Kingdom of the Hwicce

The Hwicce (also spelt Hwicca or Wiccia) were one of the peoples of Anglo-Saxon Britain. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south The exact boundaries of their kingdom are uncertain, though it is likely that they coincided with those of the old Diocese of Worcester, the early bishops of which bore the title Episcopus Hwicciorum. The Diocese of Worcester forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The kingdom would therefore have included Worcestershire except the northwestern tip, Gloucestershire except the Forest of Dean, the southwestern half of Warwickshire, and the neighbourhood of Bath north of the Avon. Worcestershire (ˈwʊstəʃə abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England. History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century The Forest of Dean is a geographical historical and cultural region in the western part of the County of Gloucestershire, England Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. ^[1]

The territory of the Hwicca was assessed at 7000 hides in the Tribal Hidage. The Tribal Hidage is a list of territorial assessments in Anglo-Saxon England which lists regions and the number of hides those regions contained

The name Hwicce survives in Wychwood in Oxfordshire, Whichford in Warwickshire, Wichenford and Wychbury Hill in Worcestershire and the Wychavon district of Worcestershire. The Wychwood, or Wychwood Forest, is an area now covering a small part of rural Oxfordshire. History See also History of Oxfordshire The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the Whichford is a small Village and Civil parish in the south of the English county of Warwickshire. Wychbury Hill is a Hill situated off the A456 Birmingham Road at Hagley, Stourbridge, on the border of West Midlands and Worcestershire (ˈwʊstəʃə abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England. Worcestershire (ˈwʊstəʃə abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England.

History

The territory of the Hwicce roughly corresponded to the Roman civitas of the Dobunni. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Dobunni were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Islands prior to the Roman invasion of Britain. ^[2] The area appears to have remained largely British in the first century or so after Britannia left the Roman Empire, but pagan burials and place-names in its north-eastern sector suggest an inflow of Angles,^[3] who may have exacted tribute from British rulers. Britannia was the term originally used by the Romans to refer first to the British Isles, and later to the island of Great Britain. The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestral region of Angeln, a modern district located in ^[4]

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle there was a battle at Dyrham in 577 in which the West Saxons under Ceawlin killed three British kings and captured Gloucester, Cirencester and Bath. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Ceawlin (also spelled "Ceaulin" or "Caelin" (died c Gloucester (ˈɡlɒstɚ) is a city, district and County town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Cirencester is a Market town in Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles (150 km west northwest of London Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. However the Angles regained and indeed strengthened their influence over the area in 628, when (says the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle), the West Saxons fought the (Anglian) Penda of Mercia at Cirencester and afterwards came to terms. Penda (died November 15 655 was a 7th-century King of Mercia, a kingdom in what is today the English Midlands. Penda had evidently won, but he had probably forged an alliance with local leaders, for the former Dobunnic polity did not immediately become part of Mercia. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Instead it became the allied or client kingdom of the Hwicce.

The first probable kings of whom we read were two brothers, Eanhere and Eanfrith. Eanhere was a possible ruler of Hwicce, one of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms of England maybe reigning jointly with his brother Eanfrith. Æthelwealh ( ''fl'' c 660-685 (also written Aedilualch, Aethelwalch, Aþelwold, Æðelwold, Æþelwald, or Ethelwalch Bede notes that Queen Eafe "had been baptised in her own country, the kingdom of the Hwicce. Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c Æthelwealh ( ''fl'' c 660-685 (also written Aedilualch, Aethelwalch, Aþelwold, Æðelwold, Æþelwald, or Ethelwalch She was the daughter of Eanfrith, Eanhere's brother, both of whom were Christians, as were their people. "^[5] From this we deduce that Eanfrith and Eanhere were of the royal family and that theirs was a Christian kingdom. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings

It is likely that the Hwicce were converted to Christianity by the British Church, rather than the mission from Pope Gregory I, since Bede was well-informed on the latter and does not mention the conversion of the Hwicce. Celtic Christianity, or Insular Christianity (sometimes called the Celtic Church or the British Church) broadly refers to the Early Medieval ^[6] Though place-names show that Anglo-Saxon settlement was widespread in the territory, the limited spread of pagan burials suggest that British Christianity survived the influx, as do two eccles place names. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south There are also probable British Christian burials beneath Worcester Cathedral and St Mary de Lode, Gloucester. Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in Worcester, England situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. ^[7] So it seems that incoming Anglo-Saxons were absorbed into the existing Church. The ruling dynasty of the Hwicce were probably key figures in the process. Perhaps they sprang from intermarriage between Anglian and British leading families.

