Read Offa and the Mercian Wars Online
Authors: Chris Peers
It was the misfortune of the ancient royal line of Mercia that it ceased to produce great war leaders just at the time when the English people, gradually coalescing into a single nation under the pressure of the Viking invasions, needed them most. Hence a genealogical accident has led historians ever since to see Wessex as the true precursor of England, and to this day accounts of the English (and later British) monarchy still tend to begin with Alfred the Great. The most eminent of his predecessors â men such as Raedwald, Edwin, Penda, and even Offa himself â remain in relative obscurity. In the popular imagination they appear â if at all â as barbarian warlords, ruling over primitive kingdoms that just happened to have been located on what became English territory, but which had little in common with England as we know it today. And yet things might have turned out very differently.
If Offa had left behind a long-lived heir and a secure line of succession, or if Aethelflaed had been succeeded by the warlike son that the times seemed to require, the political centre of gravity might have remained in Mercia for much longer. It is even possible that if the Anglo-Saxons had been united sooner under Mercian leadership they might have been better able to resist both the Vikings and the Normans. It is hard to imagine an alternative history in which Tamworth or Lichfield became the capital of a united England â the economic dominance of the port of London would eventually have overshadowed all rival political centres in any case â but the role of the Mercian kings as the first to exercise real authority over the Anglo-Saxons south of the Humber might have been more widely acknowledged.
Nevertheless, in the towns and villages which once witnessed the glory of this lost dynasty, there remains a tradition of its former eminence, and a quiet pride in its achievements. Of course these communities have fared differently over the years. Tamworth still proclaims itself the âancient capital of Mercia', and celebrates the fact in everything from street names to advertising posters. More soberly, Lichfield has functioned continuously as an ecclesiastical centre since the days of the conversion. The eighth-century âSaint Chad Gospels', which is still carried in procession through the cathedral at Christmas and Easter just as it may have been when Offa heard mass in an earlier building on the site, is said to be the oldest book in the country still being used for its intended purpose. Brixworth is a growing commuter village just outside Northampton, but is well aware of the remarkable asset represented by its church, where an annual Brixworth Lecture is given by an expert in Anglo-Saxon studies. By contrast Seckington, a tiny hamlet situated in a surprisingly remote stretch of countryside east of Tamworth, preserves no hint that it was once the seat of kings. However, the hill on which All Saints Church now stands, probably the site of the royal hall where Aethelbald met his death, commands a spectacular view to the south very reminiscent of that from the height at Brixworth. Clearly these highly visible locations were favoured for the display of kingly power, as well as for their security against surprise. Though not a single battlefield of the Mercian Wars has been preserved or even precisely located, the landscape of Central England still has tales to tell of the men who first made it into a kingdom.
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Note: No entries will be found for the major English kingdoms â Mercia, Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia and Kent â as these would be too numerous to be helpful. Modern county names appear in the text only as rough guides to the location of places mentioned, so are not indexed except where they correspond to the smaller English kingdoms of the period such as Essex and Sussex.
