Egbert of Wessex facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Egbert
King of Wessex
Egbert of Wessex as represented in a 19th century book.
Reign	802—839
Predecessor	Beorhtric
Successor	Athelwulf
Died	839
Burial	Winchester
Issue	Athelwulf
Father	Ealhmund

Egbert (also known as Ecgberht) was a powerful king who ruled Wessex from 802 to 839. He was born around 775. Egbert became king after a period of being forced to live outside England. He returned when the previous king, Beorhtric, died in 802. Egbert was the father of Athelwulf of Wessex, who became king after him.

Egbert's Early Life and Exile

Egbert was the son of Ealhmund, who was the King of Kent. He was related to an earlier King of Wessex named Ine. In 786, Egbert tried to become king of Wessex after King Cynewulf died. However, Offa of Mercia, a very strong king from a rival kingdom, helped make Beorhtric king instead.

Beorhtric saw young Egbert as a threat. He did not want Egbert to stay in England. Beorhtric even asked Offa to hand Egbert over to him. But before Offa could decide, Egbert left Mercia and then left England entirely.

He found safety at the court of Charlemagne, a famous emperor in what is now France. Egbert stayed there for at least three years. During this time, he married a noblewoman named Redburga. She might have been a relative of Charlemagne. Their son, Athelwulf, was born in Francia around 795. When Beorhtric died in 802, Egbert returned to England. He likely had military help from Charlemagne to become King of Wessex.

Egbert Becomes a Powerful King

The first few years of Egbert's rule are not well known. He probably spent this time making his army stronger. He also improved how his kingdom was managed. Egbert formed an important friendship with Wulfred, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 815, Egbert led an army into Cornwall. He brought this area under his control. He allowed local leaders to continue ruling Cornwall for him.

In 825, a new king of Mercia, Beornwulf of Mercia, attacked Wessex. Beornwulf had already taken control of other areas like Kent and Essex. Egbert defeated Beornwulf in a very important battle. This battle ended the time when Mercian kings were the most powerful in England.

Egbert then sent his son Athelwulf with an army. They took over Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and East Anglia from Mercian control. Beornwulf tried to get East Anglia back later that year, but he was killed. Kent, Surrey, and Sussex stayed part of Wessex from then on. Egbert made his son Athelwulf the sub-king of Kent, which included all these new lands.

In 829, Egbert defeated all of Mercia. The king of Northumbria also accepted Egbert's power. Egbert even called himself "King of Mercia" on coins made in London. In 830, Wiglaf became king of Mercia again. But Egbert kept the lands he had gained in Kent and southwest England.

Egbert died on February 4, 839. He left a kingdom much larger than any other Wessex king before him. He was known as the bretwalda, which means "overlord" of Anglo-Saxon England, for a time. Even after Wiglaf returned to power in Mercia, Egbert remained the most powerful king of his era.

Egbert's Family

Egbert and his wife, Redburga, had two known children:

• Athelwulf, who became king after his father.
• Athelstan.

Images for kids

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  A map of England during Ecgberht's reign

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  The entry for 827 in the C manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, listing the eight bretwaldas

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  Charter S 1438, in which King Ecgberht and the Archbishop of Canterbury promised mutual support of the church and the West Saxon crown at the Council of Kingston in 838

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  16th-century mortuary chest in Winchester Cathedral, believed to contain Ecgberht's bones

See also

In Spanish: Egberto de Wessex para niños