Wihtred of Kent

Wihtred (also: Wihtræd, Wyhtred, Wythred, Wigtred, Wihtgar, Uictred, Uihtred or Uuihtred; * 670, † 23 April 725 ) was from 690/691 until his death King of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent. He came from the dynasty of Oiscingas.

Family

The Anglo-Saxon name Wihtred composed of the elements wiht for "Fight " and red / rǣd which a range of meanings of "advice, consultancy, decision, command" about " wisdom, reason, sense," and "profit, benefit, blessing, luck" to through to " help power" covers.

He was a son of King Ecgberhts I. ( 664-673 ) and his wife, whose name is unknown. His brother Eadric was 685-686 in the short term also king of Kent. Perhaps this was also Eormenhild ( " Hermelinda " ), the Anglo-Saxon wife of the Lombard Cunincpert, his sister.

Wihtred was married three times. To 694 Cynegyth is occupied as coniunx ( " wife, wife "). She was the first woman signed an Anglo-Saxon charter as a witness, although land transfers of ownership occurred in women in previously. Wihtreds acceptance of women in public affairs presented an innovation represents a second marriage with Æthelburg, which was also referred to as coniunx, consisted of 697 Æthelburg may have been violated, and died as a nun in the monastery of Lyminge. His third marriage with Wærburg, the mother of his son Ealric is documented by a charter that was issued 699-716. All three women had the title regina ( "Queen "). He had two other sons, Aethelberht II and I. Eadberht, but it is unknown which of the queens her mother was.

Rule

History and environment throne

In the year 686 conquered Caedwalla, king of Wessex, and his brother Mul, in alliance with King Sighere of Essex Kent. Caedwalla then put his brother Mul as a sub- king in Kent a. Thus began a series of lively dubii vel externi ( " dubious and foreign kings " ), who ruled in Kent 686-690 / 691. In 687 a rebellion broke out in the course of Mul and twelve of his followers were burned. There was patronized by the Æthelred of Mercia Oswine, which was apparently not considered by his contemporaries as the rightful king.

690 or 691 crashed Wihtred, the brother of the last " legitimate " King Eadric, his relatives Oswine from the throne and reigned ever since about the East Kent. The West Kents, however, remained under the suzerainty of Essex and was managed by Swæfheard ( 687/688-692/694 ), the son of King Sebbi. Wihtred was again brought a longer term after a series of very short-lived governments. Wihtred was illiterate ( ignorantia litterarum ) and signed his documents with a cross.

Reunification Kent

Probably took Wihtred 692-694 a campaign against Mercia and Essex, drove Swæfheard, who disappeared from the sources, was advancing across the Thames and became sole ruler. His influence extended well also parts of Essex and was not after his predecessor before 686. He was not only in military and financial affairs of a skilled ruler, but also knew how to diplomacy: In the year 694 Wihtred graduated with Wessex peace and paid 30,000 pæneġas (see: Penny, about 37.5 kg of silver ) as wergild for Mul at Ine of Wessex.

Wihtred maintained good relations with the Church, and strengthened their rights. So he forbade 694 at the Synod of Baccanceld ( Bapchild at Sittingbourne ) own churches and left the investiture of the clergy. Christianity was indeed made ​​in the 100 years since the arrival of the missionary Augustine of Canterbury to the dominant religion of Kent, but were still alive the " old ways " of the people in hiding.

Legislation

Wihtred issued in Berghamstyde (presumably at Bearsted Maidstone ) probably in September 695, as its predecessor Aethelberht (around 602/603 ) and Hlothhere and Eadric (around 683 ) Laws in Old English. Linguistically, the text of the law on some archaisms that were already in use in Æthelberhts laws. The other hand, vowel shifts a language change in the 7th century to well. Some peculiarities in orthography indicate the Kentish dialect.

At the next legislative Wihtred also Beorhtwald, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Gebmund, the Bishop of Rochester, other religious dignitaries and the Witenagemot were involved. In the law, the tax exemption of churches, unlawful marriages, oaths, Prohibition of Sunday work, disregard of Lent, pagan sacrifices were so regulated. In 24 of the 28 paragraphs Ecclesiastical matters were discussed. A copy of the legislation remained in the Textus Roffensis from the early 12th century.

Monetary Reform

With the unification of East and West Kent, he had also gained control over large parts of the English silver production, which decreased the coinage north of the Thames in the coming years. The coin in Dorchester -on-Thames ( Mercia ) seems to have been even closed. The coin of London ( Essex ) lost its importance and imitated Kentish coins, while Kent performed a monetary reform and published new coin types. The old thrysma ( Tremissis ) 694 was marked for the last time and the Sceat (plural: sceattas; German: "Honey, money, possessions, wealth" ) replaced with a fineness of 920-950 ‰.

Death and succession

On April 23, 725 Wihtred died. He was buried in the abbey church, "Peter and Paul" in Canterbury. The succession was regulated so that I of the three sons Aethelberht II, Eadberht and Ealric Aethelberht the eldest son received a kind Oberkönigtum, Eadberht got the west Kent, while Ealric, probably died soon afterwards, subordinate co-regent was.

Swell

• The Laws of King Wihtræd in Medieval Source Book ( English)
• Venerable Bede Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, online in Medieval Source Book (English)
• Anglo-Saxon Chronicle online at Project Gutenberg (English)