Cynric of Wessex ruled as king of Wessex from 534 to 560. Everything known about him comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. There he is stated to have been the son of Cerdic, and also (in the regnal list in the preface) to have been the son of Cerdic's son, Creoda. During his reign he is said to have captured Searobyrig or Old Sarum, near Salisbury, in 552, and that in 556 he and his son Ceawlin won a battle against the Britons at Beranburh, now identified as Barbury Castle.[1] If these dates are accurate, then it is unlikely that the earlier entries in the chronicle, starting with his arrival in Britain with his father Cerdic in 495, are correct. David Dumville has suggested that his true regnal dates are 554-581.
The name Cynric has a straightforward Old English etymology meaning "kin-ruler." However, as both his predecessor, Cerdic, and successor, Ceawlin, have Celtic names an alternative etymology has been postulated from "cunorix" which would mean "hound-king" in Old British (rendered as "cynwrig" in Old Welsh).[2] In 1967 a stone was found at Wroxeter in a Sub-Roman context with the inscription CUNORIX MACUS MA QVI COLINE.[3] This wording contains both the name Cunorix and another which is reminiscent of "Ceawlin."
In the 2004 film King Arthur, Cerdic and Cynric were depicted as Saxon invaders, and were killed, respectively, by King Arthur and Lancelot at the Battle of Badon Hill (Mons Badonicus). Cynric was portrayed by Til Schweiger.
Notes
References
- Peter Clemoes, Simon Keynes, Michael Lapidge, (1981) Anglo-Saxon England, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521038340
- Laing, L.R., (1975) The archaeology of late Celtic Britain and Ireland, c. 400-1200 AD, Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0416823602
- John Nowell Linton Myres, (1989) The English Settlements, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192822357
See also
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cerdic |
King of Wessex 534-560 |
Succeeded by Ceawlin of Wessex |
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