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Topic: Mercian (Anglo-Saxon)

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Mercian (Anglo-Saxon) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mercian was spoken in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. The dialect was spoken from East Anglia through the midlands to the Welsh border, with the Northumbrian dialect to the north and the West Saxon dialect to the south. It was one of four distinct dialects of Old English, the other three were Kentish, Northumbrian and West Saxon. en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Mercian_(Anglo-Saxon)

Mercia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The power of the West Saxons under Egbert was rising during this period, however, and in 825 Egbert defeated the Mercian king Beornwulf (who had overthrown Ceolwulf in 823) at Ellendun. The Danes appointed a Mercian thegn, Ceolwulf II, as king in 873 while the remaining independent section of Mercia was ruled by Aethelred, called an ealderman, not a king. At some point before the accession of Æthelbald, the Mercians conquered the region around Wroxeter, known to the Welsh as "The Paradise of Powys." Elegies written in the persona of its dispossessed rulers record the sorrow at this loss. en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Mercia

Penda of Mercia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Penda was probably not yet king of the Mercians at this time, but he is thought to have become king soon afterwards, based on Bede's characterization of his position. Defeat at Maserfield must have weakened Northumbrian influence over the West Saxons, and the new West Saxon king Cenwealh —who was still pagan at this time—was married to Penda's sister. Who governed the West Saxons during the years of Cenwealh's exile is unknown; Kirby considered it reasonable to conclude that whoever ruled was subject to Penda. en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Penda

COURT - Online Information article about COURT The nature of this supremacy has been much discussed, but the true explanation seems to be furnished by that principle of personal allegiance which formed such an important element in Anglo-Saxon society. It seems that the Saxons though apparently unable to maintain their hold so far to the west, were able to prevent the natives from recovering the lowlands. The royal family of Essex may really have been of Saxon origin (see EssEx), but on the other hand the West Saxon royal family claimed to be of the same stock as that of Bernicia, and their connexions in the past seem to have lain with the Angli. encyclopedia.jrank.org /COR_CRE/COURT.html

Anglo-Saxon Settlement Saxon churches are few and far between, being limited in this area to churches (with seventh century foundations) at Breedon and Repton, the latter being the burial place of some of the Mercian kings. Remarkably, during this turbulent period, Christian missionaries achieved the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons. However, there is a suggestion of an earlier territorial grouping across our supposed multiple estate, in that the Saxon Countess Godiva ‘held’ Norton-juxta-Twycross and most of Appleby Parva as well as leasing part of Burton Abbey’s land at Appleby Magna (the past tense ‘held’ signifies that her land was confiscated). www.applebymagna.org.uk /appleby_history/in_focus3_AngloSaxons.htm

Wessex In 715 Wessex would appear to have been invaded by the Mercians since the 'Anglo-Saxon Chronicle' notes that Ine and Ceolred "fought" at a place called 'Woddes beorge' (Woden's Barrow), which is identified with a tumulus now known as 'Adam's Grave', in Wiltshire. Sir Frank Stenton ('Anglo-Saxon England'): "It seems clear that Wessex was once more a Mercian dependency when Æthelbald himself died a few months later." In fact, Æthelbald was assassinated, and Mercia underwent a period of instability as Offa established his authority. The name of West-Saxon king Cædwalla is derived from the British Cadwallon, and might suggest that intermarriage between the ruling classes of the Saxons and British was an accepted way of integrating the communities. www.stephen.j.murray.btinternet.co.uk /wessex.htm

Early medieval Chester 400-1230 British History Online The rise of a local or at least Mercian ealdorman and the Mercian particularism fostered by Ælfhere meant that increasingly Chester lay on the fringes of royal authority. All that can safely be said is that, despite the Northumbrian victory, Chester and its environs soon passed under Mercian domination, and that a 12th-century tradition that one of the city's two early minsters, St. John's, was founded by the Mercian king Æthelred in the late 7th century may therefore have something to commend it. The Normans brought many changes to the religious life of the city, of which the most dramatic was the transfer of the north-west Mercian see in 1075 from Lichfield to St. John's, already an episcopal possession. www.british-history.ac.uk /report.asp?compid=19184

