Alberht of East Anglia
Encyclopedia
Alberht, Ethælbert or Æthelberht (I) was an eighth century ruler of East Anglia
, who shared the kingdom with Beorna
and possibly with a ruler named Hun
in 749. He may still have been ruling c. 760.
is one form) in the annal for 749, where it is stated that Hunbeanna and Alberht divided the kingdom of the East Angles between themselves. Until about thirty years ago this record stood alone and unverifiable, with the exception of a single coin attributed to a ruler named Beonna and two other brief mentions of him. Since then well over a hundred coins of Beonna have been found, many in archaeologically secure contexts, so that it is now clear that a ruler named Beonna or Beorna did rule in East Anglia at that time. The 'Hun' element in the annal has therefore been detached from his name, having at some time been elided with it by scribal error.
This brought the realization that the exceedingly lean mediaeval references to Beonna or Beorna derived from authentic tradition, and greatly improved the status of the division of the kingdom described for 749 as an historical record. (M.M. Archibald cites a scholarly claim that this annal derives from records compiled by Byrhtferth
of Ramsey
, c1000 AD.) Alberht, therefore, also became a more substantial reality. This posed the question of the identity of these two (or possibly three) rulers, and why this division of power should have occurred when it did.
died in 749 after a rule of thirty-six years of growth and stability, under the senior authority of King Æthelbald of Mercia (r 716-757). Since the East Anglian pedigree of the Anglian Collection was probably compiled for Ælfwald, it does not show whether he had any descendants. Beorna is not a typical East Anglian Wuffing
name, but might be connected with a powerful Mercian family. Alberht (on the other hand) allitterates suitably with the Wuffing names, and could be accepted as a shortened form of Æthelberht. It is therefore possible that when Ælfwald died a Wuffing heir (of his own family or a cadet line) upheld the dynastic continuity by accepting a division of power with a Mercian royal representative.
Beorna's seniority in this arrangement is suggested by the preponderance of his coins, and by the co-operation of an East Anglian army with Mercia in the Battle of Burford Bridge against Cuthred of Wessex
in 752 (Henry of Huntingdon
). Beorna may also be connected with (or even identical with) Beornred of Mercia, who ruled Mercia for a few months after the assassination of Æthelbald in 757.
The find came from a defensible estuary island site in a strategic position near Rendlesham, a known seat of Wuffing power.
seized power Beorna was still ruling in East Anglia. The coin of Ethaelbert having the larger flan used for Efe's late strikes indicates that Ethælbert or Alberht was still in place after these events and indeed was gaining sufficient authority to issue his own coinage. However this degree of independence was soon eclipsed by the rapid growth of Offa's power in East Anglia.
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, who shared the kingdom with Beorna
Beorna of East Anglia
Beorna was a ruler in East Anglia from 749. The end-date of his reign is not known, but may have been around 760 AD. He shared his reign with another ruler called Alberht , and possibly with another named Hun.The primary sources for Beonna are very few...
and possibly with a ruler named Hun
Hun of East Anglia
Hun is the name of a supposed 8th century ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia, who may have begun ruling with Beorna and Alberht at the division of the kingdom in 749.- Sources :...
in 749. He may still have been ruling c. 760.
Beorna: A doubtful medieval record confirmed
For many centuries Alberht has been known only from a unique statement in a late compilation of material (of which the Flowers of History of Roger of WendoverRoger of Wendover
Roger of Wendover , probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century.At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell of Belvoir, but he forfeited this dignity in the early years of Henry III,...
is one form) in the annal for 749, where it is stated that Hunbeanna and Alberht divided the kingdom of the East Angles between themselves. Until about thirty years ago this record stood alone and unverifiable, with the exception of a single coin attributed to a ruler named Beonna and two other brief mentions of him. Since then well over a hundred coins of Beonna have been found, many in archaeologically secure contexts, so that it is now clear that a ruler named Beonna or Beorna did rule in East Anglia at that time. The 'Hun' element in the annal has therefore been detached from his name, having at some time been elided with it by scribal error.
This brought the realization that the exceedingly lean mediaeval references to Beonna or Beorna derived from authentic tradition, and greatly improved the status of the division of the kingdom described for 749 as an historical record. (M.M. Archibald cites a scholarly claim that this annal derives from records compiled by Byrhtferth
Byrhtferth
Byrhtferth was a priest and monk who lived at Ramsey Abbey. He had a deep impact on the intellectual life of later Anglo-Saxon England and wrote many computistic, hagiographic, and historical works. He was a leading man of science and best known as the author of many different works...
of Ramsey
Ramsey, Cambridgeshire
Ramsey is a small Cambridgeshire market town and parish, north of Huntingdon and St Ives. For local government purposes it lies in the district of Huntingdonshire within the local government county of Cambridgeshire....
, c1000 AD.) Alberht, therefore, also became a more substantial reality. This posed the question of the identity of these two (or possibly three) rulers, and why this division of power should have occurred when it did.