By a complex chain of reasoning, we can deduce that Eanhere married Osthryth, daughter of Oswiu of Northumbria and had sons by her named Osric, Oswald and Oshere. Osthryth (died 697 was the daughter of Oswiu of Northumbria and the wife of King Æthelred of Mercia. Oswiu (c 612&ndash 15 February 670) also known as Oswy, was King of Bernicia. Osric was a king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the Hwicce, perhaps reigning jointly with his presumed brother Oshere. Oshere, King of Hwicce, possibly jointly with his presumed brother Osric, and (perhaps after Osric with Æthelmod, Æthelheard, Æthelweard Osthryth is recorded as the wife of Æthelred of Mercia. For the later earl see Earl Æthelred of Mercia. Æthelred (ˈæθəlrɛd (died after 704 was King of Mercia from 675 until An earlier marriage to Eanhere would explain why Osric and Oswald are described as Æthelred's nepotes — usually translated as nephews or grandsons, but here probably meaning stepsons. ^[8]

Osric was anxious for the Hwicce to gain their own bishop,S51, but it was Oshere whose influence was seen behind the creation of the see of Worcester in 679–80. Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican Cathedral in Worcester, England situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. Presumably Osric was dead by that time. Tatfrid of Whitby was chosen as the first bishop of the Hwicce, but died before ordination, so he was replaced by Bosel. ^[9] A 12th-century chronicler of Worcester comments that Worcester was selected as the seat of the bishop because it was the capital of the Hwicce. ^[10]

Oshere was succeeded by his sons Æthelheard, Æthelweard and Æthelric. Æthelheard, King of Hwicce (one of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms of England) jointly with his presumed brothers Æthelweard, Æthelberht Æðelweard, King of Hwicce, apparently jointly with his presumed brothers Æthelheard, Æthelberht, and Æthelric. Æthelric was a king of the Hwicce and son of Oshere; it is possible that he reigned jointly with Æthelheard, Æthelweard, and Æthelberht At the beginning of Offa's reign we find the kingdom ruled by three brothers, named Eanberht, Uhtred and Aldred, the two latter of whom lived until about 780. Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796 Eanberht, King of Hwicce jointly with Uhtred and Ealdred. In 757 Eanberht Uhtred and Ealdred granted land to Bishop Milred and in 759 Aldred, or Ealdred (died 11 September 1069 English ecclesiastic was Abbot of Tavistock, Bishop of Worcester, Bishop of Hereford, Events By Place Byzantine Empire Constantine VI becomes Byzantine Emperor with Irene as guardian After them the title of king seems to have been given up. Their successor Æthelmund, who was killed in a campaign against Wessex in 802, is described only as an earl. Æthelmund, Ealdorman of Hwicce. In 770 Uhtred of Hwicce issued a charter to his thegn Æthelmund.

The district remained in possession of the rulers of Mercia until the fall of that kingdom. Together with the rest of English Mercia it submitted to King Alfred about 877–883 under Earl Æthelred, who possibly himself belonged to the Hwicce. Alfred the Great (also Ælfred from the Old English Ælfrēd ˈælfreːd (c Ealdorman Æthelred (died 911 was a ruler of Mercia (c 883 &ndash 911

Kings of the Hwicce

No contemporary genealogy or list of kings has been preserved, so the following list has been compiled by historians from a variety of primary sources. ^[11] Some kings of the Hwicce seem to have reigned in tandem for all or part of their reign. This gives rise to an overlap in the dates of reigns given below. Please consult individual biographies for a discussion of the dating of these rulers.

Ealdormen of the Hwicce

Other notables of the Hwicce

Æthelmod granted land to Abbess Beorngyth in October 680 and was probably a member of the royal family. Æthelmod was possibly a King of Hwicce, perhaps a son of Osric, reigning jointly with his uncle Oshere. [2]

Osred (c. Osred might refer to Osred I of Northumbria Osred II of Northumbria 693) was a thegn of the Hwicce, who has been described by some historians as a king. ^[16]

Notes

Further reading

Della Hooke, The Anglo-Saxon Landscape: The Kingdom of the Hwicce (1985).