Offa (Essex)

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Essex in the early Anglo-Saxon period

Offa († after 709) was king of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Essex from about 694 to 709 . He ruled together with the brothers Sigeheard and Swaefred .

Life

Offa was the son of King Sighere (around 664 – around 690), who ruled together with Sebbi (around 664 – around 694). The details of his accession to the throne are unknown. It is possible that he followed his father as early as 690 or after Sebbis' sons after 705. The following theory is mostly favored today: Sebbi, seriously ill, abdicated in 694 in favor of his sons Sigeheard and Swaefred and Sighere's son Offa, who ruled together, and became a monk. Offa may have played a minor role during the lifetime of his fellow kings. He probably had his seat in Aldermanbury (London). Possibly the monastery was in Westminsterrepaired or re-established by him. King Offa abdicated in 709 and left his wife to go on pilgrimage to Rome with King Cenred of Mercia and Bishop Ecgwine of Worcester . The two kings became monks there. His further life and death have not been recorded.

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literature

  • John Cannon, Anne Hargreaves: The Kings and Queens of Britain . 2nd revised edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2009, ISBN 978-0-19-955922-0 , p. 27.
  • Michael Lapidge, John Blair, Simon Keynes, Donald Scragg (Eds.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England . Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford et al. a. 2001, ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Beda: HE 4.11
  2. ↑ William Smith , Henry Wace: Dictionary of Christian Biography 1877-1887, reprint: Kessinger 2004, ISBN 978-1-4179-4807-9 , Volume 7, p. 68.
  3. ↑ Simon Keynes: Kings of the East Saxons , In: Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Enzyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England , pp. 510-511.
  4. ↑ Emma Mason: Westminster Abbey and its People c.1050-c.1216 , Boydell & Brewer, 1996, ISBN 978-0-85115-396-4 , pp. 4-5.
  5. ^ Ewan Macpherson:  St. Egwin . In: Catholic Encyclopedia , Volume 5, Robert Appleton Company, New York 1909.
  6. ↑ Beda: HE 5,19
predecessor Office successor
Sebbi
Sighere 		King of Essex
694? –709
with Sigeheard
and Swaefred 		Swæfberht
personal data
SURNAME Offa
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Essex
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century
DATE OF DEATH after 709
Place of death Rome