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Bretwalda is an Anglo-Saxon term, the first record of which comes from the late ninth century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. It is applied in that chronicle to some of the rulers of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from the fifth century onwards who had achieved overlordship over some or all the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The History of Anglo-Saxon England covers the history of Early medieval England from the end of Roman Britain and the establishment of Anglo-Saxon It is unclear if the word really dates back to the fifth century, or is a ninth century invention. The Mercian kings, who were overlords from the seventh to the ninth centuries, are not accorded the title of Bretwalda by the chronicle—which fact is usually assigned to anti-Mercian bias by its authors. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Whether they used it themselves is again uncertain, though in many cases their power was even greater than those listed by the chronicle.

The term also appears in a charter of Æthelstan, king of the English. It appears in several variant forms (brytenwalda, bretenanwealda, &c. ), and means most probably "lord of the Britons" or "lord of Britain"; for although the derivation of the word is uncertain, its earlier syllable seems to be cognate with the words Briton and Britannia; but Kemble derives Bretwalda from the Old English word breotan, to distribute, and translates it "widely ruling. Great Britain during the Middle Ages (from the 5th century withdrawal of Roman forces from the province of Britannia John Mitchell Kemble ( 1807 - March 26, 1857) English scholar and Historian, was the eldest son of Charles Kemble the actor "[1]

Contents

Bretwaldas

Listed by Bede and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Mercian overlords

Listed only by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Contemporary use

The entry for 827 in the [C] manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, listing the eight bretwaldas.
The entry for 827 in the [C] manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, listing the eight bretwaldas. For the area code see Area code 514 Events By Place Byzantine Empire Vitalius leads a rebellion in the Ceawlin (also spelled "Ceaulin" or "Caelin" (died c Events By Place Europe Ceawlin of Wessex becomes King of Wessex (traditional date Events By Place Europe Agilulf marries Theodelinda and becomes king of the Lombards. Events By Place Europe Aethelfrith succeeds Hussa as king of Bernicia (traditional date Æthelberht (also Æthelbert, Aethelberht, Aethelbert, or Ethelbert) (c Events By Place Europe Agilulf marries Theodelinda and becomes king of the Lombards. Events By Place Europe Eadbald succeeds Ethelbert as king of Kent. Rædwald, son of Tytila, was King of the East Angles from c 600 AD until his death in c 624 AD Events By Place Europe Eadbald succeeds Ethelbert as king of Kent. Events By Place Byzantine Empire December 12 — Battle of Nineveh: Emperor Heraclius defeats the Persians ending Saint Edwin (alternately Eadwine or Æduini) (c 586 &ndash 12 October 632/633 was the King of Deira and Bernicia - which would Events By Place Byzantine Empire December 12 — Battle of Nineveh: Emperor Heraclius defeats the Persians ending Events By Place Europe Khan Kubrat starts to rule in Great Bulgaria. Oswald (c 604 &ndash August 5, 642) was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death and is now venerated as a Christian Saint. Events By Place Europe Oswald of Bernicia becomes Bretwalda. Osric becomes king of Deira. Events By Place Europe Chindaswinth deposes Tulga, and becomes king of the Visigoths. Oswiu (c 612&ndash 15 February 670) also known as Oswy, was King of Bernicia. Events By Place Europe Chindaswinth deposes Tulga, and becomes king of the Visigoths. Events By place Europe The Union of Slavic Tribes falls apart after King Samo 's death Events By Place Europe On the death of his brother Clotaire Childeric II becomes king of all of the Frankish kingdoms ( Austrasia Wulfhere (died 675 was King of Mercia from the end of the 650s until 675 Events By place Europe The Union of Slavic Tribes falls apart after King Samo 's death Events By Place Europe Æthelred succeeds his brother Wulfhere as king of Mercia Frithuwold of Surrey For the later earl see Earl Æthelred of Mercia. Æthelred (ˈæθəlrɛd (died after 704 was King of Mercia from 675 until Events By Place Europe Æthelred succeeds his brother Wulfhere as king of Mercia Frithuwold of Surrey Events By Place Byzantine Empire Justinian II re-takes the throne of the Byzantine Empire. For the area code see Area code 716 Events By Place Byzantine Empire Theodosius III leads a revolt against Anastasius Cenred (or Coenred, Coinred, Kenred) ruled the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. Events By Place Byzantine Empire Justinian II re-takes the throne of the Byzantine Empire. Events By Place Europe Saelred becomes king of Essex. Ceolred becomes king of Mercia, after Ceolred (died 716 was King of Mercia from 709 to 716 He was a son of Æthelred, but not of Osthryth, Æthelred's only recorded wife Events By Place Europe Saelred becomes king of Essex. Ceolred becomes king of Mercia, after For the area code see Area code 716 Events By Place Byzantine Empire Theodosius III leads a revolt against Anastasius Ceolwald may have been King of Mercia Circa 716 King Ceolred of Mercia, a grandson of Penda died in 716 of a fit For the area code see Area code 716 Events By Place Byzantine Empire Theodosius III leads a revolt against Anastasius Æthelbald (also spelled Ethelbald, or Aethelbald) (died 757 was the King of Mercia, in what is now the English Midlands For the area code see Area code 716 Events By Place Byzantine Empire Theodosius III leads a revolt against Anastasius Events By Place Asia March 9 — A major Earthquake strikes Palestine and Syria. Events By Place Byzantine Empire Byzantine forces regain Cyprus from the Arabs. Beornred ( Anglo-Saxon Beornrǣd) was briefly King of Mercia in 757 following the murder of Æthelbald. Events By Place Asia March 9 — A major Earthquake strikes Palestine and Syria. Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796 Events By Place Asia March 9 — A major Earthquake strikes Palestine and Syria. Events By Place Europe December - Coenwulf becomes king of Mercia. Events By Place Europe Charlemagne conquers the kingdom of the Lombards, and takes title King of the Lombards Ecgfrith (died December 796 was a King of Mercia who briefly ruled in the year 796 Events By Place Europe December - Coenwulf becomes king of Mercia. Events By Place Europe December - Coenwulf becomes king of Mercia. Events By Place Asia Tang Mu Zong becomes emperor of China. Births Deaths Ceolwulf I was King of Mercia and Kent from 821 to 823. He was the brother of Cœnwulf, his predecessor and was deposed by Beornwulf Events By Place Asia Tang Mu Zong becomes emperor of China. Births Deaths Events By Place Byzantine Empire Crete is conquered from the Byzantines by the Saracens. Beornwulf (died 825 was King of Mercia (now the Midlands of England) from 823 to 825 Events By Place Byzantine Empire Crete is conquered from the Byzantines by the Saracens. Events By Place Asia Tang Wen Zong succeeds Tang Jing Zong as Emperor of China. Ludeca was the nineteenth King of Mercia, from 826 to 827 He became king after the death of Beornwulf in battle against the rebellious East Angles, but Events By Place Asia Tang Wen Zong succeeds Tang Jing Zong as Emperor of China. Events By Place Europe Arabs invade Sicily. Agnellus Iustinianus Particiacus appointed Roman consul and Wiglaf (died 839 was King of Mercia from 827 to 829 and again from 830 until his death Events By Place Europe Arabs invade Sicily. Agnellus Iustinianus Particiacus appointed Roman consul and Events By Place Europe Egbert of Wessex conquers Mercia and is recognized as Bretwalda. Events By Place Europe After the death of Louis the Pious, his sons Lothar, Charles the Bald and Louis the German Egbert (also spelt Ecgberht) (died 839 was King of Wessex from 802 until 839 Events By Place Europe Egbert of Wessex conquers Mercia and is recognized as Bretwalda. Events By Place Europe Louis the Pious attempts to divide his empire among his sons

