Swæfheard

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Swæfheard (also Suaebhard, Sueaberdus, Suebeard, Suebhard, Webheard, Wæbheard, Swaberht ) was king of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent from 687/688 to 692/694 .

There is uncertainty as to whether King Swaberht (Swæberht, Suabertus; fl. 685/695), known only from Charter S11, is identical with Swæfheard, or whether it is another ruler. Some historians consider Swæfheard and Swæfred , who ruled Essex from 694 to 704/709, to be the same person.

Life

Kent in Anglo-Saxon times

Swæfheard's father was Sebbi , King of Essex . His mother's name is unknown. Towards the end of the 680s, Sebbi gained control of the western parts of Kent and installed his son Swæfheard as king there in 687/688. Beda Venerabilis counted him to the series of reges dubii vel externi ("dubious and foreign kings"), which ruled Kent since 686. West Kent was thought to be the lower kingdom of Essex. Swæfheard's brothers Sigeheard and Swaefred seem to have been involved in the rule of Essex by this time, as they signed charters as rex (king).

In the eastern part of Kent, Oswine (688–690 / 691) ruled with whom Swæfheard led a peaceful and equal togetherness. This is indicated by documents bearing the signatures of both kings, alternately as exhibitors and witnesses. Possibly both owed their position to Æthelred of Mercia , who upheld their charters.

In the "second year of his reign" (689) Swæfheard transferred extensive lands in Sudaneie ( Isle of Thanet ) and Sturgeh (Sturry near Canterbury ) to the abbess Æbbe of the monastery of Minster-in-Thanet for the "redemption of his soul" and "forgiveness of his sins ”. He gave further lands in 687/691 to Ecgbald, the abbot of Medeshamstede ( Peterborough ), for "perpetual possession". In 690 or 691 Wihtred , the brother of the last "rightful" king Eadric , overthrew his relative Oswine from the throne and has ruled east Kent ever since. The west of Kent, however, initially remained under the sovereignty of Essex and was administered by Swæfheard. Wihtred was given a longer term in office after a series of very short-lived governments. Beda Venerabilis wrote that in 692 two kings, Swæfheard and Wihtred, ruled Kent. Probably Wihtred undertook a campaign against Mercia and Essex between 692 and 694, drove Swæfheard, who disappeared from the sources, advanced over the Thames and became sole ruler of Kent.

swell

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Charter S11
  2. ↑ cf. Swæberht 1  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE)@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / eagle.cch.kcl.ac.uk  
  3. ^ Barbara Yorke: The Kingdom of the East Saxons . In: Peter Clemoes, Simon Keynes, Michael Lapidge (eds.): Anglo-Saxon England Volume 14 , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2007, ISBN 978-052103838-6 , pp. 21-22.
  4. ↑ a b Charter S10
  5. ^ A b B. AE Yorke: The Kingdom of Essex , In: Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Enzyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England , pp. 174-175.
  6. ↑ Beda: HE 4.26
  7. ↑ Barbara Yorke: Kings and Kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England , Routledge, London-New York 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-16639-3 , p. 54.
  8. ↑ EB Fryde et al. (Ed.): Handbook of British Chronology (Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks) , Cambridge University Press, 1996, ISBN 978-0-521-56350-5 , p. 10; see: S1171 and S1246
  9. ↑ S11 , S13 , S14
  10. ↑ a b Barbara Yorke: Kings and Kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England , Routledge, London-New York 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-16639-3 , pp. 30-34.
  11. ↑ Charter S233
  12. ↑ Simon Keynes: Kings of Kent . In: Lapidge et al. (Ed.): The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England . Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford et al. a. 2001, ISBN 978-0-6312-2492-1 , pp. 501-502.
  13. ↑ Beda: HE 5.8
  14. ^ Ian Blanchard: Mining, Metallurgy and Minting in the Middle Ages: Asiatic supremacy, 425-1125, Vol. 1 , Steiner, 2001, ISBN 978-3-515-07958-7 , pp. 443-444.
predecessor Office successor
Sighere King of West Kent
687 / 688–692 / 694 		Wihtred
personal data
SURNAME Swæfheard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Suaebhard; Sueaberdus; Suebeard; Suebhard; Webheard; Wæbheard; Swaberht
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Under King in Kent
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century
DATE OF DEATH 7th century or 8th century