Egbert from Wessex

Egbert in an illustration from the late 13th century (genealogical chronicle of the English kings up to Edward I).

Egbert (also Ecgberht or Ecgbert ; † 839 in Wessex , England ) was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. Under King Egbert, Wessex became the most powerful of the kingdoms within the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy and overcame Mercia's previous supremacy . Since he dominated the area of ​​what is now England, he is often listed as the first King of England , although such a title did not yet exist in his time and successors again had a smaller area of ​​rule.

Life

The question about Egbert's origin is controversial. In the entry for the year 825, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that the people in the south-east accepted Egbert's rule because he had been unjustly expelled from there. In a chronicle of Christ Church (Canterbury) from the 11th / 12th centuries. In the 17th century, Ealhmund is listed by Kent as Egbert's father. Other source reports also indicate an origin from Kent and not from Wessex, although this was constructed later. In modern research, it is now mostly assumed that Ealhmund was actually Egbert's father and that Egbert came from the royal house of Kent, which had long since been disempowered at the beginning of the 9th century.

After King Cynewulf's assassination in 786, Egbert must have tried (at what exact time is unclear) to ascend the throne of Wessex, but he succumbed to Beorhtric , an ally of Offa of Mercien . Exiled from the country (this probably happened between 789 and 796) Egbert went into exile and spent this time on the continent, where he also stayed at the court of Charlemagne . He was recognized as king by the West Saxons after Beorhtric's death in 802 after he had apparently come into possession of the kingship of Wessex by force. Beorhtric had clearly subordinated himself to the kings of Mercia Offa and Cenwulf , while Egbert sought greater independence for Wessex.

Anglo-Saxon England during Egbert's reign

The sources actually do not report anything about Egbert's first years of reign, and he does not seem to have undertaken any campaigns during this period. In 815, however, he conquered Cornwall , which now became part of the Kingdom of Wessex. In 825 he defeated Beornwulf von Mercien at Ellandun . After this victory, Kent , Surrey , the Kingdom of Sussex (probably not until 827) and the Kingdom of Essex submitted to the rule of Wessex; also East Anglia , which rose against the rule of the Mercier, recognized Egbert as ruler.

Egbert continued to force military expansion in the following years. In 829 he defeated Wiglaf , the king of Mercia , and Northumbria also recognized him as ruler. In the entry of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 829 it is reported that Egbert ruled all areas south of the Humber and now functioned as a bretwalda . This description can only be found in manuscript A of the Chronicle (and in its copy G). Bretwalda was the term for a ruler in the early Anglo-Saxon period, as reported by Beda Venerabilis . For Egbert's time, this term is anachronistic and should probably only clarify Egbert's position of power. What is certain is that he was now the most powerful king in southern England, but his influence even extended as far as Northumbria.

In 830 Egbert led a successful campaign against Wales , while Mercien regained independence under Wiglaf. Whether this was due to a rebellion or an act of grace by Egbert towards Wiglaf is unknown, but the mercian hegemony was apparently broken; Nor are any coins known from Wiglaf's from this period, who perhaps continued to be under Egbert's influence. In 836 Egbert was attacked by the Danes ; In 838 he defeated them and the West Welsh allies with them in a battle at Hingston Down in Cornwall.

Inside, Egbert maintained good relations with the church, had several coins minted and issued ordinances. He married the Franconian princess Redburga (possibly a sister-in-law of Charlemagne) and seems to have had good contacts with the Frankenhof. He had two sons and a daughter. Egbert died in 839 and was buried in Winchester Cathedral, succeeded by his son Æthelwulf .

A memorial plaque for him was placed in the Walhalla near Regensburg .

See also : Family table of English kings

reception

Egbert von Wessex is an important character in the television series Vikings . He is portrayed there by Linus Roache . Mount Egbert , a mountain on Alexander I Island in Antarctica , is named after him .

literature

• Heather Edwards: Ecgberht (d.839). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004 ( online version (paid) ).
• James Campbell (Ed.): The Anglo-Saxons. Phaidon, London 1982, ISBN 0-7148-2149-7 .
• Nicholas J. Higham, Martin J. Ryan: The Anglo-Saxon World. Yale University Press, New Haven 2013.
• David Peter Kirby: The Earliest English Kings. Revised Edition. Routledge, London 2000, pp. 155-164.
• Frank M. Stenton: Anglo-Saxon England. 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, Oxford 1971, ISBN 0-19-280139-2
• Barbara Yorke : Kings and Kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England. Routledge, London / New York 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-16639-3 .
• Barbara Yorke: Wessex in the Early Middle Ages. Leicester University Press, London 1995, ISBN 0-7185-1856-X .

Web links

Commons : Egbert von Wessex  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

1. ↑ Heather Edwards: Ecgberht (d.839). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004) [section: West Saxon or Kentish origins? ]
2. ↑ Heather Edwards: Ecgberht (d.839). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004) [section: West Saxon or Kentish origins? ]
3. ↑ Heather Edwards: Ecgberht (d.839). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004) [section: Campaigns against the Cornish ]
4. ↑ See Heather Edwards: Ecgberht (d. 839). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004) [Section: Rivalry with the Mercians and annexation of south-eastern England ]
5. ↑ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 830.
6. ↑ See Heather Edwards: Ecgberht (d. 839). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004) [Section: Rivalry with the Mercians and annexation of south-eastern England ]
7. ↑ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 836.
8. ↑ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 838.
9. ^ King Ecbert - Vikings Cast - HISTORY.com. In: HISTORY.com. Retrieved April 5, 2016 . 

predecessor	Office	successor
Beorhtric	King of Wessex 802-839	Æthelwulf
Wiglaf	King of Mercien 829-830	Wiglaf