Æthelbald of Mercia

Aethelbald († 757) was in the years 716-757 King of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.

Life

Aethelbald was the son and grandson of the Alweo Eowa, a brother of King Penda. With his reign ended the rule of the direct descendants of Penda. Apparently got Aethelbald after the death of King Cenred with his successor Ceolred together and had before that to East Anglia flee.

As Ceolred died 716, is a Ceolwald have made (or Ceolwold ) claims to the throne argued. However, all sources date the throne Æthelbalds in the year 716, as St. Guthlac had foretold in a vision to him.

During his reign the kingdom expanded rapidly. A number of smaller kingdoms that were previously independent or at least relatively autonomous, were absorbed during Æthelbalds government in the Kingdom of Mercia and disappeared as an independent political units. This is located in a peripheral location to Mercia Kingdom of Magonsaete was governed until the year 740 by an indigenous dynasty. This dynasty disappeared at this time, and the government was transferred to a Ealdorman Mercia.

At this time, the field of medium Fishing has been completely taken over by Mercia. How this happened exactly, is difficult to assess because of the area no charters have survived. London and Middlesex, which was already longer in the sphere of influence of Mercia, as parts of the Kingdom of Essex Hertfordshire were removed and incorporated into Mercia. The original settlements of the East Saxons, however, were not touched.

The former Kingdom Hwicce, which had under Æthelbalds predecessors largely lost its independence, was incorporated at the end of the reign Æthelbalds completely Mercia after it had again fought in the year 740 on the side and with the support Cuthreds of Wessex ' its independence.

Following the resignation of King Ine of Wessex (726) there was Aethelbald in England no serious opponents more, so it was hard for him not to conquer 733 parts of Somerset with a foray into Wessex in the year. In addition Aethelbald fought repeatedly against Welsh associations. In the year 740 he marched against Northumbria where he burned down the city of York. Later succeeded King Cuthred of Wessex, to consolidate his power in the south. This drew in 752 against Mercia and beat Aethelbald at Beorhford. This Wessex won for some time the independence of Mercia, but seems later than the death Æthelbalds the supremacy of Mercia to have been restored over Wessex. After the death Cuthreds it was namely to internal disputes in Wessex, which succeeded Aethelbald to regain the reigns of the kingdom Hwicce and expel its native rulers for ever from the government. It also appears that Aethelbald was able to exert a degree of authority over Wessex during the time of civil unrest in Wessex, since he was able to forgive at this time land in Wiltshire to a West Saxon abbot. One of the witnesses to the deed was King Cynewulf of Wessex, a sign that Cynewulf must have been in a dependent relationship with Aethelbald. Wiltshire was an area to the possession of Mercia and Wessex constantly quarreled. For most of its history in Anglo-Saxon England, however, it was part of Wessex.

Aethelbald the first Mercian king, who raised the claim in documents, ruler was not only to be Mercia, but a much larger area. In the harangue of a charter of 736, he described himself as

He also recorded in the same document as rex Britanniae, a title he repeated in the final protocol, which he suggested the supremacy not only over the kingdoms south of the river Humber to take claim for themselves, but also about all the other, whether it be RELATES to British or Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The choice of words in this document suggests, in fact, suggest that at least Aethelbald exercised supremacy over the kingdoms of southern England. This is also confirmed by a message Bede, stating that would have been south of the Humber Aethelbald subject to the time of writing his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum all the kingdoms and territories.

Æthelbalds relationship to the church is not unique. Like its predecessor Ceolred Aethelbald was criticized by the Church. Although he was on the one hand praised by the church if his generosity in the giving of alms, and the maintenance of internal peace, he was on the other hand harshly criticized by Boniface and other Anglo-Saxon bishops from non-observance of ecclesiastical privileges and misconduct with nuns. His behavior was a bad example and have a deplorable effect on other sinners. Aethelbald the admonitions apparently took to heart, at least he freed 749 Church property in his country largely from taxes. Two years earlier he had led the Council of Clovesho that permeated many reforms.

Aethelbald was murdered in 757 in Seckington ( Warwickshire ) near Tamworth by his own bodyguard. The reasons for this action are unknown. However, a man who had been designated as a royal tyrant must have made in the course of his life, a large number of enemies. Aethelbald had been involved in many feuds. This is not atypical for a society in which the feud is often the only regulative that knows a person to get to what he believes to be right. Æthelbalds successor was Beornrad. Beornrads rule, however, was short-lived. In the same year he was expelled from Offa.

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