Kingdom of the East Saxons | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 527–825 | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Status | Independent kingdom (527–709) Client state ofMercia (709–825) | ||||||||
| Official languages | Old English | ||||||||
| Religion | Paganism (before 7th century) Christianity (after 7th century) | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
• 527–587 | Æscwine (first) | ||||||||
• 798–825 | Sigered (last) | ||||||||
| Legislature | Witenagemot | ||||||||
| Historical era | Heptarchy | ||||||||
• Established | 527 | ||||||||
• Full integration intocrown of Wessex | 825 | ||||||||
| Currency | Sceat | ||||||||
| |||||||||
TheKingdom of the East Saxons (Old English:Ēastseaxna rīce;Latin:Regnum Orientalium Saxonum), referred to as theKingdom of Essex/ˈɛsɪks/, was one of the seven traditional kingdoms of theAnglo-SaxonHeptarchy.[a] It was founded in the 6th century and covered the territory later occupied by thecounties ofEssex,Middlesex, much ofHertfordshire and (for a short while) westKent. The last king of Essex wasSigered of Essex, who in 825 ceded the kingdom toEcgberht, King of Wessex.
The Kingdom of Essex was bounded to the north by theRiver Stour and theKingdom of East Anglia, to the south by theRiver Thames andKent, to the east lay theNorth Sea and to the westMercia. The territory included the remains of two provincialRoman capitals,Colchester andLondon.
The kingdom included theMiddle Saxon Province,[1] which included the area of the later County of Middlesex and most, if not all, ofHertfordshire[2] Although the province is ever recorded only as part of the East Saxon Kingdom, charter evidence shows that it was not part of its core territory. In the core area, it granted charters freely, but further west, it did so while making reference to itsMercian overlords. At times, Essex was ruled jointly by co-Kings, and it thought that the Middle Saxon Province is likely to have been the domain of one of the co-kings.[3] The links to Essex between Middlesex and parts of Hertfordshire were long reflected in theDiocese of London, re-established in 604 as the East Saxon see, and its boundaries continued to be based on the Kingdom of Essex until the nineteenth century.
The East Saxons also had intermittent control ofSurrey.[4] For a brief period in the 8th century, the Kingdom of Essex controlled west Kent.
The modern Englishcounty of Essex maintains the historic northern and the southern borders but covers only the territory east of theRiver Lea, the other parts being lost to neighbouringMercia during the 8th century.[2]
In theTribal Hidage it is listed as containing 7,000hides.
Although the kingdom of Essex was one of the kingdoms of theHeptarchy, its history is not well documented. It produced relatively fewAnglo-Saxon charters[5] and no version of theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle; in fact, the only mention in the chronicle concerns BishopMellitus.[6] As a result, the kingdom is regarded as comparatively obscure.[7] For most of the kingdom's existence, the Essex king was subservient to an overlord – variously the kings ofKent,East Anglia orMercia.[8]
Saxon occupation of land that was to form the kingdom had begun by the early 5th century atMucking and other locations. A large proportion of the original settlers came fromOld Saxony.[9] According to British legend (seeHistoria Brittonum) the territory known later as Essex was ceded by theCeltic Britons to the Saxons following the infamousTreason of the Long Knives, which occurredc. 460 during the reign of High KingVortigern.Della Hooke relates the territory ruled by the kings of Essex to the pre-Roman territory of theTrinovantes.[10] There is anacademic debate about the traditional narrative, with some scholars suggesting a pattern of typically peaceful co-existence, with the structure of the Romano-British landscape being maintained, and with the Saxon settlers believed to have been in the minority/[11] Howeverm Alexander Mirrington argues that the cultural change seen in the archaeological record is so complete that "a migration of a large number of people is the most logical and least extreme solution".[12]
The kingdom of Essex grew by the absorption of smaller subkingdoms[13] or Saxon tribal groups. There are a number of suggestions for the location of these subkingdoms including:
Essex emerged as a single kingdom during the 6th century. The dates, names and achievements of the Essex kings, like those of most early rulers in theHeptarchy, remain conjectural. The historical identification of the kings of Essex, including the evidence and a reconstructed genealogy are discussed extensively by Yorke.[18] The dynasty claimed descent fromWoden viaSeaxnēat. A genealogy of the Essex royal house was prepared in Wessex in the 9th century. Unfortunately, the surviving copy is somewhat mutilated.[19] At times during the history of the kingdom several sub-kings within Essex appear to have been able to rule simultaneously.[2] They may have exercised authority over different parts of the kingdom. The first recorded king, according to the East Saxon King List, wasÆscwine, to which a date of 527 is given for the start of his reign, although there are some difficulties with the date of his reign, andSledd is listed as the founder of the Essex royal house by other sources.[20] The kings of Essex are notable for their S-nomenclature, nearly all their names begin with the letter S.
The Essex kings issued coins that echoed those issued byCunobeline simultaneously asserting a link to the first century rulers while emphasising independence from Mercia.[21]
Christianity is thought to have flourished among the Trinovantes in the 4th century AD (lateRoman period); indications include the remains of a probable church at Colchester,[22] dating from some time after 320, shortly after the emperorConstantine the Greatgranted freedom of worship to Christians in 313. Other archaeological evidence includes achi rho symbol etched on a tile at a site inWickford, and a gold ring inscribed with a chi rho monogram found atBrentwood.[23] It is not clear to what extent, if any, Christianity persisted by the time of the pagan East Saxon kings in the sixth century.
