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Wulfhere (d. 675) was a King of Mercia ( 658 - 675). He restored the power of Mercia after its disastrous defeat at the Battle of Winwaed.

He was a younger son of King Penda, and was kept in concealment for some time after his father's defeat and death in 655. In 658, however, the Mercians rebelled against the supremacy of Oswiu, king of Northumbria, and Wulfhere became their king.

Unlike his pagan father, Wulfhere was an enthusiastic Christian, and he took energetic measures to spread Christianity in Mercia. He was greatly helped in this by his bishop Jaruman , and afterwards by St. Chad. Outside Mercia, he did something to induce the East and the South Saxons to accept Christianity, and is said to have founded one or two monasteries.

Wulfhere gained LindseyLindsey or Linnuis is the name of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that lay between the Humber and the Wash, forming its inland boundaries from the course of the Witham and Trent rivers (with the inclusion of an area inside of a marshy region south of the Humber k from Northumbria, and he led a successful campaign against WessexWessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the kingdom of England. It was named after the West Saxons and situated in the south and southwest of England. It existed from the 6th century until the emergence of the in 661Events Caliph Ali Ben Abu Talib is assassinated. He is succeeded by Muawiyah I ibn Abu Sufyan, first Umayyad caliph Emperor Tenji ascends to the throne of Japan Perctarit and Godepert become co-rulers of the Lombards, following the death of their father A; according to the Anglo-Saxon ChronicleThe Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of (mainly) secondary source documents narrating the history of the Anglo-Saxons and their settlement in Britain. Much of the information in these documents consists of rumors of events that happened elsewhere and, he "raided as far as Ashdown " and the Isle of WightThe Isle of Wight is an island off the south coast of England opposite Southampton. Colloquially, it is known as 'The Island' by residents. Its population was 132,731 in the 2001 census (and 126,600 in 1991). The Island has a single MP (currently Andrew T, which he gave to Aethelwald of Sussex. He extended his borders in all directions, but at the end of his reign he suffered a series of setbacks. In 674Events Dagobert II and Theuderic I succeed Childeric II as king(s) of the Franks First glass windows placed in English Churches Arabic siege of Constantinople begins Cenfus and then Aescwine succeed to the throne of Wessex Births Deaths Wulfhere, king of, he attempted an invasion of Northumbria, but was badly defeated by its king, EcgfrithEcgfrith ( 645 May 20, 685) was the King of Northumbria from 670 until his death. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat in which he lost his life. Ecgfrith was the son of his precede. In 675, there was a battle between the Mercians and the West Saxons under Aescwine . Wulfhere died in the same year, although the cause is unknown.

Wulfhere's wife was Eormenhild, a daughter of Eorcenberht, king of Kent, and he was succeeded by his brother Æthelred. His only son Coenred became king in 704 in succession to Æthelred. His only daughter was St Werburga or Werburh, abbess of Ely.

See Bede, Historica ecclesiastica, ed. C. Plummer (Oxford, 1896); and JR Green, The Making of England (1897-1899).

This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.