Aberlemno Stone
Aclea, battle of
Aelfwine, prince of Northumbria
Aelfwynn, princess of Mercia
Aelle, king of Deira
Aelle, king of Northumbria
Aelle, king of the South Saxons
Aescwine, king of Wessex
Aethelbald, king of Mercia
Aethelberht I, king of Kent
Aethelbert âthe martyr', king of East Anglia
Aethelflaed, âLady of the Mercians'
Aethelfrith, king of Northumbria
Aethelheard, Archbishop
Aethelhere, king of East Anglia
Aethelhun, ealdorman
Aethelmund, ealdorman
Aethelred, ealdorman âof the Mercians'
Aethelred, king of Mercia
Aethelred, king of Northumbria
Aethelred, king of Wessex
Aethelstan, king of East Anglia
Aethelswith, queen of Mercia
Aethelwald, king of Deira
Aethelwald, king of the South Saxons
Aethelweard, Chronicle of
Aethelwulf, ealdorman of Berkshire
Aethelwulf, prince and king of Wessex
Aetius, Consul
agriculture
Aidan, Saint
Alchfled, queen of Mercia
Alcuin of York
Alfred, king of Wessex
Alfthrytha, princess of Mercia
Ambrosius Aurelianus
Andredecester, siege of
Anglesey
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, as source for Mercian history
Anna, king of East Anglia
archery
Arden, Forest of
armour
Ashdown, battle of
Asser
Athelstan, king of England
Augustine, Saint
axes
Bamburgh
Bardney
Barwick-in-Elmet
Basingwerk
Bath
Bede, as source for Mercian history
Bedford
Benesington, battle of
Benfleet, siege of
Beorhford, battle of
Beorhtfrith, prince of Mercia
Beorhtric, king of Wessex
Beorhtwulf, king of Mercia
Beornred, king of Mercia
Beornwulf, king of Mercia
Beowulf
Bernicia
Bertha, queen of Kent
Biedanheafod, battle of
Birmingham
Blytheburgh
Boniface V, Pope
Boniface, Saint
bookland
Breedon-on-the-Hill
bretwaldas
Bridei mac Beli, king of the Picts
bridges
Bridgnorth
Brixworth
Brocmail
Brunanburgh, battle of
burghs
Burhred, king of Mercia
Bury St Edmunds
Buttington, siege of
Byrhtnoth, Earl
Cadafael ap Cynfedw, king of Gwynedd
Cadwallon, king of Gwynedd
Caedwalla, king of Wessex
Cambridge
Cannock Chase
Canterbury
Caradwg
Casilinum, battle of
cattle
cavalry in Anglo-Saxon warfare
Cearl, king of Mercia
Ceawlin, king of Wessex
Cenwalh, king of Wessex
Ceolred, king of Mercia
Ceolwulf I, king of Mercia
Ceolwulf II, king of Mercia
ceorls
Cerdic
Chad, Saint
Charlemagne, emperor of the Franks
Chester
battle of siege of
Chippenham
Christianity
and Clovis
conversion of Anglo-Saxons
and Edwin of Northumbria
established in Mercia
as motivation in battle
and Offa
and Penda
survival after Roman period
Cirencester
cloaks
Clovis, king of the Franks
Cnut, king of England
Cock, River
Coenred, king of Mercia
Coenwulf, king of Mercia
common burdens
Conway, battle of
Cryda
Cuckney
Cuthred, king of Wessex
Cuthred, viceroy of Kent
Cuthwine, king of Wessex
Cwichelm, king of Wessex
Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn, king of Powys
Cynefrith, queen of Mercia
Cyneheard, prince of Wessex
Cynewald
Cynewulf, King of Wessex
Cyngen ap Cadell, king of Powys
Cynric, king of Wessex
Danegeld
Danelaw
Danes see Vikings
Darent, River
Degannwy
Degsastan, battle of
Deira
Denisesburn, battle of
Derby, siege of
Diuma, Bishop
DNA studies
Dorchester
Droitwich
Dyfed
Dyrham, battle of
Eadbald, king of Kent
Eadberht, king of Northumbria
Eadberht Praen, king of Kent
Ealhmund, king of Kent
Eanfrith, king of Bernicia
Eardwulf, king of Northumbria
Ecgberht I, king of Kent
Ecgberht II, king of Kent
Ecgberht, king of Wessex
Ecgfrith, king of Mercia
Ecgfrith, king of Northumbria
Edgar, king of England
Edmund, king of East Anglia
Edward, king of Wessex
Edward âthe Confessor', king of England
Edwin, king of Northumbria
Edwinstowe
Egric, king of East Anglia
Eliseg, king of Powys
Ellendun, battle of
Elmet
Englefield, battle of