The first recorded use of the term comes from a West Saxon Chronicle of the late 9th century applying the term to Ecgberht, who was King of Wessex from 802-839. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Egbert (also spelt Ecgberht) (died 839 was King of Wessex from 802 until 839 The chronicler also wrote down the names of seven kings Bede had listed in his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum in 731. Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (in English: Ecclesiastical History of the English People) is a work in Latin by the Events By Place Europe Bede completes his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum.

There is no evidence that the term bretwalda was a title that had any practical use, or even any existence before the ninth-century chronicler. Bede wrote in Latin and never used the term, and his list of kings holding imperium should be treated with great caution, not least in that he overlooks kings such as Penda of Mercia who clearly held some kind of dominance in their time. Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Penda (died November 15 655 was a 7th-century King of Mercia, a kingdom in what is today the English Midlands. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Similarly, in his list of Bretwaldas, the West Saxon chronicler ignores Mercian kings such as Offa. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. The Kingdom of Mercia was an important state in the English Midlands from the 6th century to the 10th. Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796 It is unlikely that there was a succession and defined duties, and it is doubtful whether the term Bretwalda is anything more than a later simplification of a complex structure of kingship. Problems arise when historians take the term and infer from it something that was not there.

Bretwalda is, therefore, a highly problematic term, and one which, if anything, was merely the attempt by a West Saxon chronicler to make some claim of West Saxon kings to the whole of Great Britain. This is a list of monarchs of Wessex until 924. For later monarchs see the List of monarchs in the British Isles. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands This shows that the concept of the unity of Britain was at least recognised in the period, whatever was meant by the term. Quite possibly it was only a survival of a Roman concept of "Britain"; it is significant that, while the hyperbolic inscriptions on coins and titles in charters often include the title rex Britanniae, when England was actually unified the title used was rex Angulsaxonum, king of the Anglo-Saxons. A charter is the grant of authority or rights stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified

Historical use

For some time the existence of the word Bretwalda in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which was based in part on the list given by Bede in his Historia Ecclesiastica, led historians to think that there was perhaps a "title" held by overlords of Great Britain. Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands This was particularly attractive as it would lay the foundations for the establishment of an "English" monarchy. The twentieth-century historian Frank Stenton says of the Anglo-Saxon chronicler that "his inaccuracy is more than compensated by his preservation of the English title applied to these outstanding kings. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Sir Frank Merry Stenton (1880 &ndash 15 September 1967 was a noted 20th century historian of Anglo-Saxon England. "[2] He goes on to argue that the term Bretwalda "falls into line with the other evidence which points to the Germanic origin of the earliest English institutions. "

Over the later twentieth century this assumption was increasingly challenged. In 1991, Steven Fanning argued, "It is unlikely that the term ever existed as a title or was in common usage in Anglo-Saxon England. "[3] The fact that Bede never mentioned a special title for the kings in his list implies that he was unaware of one. [4] In 1995 Simon Keynes wrote, "if Bede's concept of the Southumbrian overlord, and the chronicler's concept of the 'Bretwalda', are to be regarded as artificial constructs, which have no validity outside the context of the literary works in which they appear, we are released from the assumptions about political development which they seem to involve. Simon Douglas Keynes MA, PhD, LittD, FBA (born 23 September 1952) is the current Elrington and Bosworth Professor . . we might ask whether kings in the eighth and ninth centuries were quite so obsessed with the establishment of a pan-Southumbrian state. "[5]

Thus, more recent interpretations view the bretwaldaship as a complex concept. It is now recognized as an important indicator of how a ninth-century chronicler interpreted history and tried to insert the West Saxon kings, who were rapidly expanding their power at the time, into that history.

Overlordship

What did exist was a complex array of dominance and subservience. Examples such as a king granting land with charters in another kingdom, are a sure sign of such a relationship. Anglo-Saxon Charters are documents from the early medieval period in Britain which typically make a grant of land or record a privilege A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or When a king held sway over a larger kingdom, such as a Mercian ruler over East Anglia, the relationship would have been more equal than in the case of a larger kingdom exercising overlordship over a smaller one, as in the case of Mercia and Hwicce. East Anglia is often used as a shorthand for the Kingdom of the East Angles. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. The Hwicce (also spelt Hwicca or Wiccia) were one of the peoples of Anglo-Saxon England. Mercia was arguably the most powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom for much of the late seventh and eighth centuries, though Mercian kings are missed out of the two main "lists". For Bede, Mercia was a traditional enemy of his native Northumbria, and he saw powerful Mercian kings such as Penda (a pagan) as standing in the way of the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons, and so does not include them in his list, even though it is evident that Penda held a considerable degree of power. Penda (died November 15 655 was a 7th-century King of Mercia, a kingdom in what is today the English Midlands. Similarly, powerful Mercia kings such as Offa are missed out of the West Saxon Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which sought to demonstrate the legitimacy of the West Saxon kings to rule over other Anglo-Saxon peoples. Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796

References

  1. ^ Kemble, John Mitchell (1876). John Mitchell Kemble ( 1807 - March 26, 1857) English scholar and Historian, was the eldest son of Charles Kemble the actor The Saxons in England. A History of the English Commonwealth till the Period of the Norman Conquest. London: Bernard Quaritch.  
  2. ^ F. M. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, 3rd edition, (Oxford: University Press, 1971), pp. 34–5
  3. ^ Steven Fanning, “Bede, Imperium, and the Bretwaldas,” Speculum 66, no. 1 (1991): 24.
  4. ^ Steven Fanning, “Bede, Imperium, and the Bretwaldas,” Speculum 66, no. 1 (1991): 23.
  5. ^ Simon Keynes, 'England, 700–900' in The New Cambridge Medieval History, II, c. 700-c. 900. ed. R. McKitterick, (Cambridge: University Press, 1995), p. 39

Other sources

See also

This is a chronological list of the monarchs of East Anglia, formally known as The Kingdom of the East Angles, one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon The Kingdom of Essex ( Est Seaxna "East Saxons" was one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy) was founded This is a list of the Kings of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent. This list of kings and ealdormen of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Sussex contains substantial gaps and many of the dates from this time are unreliable This is a list of monarchs of Wessex until 924. For later monarchs see the List of monarchs in the British Isles. The Kingdom of Mercia was an important state in the English Midlands from the 6th century to the 10th. Northumbria, a kingdom of Angles in northern England, was initially divided into two kingdoms Bernicia and Deira. The following list of legendary kings of Britain derives predominantly from Geoffrey of Monmouth 's circa 1136 work Historia Regum Britanniae ("the The Britons or Brythons were the indigenous Celtic speaking people of what is now England, Wales and southern Scotland, whose The Kings of Wessex, who conquered Kent and Sussex from Mercia in 825 became increasingly dominant over the other kingdoms of England during See also List of British consorts. This is a list of the monarchs of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. A high king is a king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings without the title of Emperor; compare King of Kings.
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