Ecgfrith (Mercia)
Ecgfrith († December 796 , also Egfrid von Mercien ) was a king of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia . As the son of Offas and Cynethryths , he was made co-regent of his father in 787 and succeeded him to the throne in July 796.
Ecgfrith is particularly important because of his royal ordination in 787 : He is the first English king to have been ordained a Christian. After the consecration, he also signed royal documents. The sources report that Offa's efforts to secure the throne for his line through his son's co-kingship led to bloody disputes while he was still alive. After Offa's death, Ecgfrith ruled only briefly and died five months after his father on December 14 or 17, 796.
Offa's marriage plans for Ecgfrith had a significant impact on his foreign and economic policy and indirectly also on his coin reform. The proposal of Charlemagne that one of Offa's daughters should marry a son of Charlemagne was rejected by Offa and stipulated that Ecgfrith would also marry a daughter of Charlemagne. This led to a three-year dispute during which Karl closed his ports to English traders. The fact that this revealed the importance of trade across the English Channel is seen as one of the reasons for Offa's coin reform.
Individual evidence
literature
- Charles Patrick Wormald: Ecgfrith (1) . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 4, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-7608-8904-2 , Sp. 1538.
- James Campbell (Ed.): The Anglo-Saxons. Phaidon, London 1982, ISBN 0-7148-2149-7 .
- Frank M. Stenton: Anglo-Saxon England . 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1971, ISBN 0-19-280139-2 .
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Offa |
King of Mercien 787–796 |
Cenwulf |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ecgfrith (Mercia) |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Egfrid of Mercien |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | King of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 8th century |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 14, 796 or December 17, 796 |