Eorconberht, king of Kent
Eormenhild, queen of Mercia
Eowa
Eric, king of East Anglia
Essex
Ethandune, battle of
Ethelberga, queen of Northumbria
Etheldreda, queen of Northumbria
Eumer
Eyrbyggja Saga
Farnham, battle of
food rents
fortifications
Danish
at York
Franks
âFranks casket'
Frithuwold, king of Surrey
fyrd
garnets
genealogies
Gervold, Abbot
gesiths
Gildas
Gloucester
gold
âGreat Army'
Great Ouse, River
Gregory I âthe Great', Pope
Guthlac, Saint
Guthrum, King
Gwent
Gwynedd
Hadrian I, Pope
Hadrian's Wall
Haegelisdun, battle of
Haesten, King
Haethfelth, battle of
Halfdan
hall burnings
Hatfield Chase
Heahberht, king of Kent
helmets
Henry of Huntingdon, as source for Mercian history
heorthgeneatas (hearth companions)
heptarchy
Hereford
battle of
Hingston Down, battle of
Hlothere, king of Kent
Holme, battle of
horses
Hroald, Jarl
Humber, River
Hwicce
Hygeberht, Archbishop
Icel
Ida, king of Bernicia
Idle, River, battle of
Imma
Ine, king of Wessex
Ingware see Ivar
Ireland
Isle of Man
Isle of Wight
Ivar âthe Boneless'
Jaenberht, Archbishop
Jaruman, Bishop
Jutes
Kempsford
Lea, River
Leicester
Leo III, Pope
Lichfield
cathedral
âLichfield Angel'
Lilla
Lincoln
battle of
Lindisfarne
Lindsey
London
Ludeca, king of Mercia
Magonsaetan
Maldon, battle of
Maserfelth, battle of
âMercian Register'
Merewalh, king of the Magonsaetan
Merton, battle of
Meurig, king of Gwent
Middle Angles
Mount Badon, battle of
Mugdock, battle of
Mul, prince of Wessex
Nechtansmere, battle of
Nennius, as source for Mercian history
Noirmoutier
Northampton
Norwegians
Nottingham
siege of
Oengus mac Fergus, king of the Picts
Offa, king of Angeln
Offa, king of the East Saxons
Offa, king of Mercia
Offa's Dyke
Ohtar, Jarl
Old Sarum, battle of
Osbald, king of Northumbria
Osberht, king of Northumbria
Osfrith, prince of Northumbria
Osric, king of Deira
Osthryth, queen of Mercia
Oswald, king of Northumbria
Oswestry
Oswine, king of Deira
Oswy, king of Northumbria
Otford, battle of
paganism
pattern welding
Paulinus, Bishop
Peada, king of Mercia
Penda, king of Mercia
Peterborough
Picts
plague
Powys
Procopius of Caesarea
Pybba
Quentovic
Raedwald, king of East Anglia
Raegenhere, prince of East Anglia
Ragnar Lothbrok
Reading
Repton
Rhodri ap Merfyn, king of Gwynedd
Rhuddlan, battle of
rivers
battles on
navigation on
as obstacles
roads
evidence for post-Roman survival
influence on military operations
Rochester
Romans in Britain surviving buildings
Saebbi, king of the East Saxons
âSaint Chad Gospels'
salt
Saxo Grammaticus
Scots
seaxes
Secandune, battle of
Seckington
Selred, king of the East Saxons
Severn, River
sheep
Sheppey
Sherwood Forest
shields
âshieldwall' tactics
ships
Viking
siege techniques
Sigeberht, king of East Anglia
Sigeberht, king of Wessex
Sigehere, king of the East Saxons
silver
slaves/slavery
slings
snakes
Somerton, siege of
spears
Stafford
âStaffordshire Hoard'
standards
Stiklarstadir, battle of
Strathclyde
Surrey
Sussex
Sutton Hoo
Svoldr, battle of
swords
tactics
Anglo-Saxon
Viking
Tamworth
taxation/tribute
Tempsford, battle of
Tettenhall, battle of
Tewdwr ap Bili, king of Strathclyde
Thames, River
Thanet
thegns
Theodore, Archbishop
Thetford
Torksey
Towcester
Trent, River
battle of
Tribal Hidage
Ubbi
Uppsala
Vikings
armies
invasions
settlement in England
Vortigern, King
Wales
armies
political organisation
Wall
Warwick
weapons
Wednesfield
Weohstan, ealdorman
wergild
West Heslerton
âWidsith'
Wiglaf, king of Mercia
Wigstan, Saint
Winbertus
Winchcombe
Winchester
Winwaed, battle of
Winwick
witan
Woden
Woden's Barrow, battle of
Woden's Field, battle of
wolves
wounds, archaeological evidence for
Wulfhere, king of Mercia
âY Gododdin'
York
battle of
fortifications of