Aethelwalh of Sussex
Encyclopedia
Æthelwealh (also written Aedilualch, Aethelwalch, Aþelwold, Æðelwold, Æþelwald, or Ethelwalch) was the first historical king
of Sussex
. Æthelwealh became the first Christian
king of Sussex and was king when Sussex was converted to Christianity in 681. In 661, Æthelwealh received the territories of the Meon Valley
in modern-day Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight
from his godfather, Wulfhere, king of Mercia. Æthelwealh was killed in around 685 by Cædwalla, at the time a prince of the
Gewisse tribe of modern-day Oxfordshire, who had been operating as bandit in Sussex.
All known information about him comes from brief mentions in Eddius
's The Life of Bishop Wilfrid, Bede
's Ecclesiastical History of England
, and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Æthelwealh was the third recorded ruler of the South Saxons in Sussex. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles record Aelle as both the first Bretwalda and king of the South Saxons, although Slaughter refers to Bede on ancestral Saxon aldermen and argues that Aelle was probably the South Saxon Warlord (Rulers of the South Saxons before 825). The second ruler of the South Saxons in Sussex is recorded by Roger of Wendover as King Cissa. So Æthelwealh was the third recorded ruler of the South Saxons in Sussex.
The Kingdom of the South Saxons was devolved on Ceawlin of Wessex on Cissa's death (Roger of Wendover) and he would have been the overlord in Sussex. An emendation in the Wendover text from 'died in 590' to 'died aged 90' would give a date of 567 for the devolvement on Wessex, assuming Cissa was born in 477 (Slaughter). A case can be made (Slaughter) that Æthelwealh was installed by Penda in 645, when Cenwalh was driven out of his kingdom by Penda for divorcing the latter's sister. According to Roger of Wendover Sussex was devolved on Ceawlin of Wessex after the death of King Cissa. There is no reason to suppose this devolvement did not continue under Ceawlin's successors and yet Æthelwealh is recorded as the King in Sussex in 661.
Cenwalh is unlikely to have given up his guardianship of Sussex, as its borders were too near his royal centre at Winchester. According to Saxon dooms, recompense depended on the status of the offended person. Cenwalh had deprived Penda's sister of her queenly status, and a just recompense when Penda invaded Wessex would have been for him to have deprived Cenwalh of the kingdom in Sussex. Penda was a decisive man. There is also a case to be made that Æthelwealh was a son of Cynegils. The case is based on
There is another case to be made for an Aethelwalhan dynasty. This is illustrated by comparing the earlier "Æthel-eald" dynasty that appears to be found in Sussex with the later "Æthel-ælf" dynasty that ruled over Wessex.
Generation I: Aethelwealh, compare Aethelwulf.
Generation II: Aethelthryth/Aethelstan, compare Aethelred/Aelfred.
Generation III: Aethelberht/Ealdberht, compare Aethelwold/Aethelhelm, Aethelthryth/Aethelweard.
Generation IV: Ealdwulf/Aethelwulf, compare Aelfwine/Aethelwine.
There could perhaps be other members of this dynasty who were Æthelwealh's natural sons. They were aldermen who held high status in Sussex: King Watt, Æthelwealh's personal aldermen Berhthun and Andhun, and Bryni Duke of the South Saxons. Moreover their names alliterate, suggesting that they were indeed brothers. If we assume that Æthelwealh was an elder brother of Centwine and Aethelwine, then he could have been born in the early 620s. If we also assume that it was in 661 Æthelwealh married Eafe, on the insistence of Wulfhere, then it is possible that he had lived with a concubine by whom he had earlier sons. See Slaughter, Rulers of the South Saxons before 825.
Æthelwealh became a Christian while in Mercia
where the King of Mercia, King Wulfhere
, sponsored
his baptism
. At this time the people of Sussex were pagans
.
In 661, Wulfhere gave Æthelwealh the territories of Meonwara
and the Isle of Wight
.
Æthelwealh's queen was Eafe (also written Eabae or Ebba), the daughter of Eanfrith (Eanfrid or Eanfridi), a ruler of the Christian Hwicce
people.
Wilfrid
, the exiled bishop of York
, came to Sussex in 681 and converted the people to Christianity with King Æthelwealh's approval. Æthelwealh gave Wilfrid land in Selsey
where he founded Selsey Abbey
. Wilfrid, however met with Caedwalla a prince of the Gewisse, then operating as a bandit in Sussex , and came to a mutual agreement to advance one another's interests. According to Bede, in 686, Cædwalla invaded South Saxon territory and killed Æthelwealh. Cædwalla was then driven out by two of Æthelwealh's ealdormen, Berhthun
and Andhun
. When Cædwalla became King of the West Saxons, the following year, he conquered Sussex and appears to have appointed an Ecgwald as a sub-regulus (on cartulary evidence). His name means "noble foreigner", which indicates that he might have been a Saxo-Briton nobleman as might have been Cenwealh Cynegilsing, earlier King of the West Saxons (A-S Chronicles).
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Liber Quartus
| work = Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum
| publisher = The Latin Library
| date =
| url = http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/bede/bede4.shtml
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 2007-03-30 }}
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of Sussex
Kingdom of Sussex
The Kingdom of Sussex or Kingdom of the South Saxons was a Saxon colony and later independent kingdom of the Saxons, on the south coast of England. Its boundaries coincided in general with those of the earlier kingdom of the Regnenses and the later county of Sussex. A large part of its territory...
. Æthelwealh became the first Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
king of Sussex and was king when Sussex was converted to Christianity in 681. In 661, Æthelwealh received the territories of the Meon Valley
Meonwara
Meonwara or Meonsæte is the name of a people of probable Jutish origin who colonised what is now known as the Meon Valley, an area in southern Hampshire, England, during the late 5th century and early 6th century.-Area of settlement:...
in modern-day Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
from his godfather, Wulfhere, king of Mercia. Æthelwealh was killed in around 685 by Cædwalla, at the time a prince of the
Gewisse tribe of modern-day Oxfordshire, who had been operating as bandit in Sussex.
All known information about him comes from brief mentions in Eddius
Eddius
Stephen of Ripon is the author of the eighth-century Vita Sancti Wilfrithi . Another name which has been traditionally attributed to him is Eddius Stephanus or Æddi Stephanus, but since his identification with the bearer of this name is no longer accepted by historians today, modern usage tends to...
's The Life of Bishop Wilfrid, Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
's Ecclesiastical History of England
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
, and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Æthelwealh was the third recorded ruler of the South Saxons in Sussex. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles record Aelle as both the first Bretwalda and king of the South Saxons, although Slaughter refers to Bede on ancestral Saxon aldermen and argues that Aelle was probably the South Saxon Warlord (Rulers of the South Saxons before 825). The second ruler of the South Saxons in Sussex is recorded by Roger of Wendover as King Cissa. So Æthelwealh was the third recorded ruler of the South Saxons in Sussex.
The Kingdom of the South Saxons was devolved on Ceawlin of Wessex on Cissa's death (Roger of Wendover) and he would have been the overlord in Sussex. An emendation in the Wendover text from 'died in 590' to 'died aged 90' would give a date of 567 for the devolvement on Wessex, assuming Cissa was born in 477 (Slaughter). A case can be made (Slaughter) that Æthelwealh was installed by Penda in 645, when Cenwalh was driven out of his kingdom by Penda for divorcing the latter's sister. According to Roger of Wendover Sussex was devolved on Ceawlin of Wessex after the death of King Cissa. There is no reason to suppose this devolvement did not continue under Ceawlin's successors and yet Æthelwealh is recorded as the King in Sussex in 661.
Cenwalh is unlikely to have given up his guardianship of Sussex, as its borders were too near his royal centre at Winchester. According to Saxon dooms, recompense depended on the status of the offended person. Cenwalh had deprived Penda's sister of her queenly status, and a just recompense when Penda invaded Wessex would have been for him to have deprived Cenwalh of the kingdom in Sussex. Penda was a decisive man. There is also a case to be made that Æthelwealh was a son of Cynegils. The case is based on
- comparison of the second-element naming pattern used for the children of King Oswy in Northumbria, Alhfrith, Egcrith, Alhflaed and Aelflaed, with the series Cenwalh, Æthelwealh, Centwine and Aethelwine,
- the common '-wealh' or Briton element in the names of Cenwealh and Aethelwealh,
- the connection of Athelney, near the Britons of Creech, with Cynegils' hermit son, St Aethelwine.
There is another case to be made for an Aethelwalhan dynasty. This is illustrated by comparing the earlier "Æthel-eald" dynasty that appears to be found in Sussex with the later "Æthel-ælf" dynasty that ruled over Wessex.
