Ælle of Sussex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ælle |
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Ælle's name is visible in this line from the Parker manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written c. 890
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| King of Sussex | |
| Reign | c. 477 – c. 514? |
| Successor | Cissa? |
| Issue | Cissa, Cymen, Wlencing |
Ælle (also spelled Aelle or Ella) was an early Anglo-Saxon king. He is known as the first king of the South Saxons, ruling in what is now called Sussex, England. He reigned from around 477 AD until possibly 514 AD.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a very old historical record, Ælle and three of his sons landed in Britain at a place called Cymensora. They fought against the local people, who were called Britons. The chronicle says that in 491 AD, Ælle won a big battle near what is now Pevensey. The battle ended with the Saxons defeating their opponents completely.
Ælle was also the first king mentioned by the historian Bede (who wrote in the 700s) as holding "imperium". This means he had a special kind of power or leadership over other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Later, in the 800s, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle called Ælle the first "bretwalda", which means "Britain-ruler". However, we don't know if this was a title people used at the time. We don't know exactly when Ælle died, and there isn't strong proof that he was directly related to later South Saxon rulers.
Contents
Who Was Ælle?
Historians find it hard to know many details about Ælle's life. This is because his time was one of the least documented periods in English history.
Britain Before Ælle
For over 350 years, Britain was part of the Roman Empire. But by the early 400s, the Romans started to leave. In 410 AD, the Roman Emperor Honorius told the Britons they had to defend themselves. Roman armies never returned to Britain after this.
After the Romans left, sources are very scarce. But an early writer named Gildas said that the Britons asked a Roman leader named Aetius for help against attackers in the 440s. No help came. Later, a British leader named Vortigern supposedly invited warriors from other parts of Europe, like the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, to help fight invaders from the north. These warriors, led by people like Hengest and Horsa, eventually rebelled. This led to a long period of fighting. The invaders took control of parts of England. Some historians wonder if Ælle might have led the Saxon forces in a famous battle called Mons Badonicus, where the Britons won a big victory.
This victory gave the Britons a break, and there was peace for about 40 to 50 years. But after this time, the Anglo-Saxon advance continued. By the late 500s, most of southern England was controlled by these new groups.
Old Stories About Ælle
There are two main old writings that mention Ælle.
Bede's History
The earliest writing is Ecclesiastical History of the English People, written in 731 AD by Bede, a monk. Bede says Ælle was one of the Anglo-Saxon kings who had "imperium" (overlordship) over all the lands south of the Humber river. Ælle is the first king on Bede's list of seven such rulers. Bede also mentions that Ælle was not a Christian.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The second important source is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. This was a collection of historical records put together around 890 AD. The Chronicle has three entries about Ælle:
- 477 AD: Ælle and his three sons, Cymen, Wlencing, and Cissa, arrived in Britain with three ships at a place called Cymen's shore. They fought many Britons there, killing some and making others run into a forest called Andredes leag.
- 485 AD: Ælle fought against the Britons near a place called Mearcred's Burn.
- 491 AD: Ælle and Cissa attacked Andredes cester. They killed everyone living there, leaving no Britons behind.
The Chronicle was written about 400 years after these events. The writers used older records and oral stories. The terms 'British' and 'Welsh' were used to mean the same thing, as 'Welsh' was a Saxon word for 'foreigner'.
Where Did These Events Happen?
Some of the places mentioned can be identified:
- "Cymen's shore" (Cymenes ora) is thought to be near the Selsey Bill on the south coast, where there are rocks and ledges called the Owers.
- The forest called "Andredes leag" is the Weald, which was a huge forest covering much of what is now Sussex.
- "Andredes cester" is believed to be Anderitum, an old Roman fort at Pevensey Castle.
The Chronicle also mentions Ælle again in 827 AD, listing him as the first of eight "bretwaldas" or "Britain-rulers". There's a lot of discussion among historians about what being a "bretwalda" truly meant and how much power Ælle actually had.
Clues from Place Names
Historians also look at place names in Sussex for clues. Many names end in "-ing", like Worthing and Angmering. These names come from an older form ending in "-ingas", which often meant "the followers of" a person. For example, "Hastings" comes from "Hæstingas", meaning "the followers of Hæsta". The area from Selsey Bill to Pevensey has the most names like this in Britain. This suggests that Anglo-Saxons settled here very early.
The stories about Ælle and his sons arriving in ships and defeating the Britons were believed for a long time. However, many historians now see them as origin myths that helped explain how the new Anglo-Saxon kingdoms began.
Ælle's Time as King
If the dates in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle are somewhat accurate, Ælle's reign happened in the middle of the Anglo-Saxon expansion into Britain. His battles likely happened before the big British victory at Mons Badonicus. This might explain why there was a long gap (50 years or more) before the next "bretwalda" appeared. If the Britons had peace for a while, an Anglo-Saxon leader wouldn't have had overlordship over England during that time.
It's possible that a real king named Ælle existed. He might have arrived from Europe in the late 400s and conquered much of what is now Sussex. He could have been a powerful war chief who led a group of Anglo-Saxons fighting for land in Britain. This might be why Bede later said he had overlordship over southern Britain. The battles in the Chronicle suggest he conquered Sussex from west to east, facing strong British resistance for 14 years. His military control might have reached as far as Hampshire and north to the Thames river valley. However, it probably didn't cover all of England south of the Humber, as Bede suggested.
Death and Burial
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle doesn't say when or how Ælle died. It doesn't mention him or his sons again until 675 AD.
Some people think that Ælle, as a Saxon war leader, might have died in the important battle of Mount Badon, where the Britons stopped the Saxon advance. If Ælle died in his own kingdom, he might have been buried on Highdown Hill. This hill is traditionally known as the burial place of the kings of Sussex.
See Also
Images for kids
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Imaginary depiction of Ælle from John Speed's 1611 "Saxon Heptarchy"
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A page from the [A] manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Ælle's name, spelled "Elle", can be seen in two of the entries at the end of the page.
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A detail from a 1780 map, showing the Isle of Wight, Selsey Bill, and the Owers shoals to the south. Pevensey is about fifty miles to the east, along the coast.
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A map of south-eastern England showing places visited by Ælle, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and the area of modern Sussex
