Oswiu

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oswiu (also Osuiu; Oswio; Osweo; Oswi; Ossu; Osguid ; * around 612 - † February 15, 670 ) was king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia from 642 to 670 . From 651 until his death he was King Deiras . He was also able to assert himself as ruler in Mercia from 655 to 658. In the entry of the year 827 (829) of the A-manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , which in turn is based on information in Beda's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum , he is referred to as the seventh Bretwalda .

Life

family

Oswiu was the son of King Æthelfrith from the royal dynasty of Bernicia. Æthelfrith confirmed his claim to power over Deira by marrying Acha from the Deir royal family, who was probably Oswius' mother.

Oswiu was married three times. His first wife or concubine during his exile (616–634) was Fina, the daughter of the Irish Colman Rimid. The son Aldfrith (also Fland Fina or Flann Fina mac Ossu ) emerged from this relationship, which was illegitimate according to Beda . He probably went into a second marriage between 634 and 643 with Rhianmellt from Rheged , a daughter of Royth. His children Ealhfrith and Ealhflæd seem to have come from one of the first two marriages, as Ealhflæd was married to Peada , the king of the middle fishing rods , around the year 653 , and Ealhfrith was certainly grown up when he became sub-king in Deira in 655. Since, in contrast to Aldfrith, they were not called illegitimate, they are often seen as the children of Oswius with Rhianmellt. Finally he married his cousin Eanflæd around 643 with whom he had several children: the son Ecgfrith (* around 645), the daughters Ælfflæd (* around 654, abbess of Whitby) and Osthryth and probably also his son Ælfwine (* around 661).

Youth and Exile in Scotland

Kingdoms and Dominions of 7th Century Britain

Around 616 the heir to the throne of Deira, Edwin , whom Æthelfrith had driven into exile, succeeded in conquering Northumbria with the help of King Rædwald of East Anglia through the battle of the River Idle, in which Æthelfrith was killed. Now Edwin, in turn, sent the sons of Æthelfrith into exile as rivals to the throne. Oswald , Oswiu, Æbbe and possibly other siblings went to King Eochaid Bude (608–629) in the Irish-Scottish Empire of Dalriada . His half-brother Eanfrith moved to the Picts with other siblings . Until his death, Oswiu maintained close contacts with the northern neighbors. During their exile, Oswald and probably his brothers took part in Dalriada's campaigns in Ireland. Oswius son Aldfrith , who was king of Northumbria from 685 to 705, was born from his marriage to Fina, a daughter of Colman Rimid from the Irish dynasty of the Uí Néill . Bede describes him as an illegitimate descendant.

In 633 the kings Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd and Penda of Mercia allied and rebelled against King Edwin of Northumbria. Together they destroyed the Northumbrian army on October 12, 633 at the Battle of Hatfield Chase near Doncaster . Edwin fell in battle. The immediate result of the defeat was the renewed division of Northumbria: while Osric was able to hold out in southern Deira, northern Bernicia fell to Eanfrith , Oswald's half-brother who had returned from exile, and thus to the old dynasty there. Both kings fell within a year fighting Cadwallon, who was raiding Northumbria.

return

In 634 Oswald returned from exile, presumably with his brother Oswiu, and defeated Cadwallon in the Battle of Heavenfield near Hexham . The victory was viewed as a divine judgment by the outnumbered Christian army of Oswald . Cadwallon was killed in the battle. It was probably this victory that led to his recognition as a Bretwalda , at least in the north of England . He may have been assisted in taking power by Domnall Brecc , King of the Picts, and Gartnait mac Uuid, ruler of Gwynedd . Oswald also secured the throne of Deira and drove his heir Oswine of Deira by Wessex into exile. The two kingdoms Bernicia and Deira - he came from both royal families - were reunited to form Northumbria.

Domination

Succession to the throne

In 642 Oswald attacked Penda of Mercia, who was allied with the British Kingdom of Powys , and fell on August 5th at the Battle of Maserfield (probably near Oswestry ), near the Welsh border. The immediate consequence of the defeat was the renewed division of Northumbria: Oswald's brother Oswiu succeeded the throne in northern Bernicia, while in southern Deira the old dynasty there came to the throne again with Oswine , a son of Oswald's predecessor Osric . According to another opinion, Oswiu ruled Bernicia and Deira between 642 and 644, but was then ousted from Deira by Oswine. Other historians at least consider this notion. In 643 Oswiu made an advance to the southeast and recovered Oswald's remains: he brought the head to Lindisfarne Monastery , while arms and hands were buried in the capital Bamburgh .

Unification of Northumbria

Oswius rule was threatened again and again by attacks by Pendas, Oswines (642 / 643–651), his nephew Æthelwald (around 651– around 655) and his son Ealhfrith (655–664). Oswiu, who on his mother's side probably came from the Deirian royal family, denied Oswine's claims to power over Deira. To strengthen his claims, he married his cousin Eanflæd , a daughter of Edwin and granddaughter Ælles, around 643 . The rivalry between Oswiu and Oswine intensified when Oswine tried to win the Northumbrian Bishop Aidan on his side. Oswine also armored militarily.