Anglo-Saxons.net : July 17 It is plausible that some of the Mercians still saw Edward as a "foreign" West Saxon ruler rather than the new king of the Anglo-Saxons, which was the spin that the West Saxon court developed for Alfred and his son Edward. On Æthelred's death, she continued to lead the Mercians, though Edward was the king of the Anglo-Saxons, West Saxon and Mercian, and Mercian coins had only been issued in his name. While all of the English were still fighting the Vikings as a common enemy, the Mercians were perhaps in no position to make their resentment felt; but perhaps it burst forth again when the wars were over and the Vikings defeated. www.anglo-saxons.net /hwaet?do=get&type=day&id=07170924

Anglo-Saxons.net : Timeline: 787-838 It is important to note that Ecgberht of the West Saxons was leading this campaign, unlike some earlier campaigns against the Welsh when West Saxon kings may have fought under Mercian supervision (see entries on 726 and 743). Since we know that members of the main West Saxon ruling family were not in power in Wessex between Ine's death in 726 and Ecgberht's accession in 802, the most likely explanation is that one of these exiled West Saxon æthelings gained a foothold in Kent while Cynewulf was ruling in Wessex (757-86). Offa's own example shows that the Mercian kingship was not always handed down in the immediate family (the closest common ancestor of Offa and his predecessor Æthelbald was Eowa, Penda's brother and Offa's great-great-grandfather), and he may well have felt that his son needed as much support as he could give him. www.anglo-saxons.net /hwaet?do=get&type=chron&from=787&to=838

Anglo-Saxon England and Wales - map and history We know that they established separate kingdoms, the Saxons settling in the south and west, the Angles in the east and north, and the Jutes on the Isle of Wight and the mainland opposite. The most powerful and well known of the Mercian kings was Offa, who ruled from 758-796. The 9th century may well have turned into a struggle for the upper hand between Mercia and Wessex if not for one thing; England was once again the subject of recurring raids from across the seas. www.britainexpress.com /History/Anglo-Saxon_Britain.htm

Anglo-Saxon Heathen Timeline Northumbrian king Oswald, is killed by the Heathen Mercian king, Penda, at Maserfeld, in Southumbria on August 5th. King Edwin is killed in battle by king Penda, the Heathen Mercian king, at Hatfield chase on October 14th. The Christian faith is preached amongst the Mercians. www.englishheathenism.homestead.com /timeline.html

British Archaeology, no 27, September 1997: News Fierce resistance to Mercian overlordship in Kent led Offa to summon a synod at Chelsea, at which the chief Mercian see, Lichfield, was granted metropolitan status, with the agreement of the Pope, in an attempt to reduce the importance of Canterbury. The new dating confirms its probable association with a palace belonging to the Mercian king, Offa, whose kingdom extended over much of central and southern England in the later decades of the 8th century, and who is known to have signed 12 Mercian charters from his palace in Chelsea. www.britarch.ac.uk /ba/ba27/ba27news.html

An Introduction to Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts One of a group of Mercian prayerbooks whose texts are compiled around a central theme, in this case Christ as the healer of mankind. The mythical creatures which sometimes occur were drawn from similar sources, and may often have been imbued with symbolic meanings drawn from texts such as the Marvels of the East and the Physiologus (the manticore, a human-headed lion, for example, being the harbinger of death). These form the nucleus of what is known as the 'Tiberius' group (from the Tiberius Bede, which stood upon a bookcase surmounted by a bust of the Roman emperor Tiberius in the library of the bibliophile, Sir Robert Cotton, who died in 1631). www.fathom.com /course/10701049/session5.html

What was Mercian Mysteries? 'Mercian' is taken from the name for the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, which originated in the East Midlands and, at its heyday under King Offa, spread to control much of England. Mercian Mysteries evolved from a modest photocopied A5 'zine to a more substantial 40+ page A4 journal. Paul continued to provide much 'behind the scenes' support, especially enabling Mercian Mysteries to take full advantage of early developments in desk-top publishing (these were the days before Windows, folks - anyone else out there remember a GUI called 'GEM'?). www.indigogroup.co.uk /edge/moremm.htm

