Æthelwealh of Sussex
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Æthelwealh (fl. c. 660-685) (also written Aedilualch, Aethelwalch, Aþelwold, Æðelwold, Æþelwald, or Ethelwalch) was the first historical king of Sussex. All known information about him comes from brief mentions in Eddius's The Life of Bishop Wilfrid, Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England, and The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
Æthelwalh became a Christian while in Mercia where King Wulfhere sponsored his baptism. At this time the people of Sussex were pagans.
In 661, Wulfhere gave Æthelwealh the territories of Meonwara and the Isle of Wight.
Æthelwealh's queen was Eafe (also written Eabae or Ebba), the daughter of Eanfrith (Eanfrid or Eanfridi), a ruler of the Christian Hwicce people.
Wilfrid, the exiled bishop of York, came to Sussex in 681 and converted the people to Christianity with King Æthelwealh's approval. Æthelwealh gave Wilfrid land in Selsey where he founded Selsey Abbey. Wilfrid, however met with Caedwalla a prince of the Gewissae, then operating as a bandit in Sussex, and came to a mutual agreement to advance one another's interests
Shortly after this, in 685, Cædwalla, a West Saxon prince, invaded Sussex and killed Æthelwealh.
His name means "noble foreigner".
[edit] Legacy
Aethelwealh is mentioned in "The Way of Wyrd" , a novel by Professor Brian Bates
[edit] References
- Æthelwalh 1. Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- Bede. Book 4. Ecclesiastical History of England. Medieval Sourcebook. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- Eafe 1. Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- Eanfrith 3. Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- Ingram, J.H. trans. (1996-09-01). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
[edit] External links
- (Latin) Bede. Liber Quartus. Historiam Ecclesiasticam Gentis Anglorum. The Latin Library. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
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