In 651 the conflict with Oswine broke out openly. Oswiu attacked Deira. At Uilfarasdun the armies faced each other when Oswine recognized the enemy superiority and disbanded his army. Oswine sought refuge with one of his followers in Ingethlingum (Gilling in the Ryedale district ). But he betrayed him to Oswiu, who had Oswine murdered on August 20, 651. This outrage revolted the whole country and made Oswine a martyr. Oswius' wife Eanflæd , a relative of Oswine, had him build an expiation monastery in Gilling, which soon became a well-known pilgrimage site. Oswius' ambitious plan did not work, because rule over Deira initially went to his nephew Æthelwald (around 651 – around 655), who initially ruled as his under-king, but soon made himself independent, probably supported by Penda.

Marriage policy

The rivalry between Oswiu and Penda, both of whom were striving for hegemony, continued to grow. Penda tried to assert itself militarily, while Oswiu seemed more averse to open conflicts and took a more subtle path. Oswiu tried to solve his problems with Mercia through a marriage policy: he married his son Ealhfrith, who later became sub-king in Deira (655–664), with Cyneburg, the daughter of King Penda of Mercia. Around the year 653 Oswiu married his daughter Ealhflæd to Peada , the king of the middle fishing rods and son of Pendas. Peada's conversion to Christianity was a prerequisite for marriage . Also Sigeberht II. Of Essex was converted to 653 of Oswiu to Christianity and, as previously, with his companions Peada by Bishop Finan of Lindisfarne in Ad Murum (east of Hexham baptized). The missionaries Cedd , Adda, Betti and Diuma were given to the kings for the conversion of their kingdoms.

Battle of Winwaed

Despite the family connection through the marriage policy, war broke out between Oswiu and Penda in 655: Penda and Æthelhere , the subregulus (sub-king) of East Anglia , raided Bernicia and pushed Oswiu back to Scotland. Oswiu promised high tribute payments if Penda left the country, but he refused. Oswiu and his son Ealhfrith opposed Penda with significantly fewer troops. Oswius nephew Æthelwald (651–655) of Deira and the Welsh king Cadfael ap Cynfeddw of Gwynedd were allies of Mercia, but apparently left the army before the decisive battle of Winwaed near Loidis ( Leeds ) on November 15. In this battle both Penda and Æthelhere fell. Presumably Æthelwald wanted to win back Oswius' favor with this maneuver, but the latter apparently deposed him. Æthelwald then disappeared from the springs.

Oswius' son Ecgbert, who had been held hostage by Mercia, was released. Oswiu reunited Bernicia and Deira to form the Kingdom of Northumbria, in which Deira was now only a sub-kingdom, which was ruled as a subregulus by his son Ealhfrith . The northern part of Mercia fell to Northumbria, while the part south of the Trent went to his son-in-law Peada, who ruled as subregulus Oswius. Diuma was named the first bishop of the middle fishing rods and mercias. In gratitude for this victory, Oswiu gave his one-year-old daughter Ælfflæd, who later became the abbess of Whitby, as a nun in the Heruteu monastery ( Hartlepool ), with whose abbess Hilda von Whitby he was largely related or related by marriage . He generously endowed the monastery with lands.

Bretwalda

Whitby Abbey ruins

Bede describes Oswiu as the ruler of "all southern provinces" at this time. Parts of the Picts and Skots are also said to have paid tribute to Oswiu. There is no evidence of this overwhelming influence, but Oswiu was certainly at the height of his power in the late 650s. In the north it certainly reached as far as the Firth of Forth . He founded the monastery of Whitby Peada around 657, ruled for only a few months and was murdered at Easter 656 at the instigation of his own queen. Thereupon Oswiu himself ruled over Mercia until in 658 the mercian Ealdorms Immin, Eafa and Eadberht revolted against him and with Wulfhere elevated the youngest son Pendas to King Mercias. In 660 Oswiu married his son Ecgfrith to Æthelthryth , daughter of King Anna of East Anglia , so that his influence in the southeast of the island also grew.

Oswiu was in the Irish-Scottish tradition, while Ealhfrith and Eanflæd followed the Roman Catholic rite, which was probably also observed in Gilling Monastery. According to Beda's report, this even went so far that Easter was celebrated at different times within the royal household. To end this state of affairs, Oswiu convened the Synod of Whitby in 664 , which opted for the Catholic rite. The followers of the iro-Scottish tradition then went to Scotland. The Northumbrian bishop Wilfrid was able to record a victory, he moved his bishopric from Lindisfarne to York.

Ealhfrith (655–664), Oswius 'son from a previous marriage, seems to have tried to break Deira from Oswius' supremacy. Around 664 he disappeared from the sources and Ecgfrith (664–670), probably a son of Eanflæd, took his place as sub-king in Deira. Oswiu and King Ecgberht of Kent together elected Wigheard to succeed Archbishop Deusdedit of Canterbury around 666 and sent him to Rome. However, he died in Rome before he was ordained by Pope Vitalian , with whom Oswiu was in correspondence.