Wat’s Dyke: a North Welsh linear boundary, by Keith J Matthews. The origins of the Mercian kingdom have always been obscure and are not relevant to the present discussion, since if Wat’s Dyke is of Mercian origin, it can only date from after the acquisition of Cheshire during the seventh century. He thought that their construction was perhaps related to the position of the Mercian capital at Tamworth, which was probably a foundation of Penda (King of Mercia c 632-655) and that they related to a phase of defence somewhat earlier than Offa’s Dyke but nevertheless within the same general tradition. The name of the Dyke is not helpful, although it would tend to suggest that the Mercians who named it were unsure of its origin and that they regarded it as belonging to an heroic age in the past; folklore of the twelfth century seems to have linked its mythical builder with Offa. www.wansdyke21.org.uk /wansdyke/wanart/matthews1.htm

Anglo Saxon Chronicle This year Ethelfleda, lady of the Mercians, with the help of God, before Laminas, conquered the town called Derby, with all that thereto belonged; and there were also slain four of her thanes, that were most dear to her, within the gates. Ethelred, king of the Mercians, in the meantime, overran the land of Kent. And Ethelred, ealdor of the Mercians, died; and King Edward took possession of London, and of Oxford, and of all the lands which owed obedience thereto. celt.net /Celtic/msg/angsx/angsx.html

Anglo-Saxon Charters Homepage Searchable edition of the entire corpus of Anglo-Saxon royal diplomas - comprising Mercian charters of eighth and ninth centuries, West Saxon charters of the ninth century and all charters of the period 900-1066; the remaining texts are in process of being added to the corpus. www.trin.cam.ac.uk /chartwww/charthome.html

Literary Encyclopedia: Old English Martyrology Whatever its relationship to the works of King Alfred and his circle, the Martyrology is an important text in the history of early English prose and is particularly significant to students of Anglo-Saxon hagiography. Of course, it is well known that Alfred was assisted by Mercian scholars in his project, and one of these may have produced the Martyrology, just as the Old English Bede may have been produced under Alfred's sponsorship. The earliest manuscript fragments date from the ninth century and are written in the Mercian dialect. www.litencyc.com /php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11997

Regia Anglorum - A Brief History of Anglo-Saxon England The house of Wessex also began its rise during the ninth century, commencing with Egbert who defeated the Mercians in 825 (it is ironic that the founder of the West Saxon fortunes actually ruled Sussex, Essex and Kent and based his mint at Canterbury!). Of the seven Saxon Kingdoms (the Heptarchy), the first one to achieve supremacy was Northumbria, whose high culture during the seventh century is reflected in such works as the Lindisfarne Gospels. The peak of Mercian domination came under Offa (died 796), though it remained a potent force until the abdication of Burgred in 874. www.regia.org /history.htm

Anglo-Saxon Period King Alfred's employment of Mercian scholars (Plegmund, Waerferth, Aethelstan, and Werwulf) in educational and literary endeavors (885), revival of learning, beginnings of Anglo Saxon Chronicle A.D. 540), a Latin work describing and lamenting the fall of Britain to the Anglo-Saxons. Augustine (the "Apostle of the English," a Roman Benedictine monk, NOT the more famous St. Augustine who lived 354-430 A.D.) to Kent A.D. Aethelbert I of Kent (Jutes), converted to Christianity by Augustine, first Christian king of Anglo-Saxon England ( Rex Anglorum), also compiled law code (c. mockingbird.creighton.edu /english/fajardo/teaching/eng340/anglosax.htm

Mercia Edward despatched an army of Mercians and West-Saxons in pursuit of the raiders. Roger of Wendover boldly states: "In the year of grace 585, began the kingdom of the Mercians, whose first king was Credda (Creoda)." However, Felix (fl.713x749), author of the 'Life of St.Guthlac', regarded Icel (Creoda's great-grandfather, and himself great-grandson of a continental Angle king) as founder of the dynasty. At any rate, nothing is known of any Mercian ruler until one Cearl, who receives a passing mention from Bede as the father-in-law of the exiled future king of Northumbria, Edwin. www.stephen.j.murray.btinternet.co.uk /mercia.htm

