Eadberht of Northumbria

Eadberht (also Eadbert, Edbert, Eadbyrht, Eadberht Eating; † 19 or August 20 768) was King of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. He ascended the throne in 737 and 758 thanked favor of his son Oswulf from.

Life

Family

Eadberht was a son of Eata; his mother is unknown. His brother Ecgberht ( 732-766 ) was a bishop since 735 and Archbishop of York. Ceolwulf, Eadberht predecessor as king, a paternal cousin was. His son and successor was Oswulf ( 758-759 ). Among historians, it is debatable whether Osgifu, the king Ealchred woman ( 765-774 ), his daughter or granddaughter was.

Early years

To 731 Ceolwulf was taken by his opponents in the monastery prison without the backgrounds are clear. A little later he was released and came back to power. Shortly afterwards the bishops Acca of Hexham and Wilfrid of York II laid down their office or were deducted from Ceolwulf, is to assume that they were not involved in the conspiracy against the king. In York 732 Ceolwulfs cousin Ecgberht was installed as the new bishop and archbishop elevated to 735. Probably had Ecgberht and his brother Eadberht that should be Ceolwulfs successor, large proportion of its renewed takeover.

Rule

In the year 737 Ceolwulf himself decided to renounce his kingship and enter as a monk in the monastery of Lindisfarne. His successor as king, he used his cousin Eadberht. With Eadberht Northumbria had received apparently again a "strong " ruler. He took the expansion to the north again, resisted the advance of Mercia from the south and reformed the coinage. Together with his brother Archbishop Ecgberht he solved some of the Church's problems Northumbria. The cooperation of the two brothers was so good that Alcuin wrote in a poem: " [ There ] were happy times for the people, as king and bishop in a fair concord ruled that a church, the king of the business of the rule. " In year 740 was Earnwine, a close relative Eadberhts, probably murdered in connection with an old family feud. Undertook Also in 740 Eadberht a campaign against the Picts. Aethelbald of Mercia took advantage of his absence and plundered the southern part of Northumbria. In this context, probably burned York, one of the main places Eadberhts, down in April 741.

While Eadberhts rule learned Northumbria an economic boom. Since the early 740 years minting of a purity of 50-75 % in large numbers new sceattas ( silver coins). Some simultaneous coins from the south of England barely reached 20%. Some coins were issued jointly by Eadberht and his brother Ecgberht. Eadberht was the first Anglo-Saxon rulers who let his name stamp on coins. About 150 of these coins remained preserved until today. His foreign policy contacts reached to the Franks, with whose king Pippin the Younger ( 714-768 ) he exchanged gifts.

In 750 the Aetheling ( " Prince") was a son of the former King Offa Aldfrith ( 686-705 ) fled, before Eadberht in the cathedral church of Lindisfarne to the asylum. He was besieged, taken and murdered in church. Bishop Cynewulf of Lindisfarne, who had granted him asylum, was declared by Eadberht deposed and temporarily detained in Bamburgh. The diocese was co-managed by Bishop of Hexham Frithuberht until Eadberht be reconciled with Cynewulf and put him back in his office. Still 750 Eadberht led a campaign against the Kingdom of Strathclyde and was able to conquer large parts of Ayrshire. Eadberht reached 756 again in alliance with the Piktenkönig Aengus I. Strathclyde on. They besieged the capital of Dumbarton and forced the submission of the king Dumnagual III. However, on August 1, 756th Eadberhts army was on the march back on August 10 (presumably Newburgh -on- Tyne in Hexham ) nearly wiped out between " Ouania " ( Govan ) and " Niwanbirig ". To 757 expropriated Eadberht three monasteries ( Stone Grave, Coxwold and Donæmuthe ) of the abbot Forthred and they gave his brother Moll, who is probably identical with the later king Æthelwald minor ( 759-765 ). Forthred turned to Pope Paul I, who demanded the return in a letter. Eadberht thanked 758 in favor of his son Oswulf and became a monk in York.

Monastery

There are no traditions to Eadberhts years in the monastery. He died on 19 or 20 August 768 He was buried next to his brother in the portico of St. Peter.

Swell

• Anonymous: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Online at Project Gutenberg (English)
• Anglian collection
• Symeon of Durham: Historia ecclesiae Dunelmensis ( History of the Church of Durham )
• Symeon of Durham: De Regum Anglorum Gestis (Acts of the English kings )
• Æthelweard: Chronica