Death and succession

Oswiu died on February 15, 670 from an illness and was in the St. Peter's Church of the Monastery Abbey Whitby buried in the Eanflæd his widow entered a nun. His son Ecgfrith succeeded the king of Northumbria, while his other son Ælfwine ruled Deira as subregulus .

swell

literature

  • Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England . Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford et al. a. 2001, ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1 .
  • DP Kirby: The Earliest English Kings , Routledge, 2000, ISBN 978-0-415-24211-0 .
  • Nicholas J. Higham: The convert kings: power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England , Manchester University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7190-4828-9 .
  • David W. Rollason: Northumbria, 500-1100: Creation and Destruction of a Kingdom . Cambridge University Press, 2003, ISBN 978-0-521-81335-8 .
  • Barbara Yorke : Kings and Kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England . Routledge, London-New York 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-16639-3 . PDF (6.2 MB)
  • Nicholas J. Higham: An English Empire: Bede, the Britons, and the Early Anglo-Saxon Kings , Manchester University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-7190-4423-6 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Beda: HE 3,12
  2. ↑ a b c d e Simon Keynes: Kings of the Northumbrians . In: Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England . Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford et al. a. 2001, ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1 , pp. 502-505.
  3. ^ Simon Keynes: Kings of the Mercians . In: Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England . Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford et al. a. 2001, ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1 , pp. 505-508.
  4. ^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 827
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Philip Holdsworth: Oswiu . In: Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England . Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford et al. a. 2001, ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1 , p. 349.
  6. ↑ a b c Martin Grimmer: The Exogamous Marriages of Oswiu of Northumbria . In: The Heroic Age, issue 9 . October 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  7. ^ David W. Rollason: Northumbria, 500-1100: Creation and Destruction of a Kingdom . Cambridge University Press, 2003, ISBN 978-0-521-81335-8 , pp. 6-7.
  8. ↑ JMP Calise: Pictish Sourcebook: Documents of Medieval Legend and Dark Age History . ABC-CLIO / Greenwood, 2002, ISBN 978-0-313-32295-2 , p. 177.
  9. ↑ a b c d e Michelle Ziegler: The Politics of Exile in Early Northumbria ( Memento of January 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (Memorial University of Newfoundland)
  10. ^ Barbara Yorke: Kings and Kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England . Routledge, London-New York 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-16639-3 , p. 76.
  11. ↑ Nicholas J. Higham: The convert kings: power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England , Manchester University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7190-4828-9 , p. 234.
  12. ↑ a b R. C. Love: Æthelthryth . In: Michael Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England , Wiley-Blackwell, 2001, ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1 , p. 18.
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Beda: HE 3,24
  14. ↑ Bertram Colgrave: The Earliest Life of Gregory the Great , Cambridge University Press, 1985, ISBN 978-0-521-31384-1 , pp 42nd
  15. ↑ Beda: HE 4,21
  16. ↑ Nicholas J. Higham: An English Empire: Bede, the Britons, and the Early Anglo-Saxon Kings , Manchester University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-7190-4423-6 , pp. 77-80.
  17. ^ A b Philip Holdsworth: Edwin, King of Northumbria . In: Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England . Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford et al. a. 2001, ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1 , pp. 163-164.
  18. ↑ a b c Beda: HE 3,1
  19. ^ Philip Holdsworth: Oswald, king of Northumbria . In: Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England . Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford et al. a. 2001, ISBN 978-0-631-22492-1 , pp. 347-348.
  20. ↑ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 642
  21. ^ A b c Barbara Yorke: Kings and Kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England . Routledge, London-New York 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-16639-3 , pp. 78-80.
  22. ^ A b Nicholas J. Higham: The convert kings: power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England , Manchester University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7190-4828-9 , pp. 223-231.
  23. ↑ Bede: HE 3,14
  24. ^ Karl Schnith:  Oswin von Deira. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 1331-1332.  ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
  25. ↑ Nicholas J. Higham: The convert kings: power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England , Manchester University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0-7190-4828-9 , p. 240.
  26. ↑ a b c d Beda: HE 3,21
  27. ↑ Beda: HE 3.22
  28. ^ A b Richard Hoggett: The Archeology of the East Anglian Conversion (Anglo-Saxon Studies), Boydell & Brewer, 2010, ISBN 978-1-84383-595-0 , p. 33.
  29. ↑ Beda: HE 2.5
  30. ↑ a b Beda: HE 3.25
  31. ↑ a b Alan Thacker: Eanflaed ( Memento of the original from October 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oxforddnb.com archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (paid registration required). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved October 24, 2011
  32. ↑ Beda: HE 3.29
  33. ↑ Beda: HE 4,5
predecessor Office successor
Oswald King of Bernicia
642–670 		Ecgfrith
Oswine King of Deira
651–670
as Oberkönig over Æthelwald (651–655), Ealhfrith (655–664) and Ecgfrith (664–670) 		Ecgfrith
as Oberkönig over Ælfwine (670-679)
Penda King of Mercia
655–658
as upper king over Peada (in southern Mercia 655–656) 		Wolfhere
personal data
SURNAME Oswiu
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Osuiu; Oswio; Osweo; Oswi; Ossu; Osguid
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Northumbria
DATE OF BIRTH at 612
DATE OF DEATH February 15, 670