History of the Monarchy > The Anglo-Saxon kings > Egbert As King of Wessex, Egbert inherited the mantle of 'bretwalda' - an Anglo-Saxon term meaning a ruler with overall superiority to other rulers - after the decline of Mercian power under Offa. He came to power in 802 and died in 839, but little else is known about his brief reign. www.royal.gov.uk /output/Page16.asp

Anglo-Saxon England As Old English began to evolve, four major dialects emerged which were Kentish, spoken by the Jutes, West Saxon, the Saxon dialect, and Northumbrian and Mercian, subdivisions of the dialect spoken by the Angles. First called Saxons, the German invaders were later referred to as Angles, and in the year 601ce the pope referred to Aethelbert of Kent as Rex Anglorum ("king of the Angles"). The Saxons called the native Britons, 'wealas', which meant foreigner or slave, and from this term came the modern word Welsh. www.uta.edu /english/tim/courses/4301w99/ashc.html

Simon Keynes: Anglo-Saxon History: A Select Bibliography, Section E The background to the construction of the dyke lies in the relations between the Mercians and the Welsh. The extended dispute between Coenwulf and Wulfred, archbishop of Canterbury (805-32), arose from Wulfred's determination to assert the freedom of the Kentish ministers from secular control and indeed not to be patronised by the Mercian king. The relationship between the two kingdoms, and the consequences of the imposition of Mercian overlordship, are well illustrated by charters: see Kelly ( B291), pp. www.wmich.edu /medieval/research/rawl/keynesbib/biblioe.htm

Regia Anglorum - The Law in Anglo-Saxon England It is mostly this customary law which led to differences between West Saxon law, Mercian law and Danish law. However, it is fair to say that there were just as many differences within, say, West Saxon law as there were between that and Mercian law. Once a charge had been brought, it had to be heard by a court which would decide whether or not a crime had been committed and, if so, what action was necessary. www.regia.org /law.htm

Mercian (anglo-saxon) - Encyclopedia.WorldSearch A Handbook of Mercian: Remarks on the Midland Dialect of Late Anglo-Saxon The gloss to the Vespasian psalter: Another collation Home - Link to Us - Add to favorites encyclopedia.worldsearch.com /mercian_(anglo-saxon).htm

Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Offa's Dyke - What is it? Mercia, centred on what is today the English Midlands, was one of a number of independent Kingdoms which had emerged in the mid/later first millennium AD from the gradual extension of Anglo-Saxon political control across much of former Roman Britain. Through military campaigns and political alliance, Offa established Mercian control over the majority of what we now call England. Although very little direct historical documentation relating to Offa has survived, we can still glimpse a powerful leader and astute politician who was treated as an equal by Charlegmagne, the greatest European ruler of the age. www.cpat.org.uk /offa/what.htm

Alphabets - Anglo-Saxon Writing A great number of texts in verse and prose were written from the beginning of the century as main forms with the help of the Anglo-Saxon characters representing dialects spoken in England (The Northumbrien, The Mercian, The Kentian and the Saxon). www.imultimedia.pt /museuvirtpress/ing/alfa/e1.html

Literary Encyclopedia: Anglo-Saxon Saints' Legends Guthac, an eremitic saint, displaced these demons from their hillock in the Mercian fens. Guthlac A, the earlier of the two Guthlac poems, has the native English Guthac's temptation by demons at the core of the narrative. www.litencyc.com /php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1291

Coenwulf: Mercian Overlord and Tyrant So we can see from a simple glance at a map that Coenwulf and his Mercians were controlling a vast amount of territory at this time. The next year, at a battle in Snowdonia, Coenwulf and his crack Mercian troops add Gwynedd's King Caradog to the list of the Welsh kings killed in battle. But such offerings to the Church did little to assuage the concerns of the common people, who were suffering the most under the Mercian yoke. www.suite101.com /article.cfm/6546/84529

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