Caedwalla of Wessex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caedwalla |
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| King of Wessex | |
From a Lambert Barnard mural at Chichester Cathedral.
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| King of Wessex | |
| Reign | 685–688 |
| Predecessor | Centwine |
| Successor | Ine |
| Born | c. 659 |
| Died | 20 April 689 (aged 30) |
| Father | Centberht |
Caedwalla (born around 659, died 689) was a powerful king of Wessex. He ruled from about 685 until he gave up his throne in 688. His name comes from an old British name, Cadwallon.
Caedwalla was a strong leader and a great warrior. He helped Wessex become one of the most important kingdoms in England. At that time, England was made up of several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Wessex became the third most powerful, after Northumbria and Mercia. Even though he was a pagan king, he helped spread Christianity.
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Becoming King of Wessex
Caedwalla was born around 659. His father was Cenberht, and his brother was Mul. They belonged to the royal family of the Gewissae. Caedwalla was a descendant of Cerdic, an early king of Wessex.
When Caedwalla was about two years old, his father was killed. His family had to hide in a large forest. Later, Caedwalla tried to claim land in Wessex. But in 680, King Centwine sent him away from Wessex.
During his exile, Caedwalla gathered a group of brave warriors. In 685, he decided he wanted to become king. He attacked Sussex and killed its king, Ethelwalth. Even though two Sussex leaders drove him out, Caedwalla kept fighting.
That same year, King Centwine of Wessex decided to retire to a monastery. This left the throne open. Caedwalla then turned his attention back to Wessex.
Caedwalla's Reign and Conquests
By 686, Caedwalla was strong enough to declare himself king. The other local rulers in Wessex did not fight him. They kept their own lands. Caedwalla was king for three years, and he was almost always at war.
In 686, he and his brother Mul attacked Kent. After taking control of Kent, Caedwalla made his brother Mul the new king there. That summer, he also attacked Sussex again and killed King Berhthun.
In 687, the people of Kent rebelled against Mul. They burned him and twelve of his friends to death. They then put their own royal family back on the throne. Caedwalla invaded Kent a second time and ruled it himself.
Next, Caedwalla invaded the Isle of Wight. The king of Wight, Arwald, was killed. Caedwalla allowed Arwald's two young brothers to become Christians before they were executed. He then planned to remove all the people from the island and replace them with settlers from Wessex.
Even though Caedwalla was still a pagan, he gave large areas of land on the Isle of Wight to Bishop Wilfrid. During the war on the Isle of Wight, Caedwalla was badly hurt. He thought his injury might be fatal. But he had successfully conquered most of southeastern England.
Abdication and Death
In 688, Caedwalla decided to give up his throne. He traveled all the way to Rome. There, on Easter day in 689, he was baptized by Pope Sergius I. About ten days later, on April 20, he died. He was buried in Rome.
Caedwalla's actions set an example for future kings of Wessex. They continued to try and control all of southeastern England.
Caedwalla remained a pagan for most of his life. But he was a friend of Bishop Wilfrid. Sometimes, he even called himself a protector of the church. He gave land for a monastery in Kent. He also gave land for a monastery in Farnham, showing his power in Surrey.
He saw his efforts to remove the Jutes from the Isle of Wight as a war between Christianity and paganism. When he left England for Rome, he stopped in Calais. He gave money to build a church there. He did the same at the court of the Lombards before reaching Rome. After Caedwalla, Ine became the new king.
Images for kids
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A 16th-century mural by Lambert Barnard in Chichester Cathedral, showing Caedwalla giving land to Saint Wilfrid.
See also
In Spanish: Cædwalla de Wessex para niños