The earliest English record of the kingdom dates toBede'sHistoria ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, which noted the arrival of Bishop (later Saint)Mellitus in London in 604.Æthelberht (King of Kent and overlord of southern England according to Bede) was in a position to exercise some authority in Essex shortly after 604, when his intervention helped in the conversion of KingSæberht of Essex (son ofSledd), his nephew, to Christianity. It was Æthelberht, and not Sæberht, who built and endowed St. Paul's in London, whereSt. Paul's Cathedral now stands. Bede describes Æthelberht as Sæberht's overlord.[24][25] After the death of Sæberht in 616, Mellitus was driven out and the kingdom reverted to paganism. This may have been the result of opposition to Kentish influence in Essex affairs rather than being specifically anti-Christian.[26]
The kingdom reconverted to Christianity underSigeberht II the Good following a mission bySt Cedd who established monasteries atTilaburg (probablyEast Tilbury, but possiblyWest Tilbury) andIthancester (almost certainlyBradwell-on-Sea). Aroyal tomb at Prittlewell was discovered and excavated in 2003. Finds included gold foil crosses, suggesting the occupant was Christian. If the occupant was a king, it was probably either Sæberht or Sigeberht (murdered 653). It is, however, also possible that the occupant was not royal, but simply a wealthy and powerful individual whose identity has gone unrecorded.[27]
Essex reverted to Paganism again in 660 with the ascension of the pagan KingSwiþhelm. He converted in 662, but died in 664. He was succeeded by his two sons:Sigehere andSæbbi. A plague the same year caused Sigehere and his people to recant their Christianity and Essex reverted to Paganism a third time. This rebellion was suppressed byWulfhere of Mercia who established himself as overlord. Bede describes Sigehere and Sæbbi as "rulers […] under Wulfhere, king of the Mercians".[28] Wulfhere sent Jaruman, the bishop ofLichfield, to reconvert the East Saxons.[29]
Wine (in 666)[30] andErkenwald (in 675)[30] were appointed bishops of London with spiritual authority over the East Saxon Kingdom. A small stone chest bearing the name ofSæbbi of Essex (r. 664–683) was visible inOld St Paul's Cathedral until theGreat Fire of London of 1666 when the cathedral and the tombs within it were lost. The inscription on the chest was recorded byPaul Hentzner and translated byRobert Naunton as reading: "Here lies Seba, King of the East Saxons, who was converted to the faith by St. Erkenwald, Bishop of London, A.D. 677".[31]
Although London, like the rest of Middlesex, was lost by the East Saxons in the 8th century, the bishops of London continued to exert spiritual authority over Essex as a kingdom, shire and county until 1845.[32]
Despite the comparative obscurity of the kingdom, there were strong connections between Essex and the Kentish kingdom across the river Thames that led to the marriage of King Sledd to Ricula, sister of the king,Æthelberht of Kent. For a brief period in the 8th century the kingdom included west Kent. During this period, Essex kings issued their ownsceattas (coins), perhaps as an assertion of their own independence.[33] However, by the mid-8th century, much of the kingdom, including London, had fallen toMercia, and the rump of Essex, roughly the modern county, had become subordinate to the same.[34] After the defeat of the Mercian kingBeornwulf around 825,Sigered, the last king of Essex, ceded the kingdom, which then became a possession of theWessex kingEgbert.[35]
The Mercians continued to control parts of Essex and may have supported a pretender to the Essex throne since a Sigericrex Orientalem Saxonum witnessed a Mercian charter after 825.[36][37] During the 9th century, Essex was part of a sub-kingdom that included Sussex, Surrey and Kent.[37] Sometime between 878 and 886, the territory was formally ceded by Wessex to theDanelaw kingdom of East Anglia, under theTreaty of Alfred and Guthrum. After the reconquest byEdward the Elder, the king's representative in Essex was styled anealdorman, and Essex came to be regarded as ashire.[38]
The following list of kings may omit whole generations.
| Reign | Incumbent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 527 to 587 | (perhaps)Æscwine orErchenwine | First king according to some sources, others saying son Sledd was first |
| 587 toante 604 | Sledd | Son of Æscwine/Ercenwine |
| ante 604 to 616/7? | Sæberht | Son of Sledd |
| 616/7? to 623? | Sexred | Son of Sæberht. Joint king withSæward and a third brother; killed in battle against theWest Saxons |
| 616/7? to 623? | Sæward | Son of Sæberht. Joint king withSexred and a third brother; killed in battle against theWest Saxons |
| 616/7? to 623? | (another son of Sæberht, name unknown) | Joint king withSexred andSæward; killed in battle against theWest Saxons |
| 623? toantec. 653 | Sigeberht the Little | |
| c. 653 to 660 | Sigeberht the Good | Apparently son of Sæward. Saint Sigeberht; Saint Sebbi (Feast Day 29 August) |
| 660 to 664 | Swiþhelm | |
| 664 to 683 | Sighere | son of a Sigeberht, probably 'the Good'. Joint-king withSæbbi |
| 664 toc. 694 | Sæbbi | Son of Sexred. Joint-king withSighere; abdicated in favour of his sonSigeheard |
| c. 694 toc. 709 | Sigeheard | Joint-king with his brotherSwæfred[39] |
| c. 695 toc. 709 | Swæfred | Son of Sæbbi. Joint-king with his brotherSigeheard[39] |
| c. 709 | Offa | Son of Sighere. Joint-king during latter part of reign of Swæfred and perhaps Sigeheard. |
| c. 709? to 746 | Sælred | Representing distant line descended from Sledd. Probably joint-king withSwæfbert |
| c. 715 to 738 | Swæfbert | Probably joint-king withSælred |
| 746 to 758 | Swiþred | Grandson of Sigeheard |
| 758 to 798 | Sigeric | Son of Saelred. Abdicated |
| 798 to 812 | Sigered | Son of Sigeric.Mercia defeated byEgbert of Wessex, sub-kingdom of Essex subsumed intoWessex; from 812 to about 825 held it only asdux. |
