Cuthwine of Wessex facts for kids

Cuthwine was born around 565. He was part of the House of Wessex, a powerful family of kings in ancient England. His father was King Ceawlin.

In 592, King Ceawlin was removed from his throne by his nephew, Ceol. Because of this, Cuthwine never became king himself. Cuthwine had to leave his home and live in exile for many years. But he stayed a strong leader and made sure his family's royal line continued through his three sons.

Cuthwine's Early Life

Cuthwine was born when his father, King Ceawlin, had been ruling the West Saxons for five years. His grandfather was Cynric, and his great-grandfather was Cerdic. Cerdic was one of the first Saxons to arrive in England from Germany. At this time, the Britons were the main people in the land.

We don't know much about Cuthwine's very early life.

The Battle of Woden's Barrow

In June 592, Cuthwine's father, King Ceawlin, lost his throne. The old records say there was a big battle at a place called Woden's Barrow. This place is now known as Adam's Grave in Wiltshire. King Ceawlin was forced out of power.

His opponent was Ceol, who became the next king of Wessex. Ceol ruled for six years. The next year, 593, King Ceawlin died while he was in exile. His brothers, Cwichelm and Crida, who were army commanders, also died.

It's not clear why the battle happened, but it was probably because Ceol wanted more power. Cuthwine was 27 years old at the time and was a commander in this important battle. After his side lost, he had to escape with his family because he was the rightful heir to the throne.

Life in Exile

After the battle, Cuthwine's father and uncles died in 593. Cuthwine managed to escape again and went into exile towards the east with his young family. For the first few years, he lived like an outlaw. However, the hunt for him seemed to calm down when Ceol was replaced by his brother.

Ceol was Cuthwine's cousin. Ceol's brother, Ceolwulf, became king after Ceol and ruled for seventeen years. During this time, the control of the West Saxons was split. Ceol and Ceolwulf controlled one area, while Cuthwine and his family were likely based in another. Other groups also existed, as Ceol's family tried to gain full control over Wessex.

If Ceol and Ceolwulf tried to get rid of the original royal family members, they didn't succeed. Cuthwine remained free during this time. Some records suggest that around 605, King Ceolwulf might have had to share power with Cuthwine. This means Cuthwine was not a fugitive after the first few years of his exile.

Cuthwine's Sons

Before his father died, Cuthwine had at least three sons:

• Cynebald, born 585
• Cedda, born 590
• Cuthwulf, born 592

We don't know the name of their mother. It's possible she died during the chaos when Cuthwine fled into exile, as he didn't have any more children after that time.

Cedda later became the father of Coenberht. Coenberht was the father of Caedwalla of Wessex and his brother Mul of Kent, who both became kings many years later. Through Cuthwulf, Cuthwine's youngest son, the kings of Wessex eventually came from Cuthwine's family line after Ceol's family line ended in 685.

Cuthwine's Later Life

Cuthwine lived a long life. He remained in a powerful position during the rule of Cynegils, who was Ceol's son. Then, Cenwalh, Cynegils's son, became king.

In 645, Penda of Mercia took over the kingdom. This happened because Cenwalh had separated from Penda's sister. Penda was king for three years, and Cenwalh had to go into exile. Cuthwine is mentioned as being present at the talks, along with his sons. We don't know much more about what he did.

However, we can guess a few things. Cuthwine was an experienced prince. If he wasn't the main ruler of Wessex during Cenwalh's exile (though he would have been under Penda's control), he was likely a very important part of the ruling group. Given the complex politics of the time and his strong base in the east, it's also likely he helped Cenwalh successfully get his throne back in 648.

After this, Cuthwine appears less often in records. He seems to have become a legendary figure among the common people. This was because he had held his position for so long against the sometimes harsh rule of Ceol and his family. It's thought that he might have died by this time. He would have been over eighty years old when Cenwalh became king again. It's unlikely he lived to see his own family line return to the throne of Wessex.

This mysterious prince and his many descendants were not forgotten by the West Saxons. When Ceol's family line finally ended, first Caedwalla of Wessex and then Ine of Wessex became king. Both were great-grandsons of Cuthwine. Egbert of Wessex, who was an ancestor of later Kings of England, was descended from Ine's brother, and therefore also from Cuthwine.

See also

• House of Wessex family tree