Æthelhere of East Anglia facts for kids

Æthelhere was a king of the East Angles, a kingdom in what is now eastern England. He ruled for a short time, from 653 or 654 until his death on November 15, 655. He belonged to the Wuffingas royal family.

Æthelhere was one of three sons of Eni who became Christian kings of East Anglia. His uncle was Rædwald, an important early Wuffingas king.

The East Angles had a history of changing between pagan beliefs and Christianity. Rædwald and his son Eorpwald were pagan rulers at first. After Eorpwald was killed around 627, the East Angles went back to paganism for a short time. Christianity was brought back by King Sigeberht.

Sigeberht later gave up his throne to become a monk. His co-ruler, Ecgric, then became king. But the East Angles faced a powerful enemy: Penda, the king of Mercia. Penda's army defeated the East Angles, and both Ecgric and Sigeberht were killed in battle.

Penda continued to attack East Anglia. In 651, monks from Cnobheresburg were forced to leave. Ecgric's successor, Anna, had to go into exile for a while. In 653, Penda attacked again. At the Battle of Bulcamp, King Anna and his son were killed, and the East Anglian army was defeated. After this, Æthelhere became king. He might have ruled alongside his brother, Æthelwold. During Æthelhere's short time as king, a monastery was built by Botolph at a place called Iken.

In 655, Æthelhere joined King Penda of Mercia in an invasion of Northumbria. They attacked Oswiu, the king of Northumbria, who had a much smaller army. The big battle happened on November 15, 655, near a river called the Winwaed. The Northumbrians won, and many Mercians and their allies were killed or drowned. King Penda and almost all his warlords, including Æthelhere, died in this battle.

The Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

The main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in early England

After the end of Roman rule in Britain, groups of people from northern Europe, like the Angles, settled in what is now England. The area known as East Anglia was settled by the Angles. By the year 600, several kingdoms had formed in southern Britain. These kingdoms were ruled by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians.

The royal family of East Anglia was called the Wuffingas. They were named after an early king, Wuffa. The first Wuffingas king we know much about was Rædwald. He ruled for about 25 years, starting around 599.

Æthelhere's Family

Æthelhere was likely the second son of Eni, who was King Rædwald's brother. Eni had four sons that we know of: Æthilric, Anna, Æthelhere, and Æthelwold. All of these brothers were strong supporters of Christianity.

• Æthilric married Hereswith, who was related to Edwin of Northumbria, a Christian king.
• Anna was known as a very religious person. He had a very religious family and helped convert Cenwalh of Wessex to Christianity.
• Æthelwold later supported Swithelm of Essex during his baptism.

Æthelhere saw many changes in his family's power during Rædwald's rule and after. The East Angles became Christian under Rædwald. But around 627, when Rædwald's son Eorpwald was king, they went back to paganism. This happened after Eorpwald was killed by a pagan shortly after he became king and was baptized.

For a few years, an assassin named Ricberht might have ruled. Then, Sigeberht became king. He brought Christianity back to the kingdom and was the first East Anglian king to support the Church.

Mercia's Influence on East Anglia

Sigeberht decided to become a monk and gave his throne to his co-ruler, Ecgric. But soon after, the East Angles were attacked by Mercian forces led by King Penda. Ecgric and his army asked Sigeberht to lead them in battle. Sigeberht refused to fight, even when he was dragged from his monastery to the battlefield. Both he and Ecgric were killed, and the East Anglian army was defeated.

Ecgric's successor, King Anna, tried to stand up to Penda's growing power. In 645, Penda drove Cenwalh of Wessex from his kingdom. This happened after Cenwalh left his wife, who was Penda's sister. Anna was powerful enough to offer safety to Cenwalh at his court. While there, Cenwalh became a Christian. He returned in 648 to rule Wessex as a Christian king. Anna likely helped Cenwalh get his throne back with military support.

In the late 640s, an Irish monk named Fursey left East Anglia. His monastery at Cnobheresburg was left to his half-brother, Foillan. In 651, Penda's forces drove Foillan and his community out. King Anna, who met Penda at Cnobheresburg, was forced into exile.

Æthelhere's Time as King

In 653 or early 654, after Anna returned from exile, Penda launched another attack on the East Angles. The Mercian and East Anglian armies fought at Bulcamp, near Blythburgh. King Anna and his son were killed, and many East Anglian soldiers died.

Æthelhere then became king, serving Penda. Some historians think that Æthelhere and his surviving brother, Æthelwold, might have ruled together. During Æthelhere's short rule, a monastery was built by Botolph at Iken. This area was close to important places like Rendlesham and Sutton Hoo. Æthelhere would have also arranged his brother Anna's funeral. Anna's burial site is believed to be at Blythburgh.

The Battle of the Winwæd

In 655, Æthelhere joined King Penda in an attack on Northumbria. It is thought that Æthelhere joined Penda to protect East Anglia from being destroyed by Mercia. Penda invaded Northumbria with 30 important commanders, including many Britons. He surrounded King Oswiu at Maes Gai. Oswiu offered Penda a large amount of treasure. Bede, a famous historian, says Penda refused it. Another source says he accepted it but still wanted to fight. Either way, Penda decided to fight and destroy the Northumbrians.

Oswiu had a much smaller army. Before the battle, the Welsh armies of King Cadfæl of Gwynedd left. Penda's ally, Œthelwald of Deira, also stood aside to see what would happen.

The major battle happened on November 15, 655, near the River Winwæd. The exact location of this river is not known today. Heavy rains had caused the river to flood the land. The Northumbrians won the battle. Many Mercian soldiers were killed, and many drowned while trying to escape. King Penda himself was killed, along with almost all of his allies. This included Æthelhere of East Anglia, who was leading the East Anglian part of the forces fighting Oswiu.

Bede wrote that Æthelhere was the reason for the war. However, some historians believe that Bede actually meant Penda was responsible. The 12th-century Historia Anglorum says that the deaths of five Anglo-Saxon kings were avenged at the Winwæd:

At the Winwed was avenged the slaughter of Anna,
The slaughter of the kings Sigbert and Ecgric,
The slaughter of the kings Oswald and Edwin.

—Henry of Huntingdon, Historia Anglorum, Book III

Images for kids

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  The main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms