Beorhtwulf

Beorhtwulf († 852 ) was king of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia from 840 to 852.

Domination

At the beginning of his rule Mercia still exercised the suzerainty over large parts of southern England. The heartland of the Kingdom of Wessex was an exception . On the northern periphery of Wessex on the central Thames , Beorhtwulf could continue to allocate land at its own discretion. In the further course of his reign, however, his rule came under steadily increasing pressure from the increasing strength of the Wessex on the one hand, and the intensifying Viking incursions on the other. In 851 Beorhtwulf lost a battle against the Vikings, who had surfaced with 350 ships at the mouth of the Thames, whereupon they conquered London and Canterbury. In the same year disputed areas on the middle Thames in the county of Berkshire were ceded to the Kingdom of Wessex under a treaty between the King of the West Saxons, Ethelwulf , and Beorhtwulf.

After 852 Beorhtwulf is no longer mentioned in the sources.

Individual evidence

1. ^ FM Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England , p. 234
2. ↑ ASC , s. a. 851
3. ^ FM Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England , p. 244

literature

source

• The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: MS A v. 3 , Janet Bately (Ed.), Brewer, Rochester (NY) 1986, ISBN 0-8599-1103-9 .

Secondary literature

• James Campbell (Ed.): The Anglo-Saxons. Phaidon, London 1982, ISBN 0-7148-2149-7 .
• Frank M. Stenton: Anglo-Saxon England . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1971, ISBN 0-1928-0139-2 .
• Ian W. Walker: Mercia and the Making of England . Sutton, Stroud 2000, ISBN 0-75092-131-5 .

predecessor	Office	successor
Wiglaf	King of Mercien 840–852	Burgred