Æthelweard of East Anglia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Æthelweard
The obverse and reverse of a coin from the reign of Æthelweard.
King of the East Angles
Reign	c. 845 – 25 December 854
Predecessor	Æthelstan
Successor	Edmund
Died	854

Æthelweard (died 854) was a king who ruled East Anglia in the 800s. East Anglia was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in what is now Norfolk and Suffolk, England. We don't know much about his time as king. Even the exact years he ruled are a bit unclear. His son, Edmund, became king after him. Edmund was crowned on December 25, 854.

East Anglia in the 800s

Before the Vikings arrived, the Kingdom of the East Angles was strong and wealthy. It had its own special church culture. We don't know much about East Anglia's history during this time. But we do know it was powerful enough to stay independent. Sometimes, we only know about its kings from the coins they made.

Historians believe that Viking attacks later destroyed many of East Anglia's monasteries. These were places where important books and records were kept. This is one reason why so little information about this period has survived.

Æthelweard's Life and Rule

Like the king before him, Æthelstan, we have very few written records about Æthelweard's rule. He is not even mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. This was a very important historical record from that time.

However, we have found many coins from his reign. These coins tell us that he was the ruler of an independent kingdom. This means he was not controlled by other powerful kingdoms like Mercia or Wessex.

We are not sure exactly when Æthelweard became king. Most historians think it was around the mid-840s. It seems he died in the year 854. His son, Edmund, became king after him. Edmund was only fourteen years old. He later became known as Saint Edmund. He was crowned king on December 25, 854.