Eowa of Mercia facts for kids

Eowa (also spelled Eawa) was an important figure in early English history. He was the son of King Pybba of Mercia, an ancient kingdom. Eowa was also the brother of Penda, another powerful Mercian king. Some old writings suggest Eowa might have ruled parts of Mercia alongside his brother Penda. He died in the year 642.

The Battle of Maserfield

Eowa is best known for his death at the Battle of Maserfield. This important battle took place on August 5, 642 AD. It was a major conflict between the Mercians and the Northumbrians.

Ancient texts, like the Historia Brittonum, mention Eowa in connection with this battle. They say that Eowa, "king of the Mercians," died there. Another old record, the Annales Cambriae, also states that Eowa, "king of the Mercians," fell in this fight.

In this battle, King Oswald of Northumbria was defeated and killed. Eowa also died, though less is known about his exact role. Some historians think Eowa might have been a co-ruler with Penda. This means they ruled Mercia together at the same time. It's also possible Eowa was even more important than Penda at that moment.

It has been suggested that Eowa might have been fighting as an ally of Oswald. This would mean he was on the Northumbrian side. It's also possible that Mercia had more than one king at that time. Penda might have ruled the southern Mercians, and Eowa the northern Mercians.

Interestingly, two other important historical texts do not mention Eowa's death at Maserfield. These are Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. However, the Chronicle later mentions Eowa when it talks about his descendants.

Eowa's Descendants

A fragment of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, showing some of Eowa's descendants.

Even though Eowa's rule is not fully clear, his family line became very important. Two later Mercian kings were direct descendants of Eowa. These kings were Æthelbald and Offa. They ruled Mercia much later, starting in 716 AD.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle clearly records their family tree. It states: "Aethelbald was Alweo's offspring, Alweo Eawa's offspring, Eawa Pybba's offspring..." This shows Æthelbald was Eowa's grandson through his son Alweo.

The Chronicle also traces the line of King Offa. Offa was a very powerful Mercian king who ruled from 757 to 796 AD. He was also a descendant of Eowa, through Eowa's other son, Osmod. The record says: "That Offa was Thingfrith's offspring, Thingfrith Eanwulf's offspring, Eanwulf Osmod's offspring, Osmod Eawa's offspring..." This shows how Eowa's family continued to play a big role in Mercian history.

See also

• Kings of Mercia family tree