Aethelbald of Mercia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Æthelbald
The Repton Stone which may depict Æthelbald
King of Mercia
Reign	716–757
Predecessor	Ceolred
Successor	Beornred
Born	Unknown
Died	757 Seckington
Burial	Repton
House	Iclingas
Father	Alweo

A charter of Aethelbald's to Cyneberht, 736.

Aethelbald (also spelled Æthelbald) was a Mercian nobleman who became the King of Mercia in 716 and ruled until 757. He made Mercia a very strong kingdom, much like it was during the times of Penda and Wulfhere.

Because of his power, Aethelbald used the title "king of the gens Anglorum." This Latin phrase means "king of the English people." Because of this, people in his kingdom started calling themselves "English" instead of "Saxons," "Jutes," or "Angles." Aethelbald was a powerful leader, but some people, including important church figures, criticized his personal behavior and how he treated the Church.

Becoming King of Mercia

Aethelbald was the son of Alweo. He was also the grandson of Eowa, who was King Penda's brother. Because Aethelbald was a possible future king, his cousin, Ceolred, forced him to leave Mercia.

Aethelbald found safety with his relative, Saint Guthlac of Crowland. St. Guthlac passed away in 714, but he had predicted that Aethelbald would become the king of Mercia. Two years later, when Ceolred died, Aethelbald became king.

One of the first things Aethelbald did was to start building Crowland Abbey. He had promised to build it for Guthlac if the prediction came true. When Aethelbald first became king, he faced two strong kings on his borders. These were Ine of Wessex and Wihtred of Kent, who had a lot of influence in southern England. Aethelbald also had connections with other southern kings. Wihtred died in 725, and Ine gave up his throne in 726. Aethelbald then supported Athelheard of Wessex to become king in 726.

A Powerful Overlord

Aethelbald began to take control of parts of Wessex. He gained Berkshire in 730. Three years later, he took Somerton from Wessex. Aethelbald was even able to give the Archbishop of Canterbury a gift of the monastery of Cookham in Berkshire.

By 731, Aethelbald was the main ruler, or "overlord," of all the English kingdoms south of the River Humber. In 740, Aethelbald attacked York and caused a lot of damage in Northumbria. In the same year, Athelheard of Wessex died. Cuthred became the new king. Cuthred showed that he was a strong ruler and did not want Aethelbald to be his overlord.

For the first three years of Cuthred's rule, he fought against Mercia but did not gain much land. In 743, Cuthred joined Aethelbald in fighting against the Welsh. In 748, Cuthred's son, Cynric, rebelled against his father and died. Some historical records suggest that Aethelbald might have encouraged this rebellion.

In 752, Cuthred tried to break free from King Aethelbald's control. This led to a battle at Burford. Aethelbald fled the battlefield. After this, Cuthred remained independent from Mercia for the rest of his time as king.

Aethelbald and the Church

Aethelbald had a lot of influence over the Church. He helped choose three Archbishops of Canterbury. These were Tatwine in 731, Nothhelm in 734, and Cuthbert in 740.

Mercia was a very rich kingdom at this time, and Aethelbald himself was very wealthy. He was criticized for using Church money for his own purposes. He also made monks work on his building projects.

Saint Boniface, an important church leader, wrote a letter to King Aethelbald around 746–747. He complained about Aethelbald's actions. Boniface said that Aethelbald had not married lawfully and had not lived a pure life. He also said that the king's actions had damaged his good reputation. Boniface warned the king to change his ways.

At first, this warning did not seem to affect Aethelbald. He became impatient with church leaders and interfered with their rights. However, in his later years, he became a bit less harsh in how he dealt with the Church.

In 757, Aethelbald was killed by one of his own people. Beornred briefly took the throne. Then, Offa became king later that same year.

Aethelbald was an overlord of the southern English kingdoms for a long time, longer than any other ruler before him. He achieved this partly through force, as he was a great war leader. He also had great wealth from payments made to him by other kings. This wealth allowed him to have a large workforce and a strong army. He also tried to use the Church's wealth to his advantage. However, he also gave money to the Church to build monasteries. He supported important church meetings that would not have happened without his help. He was a very powerful king, but his personal conduct was often criticized by religious leaders.

Images for kids

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  A mention of Æthelbald, the Mercian king, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

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  Guthlac appears to Æthelbald in a dream in this roundel from the Guthlac Roll (early 13th century).

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  A 19th-century engraving of the crypt at St Wystan's Church, Repton where Æthelbald was interred

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  The mounted figure on the Repton Stone in Derby Museum has been identified as Æthelbald.

See also

In Spanish: Ethelbaldo de Mercia para niños