Historical context: the names Beorna and Alberht
King ÆlfwaldAelfwald of East Anglia
Ælfwald was a 8th-century king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The last king of the Wuffingas dynasty, Ælfwald succeeded his father Ealdwulf, who had ruled for forty-nine years. Ælfwald himself ruled for thirty-six years...
died in 749 after a rule of thirty-six years of growth and stability, under the senior authority of King Æthelbald of Mercia (r 716-757). Since the East Anglian pedigree of the Anglian Collection was probably compiled for Ælfwald, it does not show whether he had any descendants. Beorna is not a typical East Anglian Wuffing
Wuffing
The Wuffingas were the ruling dynasty of the kingdom of East Anglia, the long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Wuffingas took their name from Wuffa, an early East Anglian king. It has been argued that the Wuffingas may have originated...
name, but might be connected with a powerful Mercian family. Alberht (on the other hand) allitterates suitably with the Wuffing names, and could be accepted as a shortened form of Æthelberht. It is therefore possible that when Ælfwald died a Wuffing heir (of his own family or a cadet line) upheld the dynastic continuity by accepting a division of power with a Mercian royal representative.
Beorna's seniority in this arrangement is suggested by the preponderance of his coins, and by the co-operation of an East Anglian army with Mercia in the Battle of Burford Bridge against Cuthred of Wessex
Cuthred of Wessex
Cuthred or Cuþræd was the King of Wessex from 740 until 756. He succeeded Æthelheard, his relative and possibly his brother....
in 752 (Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon , the son of a canon in the diocese of Lincoln, was a 12th century English historian, the author of a history of England, Historia anglorum, "the most important Anglo-Norman historian to emerge from the secular clergy". He served as archdeacon of Huntingdon...
). Beorna may also be connected with (or even identical with) Beornred of Mercia, who ruled Mercia for a few months after the assassination of Æthelbald in 757.
Alberht's coinage
The confirmation of Alberht as a historical figure emerges from the discovery by controlled excavation of a single coin attributable to him. As this was found in a stratified deposit which also contained several varieties of late runic sceattas, Beonna coins, and others, its authenticity and date-horizon are not in doubt. The penny, of about 42 per cent silver, was struck on a module comparable to the larger flan which characterises the later strikes of Beonna's most prolific moneyer, Efe. The moneyer's name is shown as 'Tiælred', and the obverse reads 'Ethælbert', both entirely in runic lettering. The all-runic formula resembles the late strikes for Beonna of Wilred, but the confident lettering and beading more resembles the work of Efe. Stylistically, therefore, the coin is closely connected to the Beonna corpus.The find came from a defensible estuary island site in a strategic position near Rendlesham, a known seat of Wuffing power.
Summary
On the basis of this evidence it is accepted that Alberht was a real historical figure, possibly an heir of Ælfwald of the Wuffing house. At Ælfwald's death in 749 he divided the kingdom with Beonna, possibly a Mercian, who took the lead in issuing regnal coinage and maintained a military alliance with Æthelbald. The kingdom was probably drawn into the affairs of 757, when Beornred ruled in Mercia, but after OffaOffa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
seized power Beorna was still ruling in East Anglia. The coin of Ethaelbert having the larger flan used for Efe's late strikes indicates that Ethælbert or Alberht was still in place after these events and indeed was gaining sufficient authority to issue his own coinage. However this degree of independence was soon eclipsed by the rapid growth of Offa's power in East Anglia.
Sources
- M.M. Archibald, 1985, The coinage of Beonna in the light of the Middle Harling hoard, British Numismatic Journal 55, 10-54.
- M.M. Archibald, V.H. Fenwick and M.R. Cowell, 1996, A sceat of Ethelbert I of East Anglia and recent finds of coins of Beonna, British Numismatic Journal 65, 1-19.
- J. Campbell (Ed.), The Anglo-Saxons (Oxford 1982).
- V.H. Fenwick, 1984, Insula de Burgh: Excavations at Burrow Hill, Butley, Suffolk 1978-1981, Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History 3, 35-54.
- J.A. Giles, Roger of Wendover's Flowers of History (Translation - 2 Vols.) (London 1849).
- P. Grierson and M. Blackburn, Mediaeval European Coinage I: The Early Middle Ages (Cambridge 1986).
- D.P. Kirby, The Earliest English Kings (London 1991).
- R.I. PageRaymond Ian PageRaymond Ian Page is a British historian of Anglo-Saxon England and the Viking Age, and a renowned runologist who has specialized in the study of Anglo-Saxon runes. In 1984 he was appointed Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Cambridge, and he has also been the...
, An Introduction to English Runes (London 1973). - S.J. Plunkett, Suffolk in Anglo-Saxon Times (Tempus, Stroud 2005).
- B. Yorke, Kings and kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England (London 1990).
- Website: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge: Corpus of Early Mediaeval Coin Finds, and Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles (www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/coins/emc).