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| Æthelberht | |
|---|---|
| King of Wessex | |
| Reign | 860–866 |
| Born | c 836 |
| Birthplace | Wessex, England |
| Died | 866 Wessex |
| Predecessor | Æthelbald of Wessex |
| Successor | Æthelred of Wessex |
| Father | Æthelwulf |
| Mother | Osburga |
Æthelberht or Ethelbert (Old English: Æþelberht, meaning "Magnificent Noble") was the third son of Æthelwulf of Wessex and was born around 835. In 855 he became under-king of Kent while his father, Æthelwulf, visited Rome. His brother Æthelbald was left in charge of the West Saxons. After his father's death in 858 he succeeded him as king of Kent and the other eastern parts of the kingdom. When Æthelbald died childless in 860, the kingship of the West Saxons also passed to Æthelberht[1][2], possibly because both his younger brothers, Æthelred and Alfred, were too young to lead a country facing Viking attacks.[citation needed]
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Reign
Like his father and brother he was also crowned at Kingston upon Thames. His reign saw a Danish plundering of Kent and raids in Northumbria, both led by Ragnar Lodbrok. They had also penetrated as far as Winchester in Æthelberht's early reign. One development was that Wessex and its recent south-eastern conquests became a united kingdom. Unlike his predecessors, Æthelberht did not appoint another member of his family as under-king of Kent. A charter issued in the first year of Æthelberht's reign reflects an extraordinary new kind of assembly: it was the first charter of a West Saxon king to include a full complement both of West Saxon and of Kentish witnesses. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes Æthelberht's reign as one of good harmony and lasting peace.[citation needed] Though this was true of internal affairs, the Vikings remained a great threat, unsuccessfully storming Winchester and ravaging vast parts of Kent.
Death
Æthelberht died in 866 and was buried at Sherborne Abbey in Dorset beside his brother Æthelbald. At the time of his death, Æthelberht was married (the records of his wife have not survived) and had two young sons: Aldhelm, who was killed, unmarried, during the Viking invasions in Alfred's reign; and Æthelweard, who was only an infant in 866, but unsuccessfully claimed the throne after Alfred's death in 899. He sought refuge in the Danelaw, where he was killed the following year.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Yorke, Barbara, Kings and Kingship in Early Anglo-Saxon England (London: Seaby, 1990. ISBN 1-85264-927-8), pp. 148–158 & p. 133, table 15.
- ^ Stenton, Frank (1971), Anglo-Saxon England (3rd ed.), Oxford: Clarendon, p. 245
- ^ Burke's Peerage, 107th ed, ISBN 0-9711966-2-1, 2003
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Æthelbald |
King of Wessex 860–866 |
Succeeded by Æthelred |
| Preceded by Æthelstan |
King of Kent 858–866 |
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