Mercia

Mercia was one of kingdoms ofAnglo-Saxon Heptarchy,whatnow England, inregion ofMidlands. Its neighbors included Northumbria, Powys,kingdomssouthern Wales, Wessex, Sussex, Essex,East Anglia.

Mercia's exact evolution fromAnglo-Saxon invasionsmore obscure than Northumbria, Kent, or even Wessex. Archeological surveys show that Angles settledlands north ofThames river bysixth century. The name MerciaOld English"boundary folk", andtraditional interpretation was thatkingdom originated alongfrontier betweenWelsh andAnglo-Saxon invaders, although P. Hunter Blair has argued an alternative interpretation thatemerged alongfrontier betweenkingdomNorthumbria andinhabitants ofTrent river valley.

Whileearliest known kingMercia was named Cearl,is only known because he gave his daughtermarriageEdwin, kingDeira,first Mercian king we know more about than his namePenda, who ruled c.632 - 654. The little thatknown about Pendathroughhostile accountBede, who disliked him bothbeing an enemy kingBede's own Northumbria, but alsobeingpagan. Afterreignsuccessful battles against all opponents, Penda was defeatedkilled atBattleWinwaed byNorthumbrian king Oswiu 654.

Penda was succeeded first by his son Peada, but inspring656 Oswiu assumed control ofwholeMercia. A revolt657 resulted withappearanceanother sonPenda, Wulfhere, who ruled Mercia until he was defeatedkilledan invasionNorthumbria674. The next two kings, Aethelred Cenred sonWulfhere,better knowntheir religious activities. Andking who succeeded them, Ceolred,said inletterSaint Bonifacehave beendissolute youth who died insane. So endedrule ofdirect descendantsPenda.

At some point beforeaccessionÆthelbald,Mercians conqueredregion around Wroxeter, known toWelsh as "The ParadisePowys." Elegies written inpersonaits dispossed rulers recordsorrow at this serious dispossession.

The next important kingMercia was Æthelbald (716 - 757). Forfirst few yearshis reign, he hadfaceobstaclestwo strong rival kings, WihtredKentIneWessex. But when Wihtred died725,Ine abdicated his thronefollowing yearbecomemonk Rome, Æthelbald was freeestablish Mercia's hegemony overrest ofAnglo-Saxons south ofHumber. Becausehis prowess asmilitary leader, he acquiredtitleBretwalda.

FollowingmurderÆthelbald by onehis bodyguard,civil war followed, which was concluded withvictoryOffa. Offa was forcedbuildhegemony oversouthern Englishhis predecessor anew, but he not only did so successfully, he becamegreatest king Mercia ever knew. Not only did he win battlesacquiretitleBretwalda, he also took an active handadministeringaffairshis kingdom by founding market townsoverseeingfirst major issuescoinsBritain, assumedrole inadministration ofCatholic churchEngland,even negotiatedCharlemagne as an equal.

Offa even exerted himselfensure that his son Ecgfrith would succeed him when he died on July 26, 796. But his efforts werevain: Ecgfrith ruledless than five months, andkingdom passed todistant relative named Cenwulf (796 - 821). Cenwulf himself was succeeded by his brother Ceolwulf, who demonstrated his military prowess by his attackdestruction onfortressDeganwyPowys. This did not dissuade Egbert (802 - 839), kingWessex, from revolting from his overlordship,Egbert defeated his successor Beornwulf at Ellendun 825.

The BattleEllendun proved decisive. Beornwulf was slain suppressingrevolt amongstEast Angles,his successor (a former ealdormen Ludeca) heldfraying strandsMercia togetheronly four more years until Egbert conquered Mercia. Mercia soon returned toruleher own king, but its days asleading powerEngland had passed. In 874, Danish armies invadedregion,in 886,eastern part ofkingdom became part ofDanelaw, whilewestern portion was occupied by Wessex.

For knowledge ofinternal composition ofkingdomMercia, we must rely ondocumentuncertain age,Tribal Hidage. This listsnumberpeople who eventually vanished, exceptremindersvarious placenames.