Generation I: Aethelwealh, compare Aethelwulf.
Generation II: Aethelthryth/Aethelstan, compare Aethelred/Aelfred.
Generation III: Aethelberht/Ealdberht, compare Aethelwold/Aethelhelm, Aethelthryth/Aethelweard.
Generation IV: Ealdwulf/Aethelwulf, compare Aelfwine/Aethelwine.
There could perhaps be other members of this dynasty who were Æthelwealh's natural sons. They were aldermen who held high status in Sussex: King Watt, Æthelwealh's personal aldermen Berhthun and Andhun, and Bryni Duke of the South Saxons. Moreover their names alliterate, suggesting that they were indeed brothers. If we assume that Æthelwealh was an elder brother of Centwine and Aethelwine, then he could have been born in the early 620s. If we also assume that it was in 661 Æthelwealh married Eafe, on the insistence of Wulfhere, then it is possible that he had lived with a concubine by whom he had earlier sons. See Slaughter, Rulers of the South Saxons before 825.
Æthelwealh became a Christian while in Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
where the King of Mercia, King Wulfhere
Wulfhere of Mercia
Wulfhere was King of Mercia from the end of the 650s until 675. He was the first Christian king of all of Mercia, though it is not known when or how he converted from Anglo-Saxon paganism. His accession marked the end of Oswiu of Northumbria's overlordship of southern England, and Wulfhere...
, sponsored
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
his baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
. At this time the people of Sussex were pagans
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
.
In 661, Wulfhere gave Æthelwealh the territories of Meonwara
Meonwara
Meonwara or Meonsæte is the name of a people of probable Jutish origin who colonised what is now known as the Meon Valley, an area in southern Hampshire, England, during the late 5th century and early 6th century.-Area of settlement:...
and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
.
Æthelwealh's queen was Eafe (also written Eabae or Ebba), the daughter of Eanfrith (Eanfrid or Eanfridi), a ruler of the Christian Hwicce
Hwicce
The Hwicce were one of the peoples of Anglo-Saxon England. The exact boundaries of their kingdom are uncertain, though it is likely that they coincided with those of the old Diocese of Worcester, founded in 679–80, the early bishops of which bore the title Episcopus Hwicciorum...
people.
Wilfrid
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
, the exiled bishop of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, came to Sussex in 681 and converted the people to Christianity with King Æthelwealh's approval. Æthelwealh gave Wilfrid land in Selsey
Selsey
Selsey is a seaside town and civil parish, about seven miles south of Chichester, in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Selsey lies at the southernmost point of the Manhood Peninsula, almost cut off from mainland Sussex by the sea...
where he founded Selsey Abbey
Selsey Abbey
Selsey Abbey was almost certainly built at Church Norton, Selsey, Sussex, England. It was founded in 683AD, and became the seat of the Sussex bishopric, until it was moved in 1075AD to Chichester.-Historical Context :...
. Wilfrid, however met with Caedwalla a prince of the Gewisse, then operating as a bandit in Sussex , and came to a mutual agreement to advance one another's interests. According to Bede, in 686, Cædwalla invaded South Saxon territory and killed Æthelwealh. Cædwalla was then driven out by two of Æthelwealh's ealdormen, Berhthun
Berthun of Sussex
Beorhthun was a dux of the South Saxons.Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum records the invasion of the South Saxon kingdom by Caedwalla of the West Saxons and the killing of the South Saxon king Æthelwalh. Caedwalla was driven off by Beorhthun and Andhun who then jointly ruled the...
and Andhun
Andhun of Sussex
Andhun was an Ealdorman of Sussex under King Æðelwealh, who was slain by the Wessex prince Cædwalla, who invaded and ravaged Sussex. Berhthun and Andhun succeeded in driving Caedwalla from the Kingdom....
. When Cædwalla became King of the West Saxons, the following year, he conquered Sussex and appears to have appointed an Ecgwald as a sub-regulus (on cartulary evidence). His name means "noble foreigner", which indicates that he might have been a Saxo-Briton nobleman as might have been Cenwealh Cynegilsing, earlier King of the West Saxons (A-S Chronicles).
External links
BedeBede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = Liber Quartus
| work = Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum
| publisher = The Latin Library
| date =
| url = http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/bede/bede4.shtml
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 2007-03-30 }}