Wuffingas facts for kids

The kingdom of the East Angles during the time of the Wuffingas. It was surrounded by the North Sea, the River Stour, the Devil's Dyke, and the Fens.

The Wuffingas were a powerful family who ruled the Kingdom of East Anglia. This was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that covered the areas we now call Norfolk and Suffolk in England. The Wuffingas family got their name from an early East Anglian king named Wuffa.

We don't know much about the Wuffingas family before Rædwald. He was a king who ruled from about 599 to 624 AD. Many old writings about the Wuffingas were lost. This happened because of Viking invasions in the 800s and when monasteries were closed down in the 1500s.

The last king from the Wuffingas family was Ælfwald. He died in 749 AD. After him, other kings ruled, but we don't know if they were part of the Wuffingas family.

Early Kings of East Anglia

People from northern Europe came to the kingdom of East Anglia in the 400s and 500s AD. We learn about the early East Anglian kings from old books. These include the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the Ecclesiastical History by a monk named Bede. Both of these books were written long after the kingdom began. There's also a family tree of King Ælfwald from the 800s. This family tree says that Ælfwald was a descendant of the god Wōden.

The first kings of East Anglia were known as the Wuffingas. They were named after Wuffa, who is thought to be the founder of their family. Rædwald (who died around 625 AD) is the first king we know for sure ruled the country. Bede wrote that Rædwald's father was Tytil and his grandfather was Wuffa. A writer from the 1200s, Roger of Wendover, said Tytil became king in 571 AD and Wuffa in 578 AD. Another old book, the Historia Brittonum, says that Wehha, Wuffa's father, was the very first Wuffingas ruler. This might mean the family started ruling in the mid-500s.

The name Wuffa probably means "little wolf." So, the family name Wuffingas means "kin of the wolf" or "family of the wolf." This is similar to the "Wulfings" family mentioned in the famous poem Beowulf.

The Wuffingas Family

The following family tree includes the Wuffingas kings from Wehha to Ælfwald. They are numbered in order of ruling. Ecgric was also a member of the Wuffingas house, but his exact descent is not decided. He may have been Sigeberht's brother, or his step-brother.

After 749 AD, East Anglia was either ruled by kings from Mercia (another Anglo-Saxon kingdom) or by kings whose family history is not known.

Important Royal Places

The Wicklaw region, an important area for the Wuffingas kings.

Sutton Hoo is a very important place in East Anglia. It has two old burial sites from the 500s and 600s AD. It's located near the River Deben, about 7 miles from the North Sea. This area was an easy way to enter East Anglia after the Roman Empire ended in the 400s.

The land between the Orwell River and the Alde and Deben rivers might have been where the Wuffingas kings first had their power. Places like Rendlesham or Sutton Hoo could have been early centers for their kingdom. In the early 600s, Gipeswic (which is now Ipswich) started to grow as a place for trade with other countries. A monastery for Botolph was built at Iken in 654 AD, given by the king. Bede also said that Rendlesham was where King Æthelwold lived.

Culture and the Wuffingas

Some historians believe that the famous Old English poem Beowulf might have been written during the time of King Ælfwald. By the end of his rule, East Anglia had several important religious centers. These places were strongly connected to the Wuffingas family.

These centers included:

• Churches at Dommoc and Helmham.
• Botwulf of Thorney's monastery at Icanho.
• Religious places at Ely and Dereham, which were started by the daughters of King Anna.
• A church at Blythburgh.
• A monastery started by King Sigeberht before he gave up his throne and later died in battle.

Images for kids

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  This image shows a page from the Textus Roffensis, an old book that contains the family tree of King Ælfwald.