ( Welsh: Cymru pronounced /"k@mrI/ SAMPA, km IPA, 'Kumree' approximate pronunciation) is one of the four nations comprising the United Kingdom (the other three being England, Scotland and Northern Ir. He was, however, himself defeated by an alliance of the exiled king of Gwynedd, Cadwallon ap Cadfan and Penda, king of Mercia, at the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633.

After Edwin's death, Northumbria was split between Bernicia, where Eanfrith, a son of Aethelfrith, took power, and Deira, where a cousin of Edwin, Osric, became king. Both of these rulers were killed during the year that followed, as Cadwallon continued his devastating invasion of Northumbria. After the murder of Eanfrith, his brother, Oswald, backed by a force of Scots sent by Domnal of Dalriada, defeated and killed Cadwallon at the Battle of Heavenfield in 634.

2 King Oswald

King Oswald re-introduced Christianity to the Kingdom, but this time, by appointing St Aidan, an Irish monk from the Scottish island of Iona to convert his people. This led to the introduction of Celtic Christianity, as opposed to Roman Catholicism. A monastery was established on Lindisfarne, probably as an echo of the island monastery of Iona.

War with Mercia continued, however. In 642, Oswald was killed by the Mercians under Penda at the Battle of Maserfield. In 655, Penda launched a massive invasion of Northumbria, aided by the sub-king of Deira, Aethelwald, but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of an inferior force under Oswiu, Oswald's successor, at the Battle of Winwaed. This battle marked a major turning point in Northumbrian fortunes: Penda died in the battle, and Oswiu gained supremacy over Mercia, making himself the most powerful king in England.

3 Religious Union and the Loss of Mercia

In the year 664 a great synod was held at Whitby to discuss the controversy regarding the timing of the Easter festival. Much dispute had arisen between the practices of the Celtic church in Northumbria and the beliefs of the Roman church. Eventually, Northumbria was persuaded to move to the Roman faith, the Celtic Bishop Colman of Lindisfarne returned to Iona.

Northumbria lost control of Mercia in the late 650s, after a successful revolt under Penda's son Wulfhere, but it retained its dominant position until it suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of the Picts at the Battle of Nechtansmere in 685; Northumbria's king, Ecgfrith (son of Oswiu), was killed, and its power in the north was gravely weakened. The peaceful reign of Aldfrith, Ecgfrith's half-brother and successor, did something to limit the damage done, but it is from this point that Northumbria's power began to decline, and chronic instability followed Aldfrith's death in 704.

More detail needed to take this past St. Cuthbert, the Lindisfarne Gospels, Norman Conquest and eventually into the present day.

Anglo-Saxon England Northumbria, History

<Hide>

Home > Early Medieval History of Northumbria

1 Beginnings

2 King Oswald

3 Religious Union and the Loss of Mercia

Topics: Early Medieval History Of Northumbria, Beginnings, King Oswald...