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Wessex

Cynegils of Wessex by John Speed (1611) (Public Domain)

The Shadowy Kingdom Of Gewissae, Britain’s First Kings

Gewissae was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that ruled much of southern Britain from the fifth to the seventh centuries as the island began forging a new identity in the aftermath of Roman occupation...
A statue of Alfred the Great in Winchester. Descended from a long line of kings of the Kingdom of Wessex, Alfred the Great was the son of King Aethelwulf of Wessex. Source: Tony Baggett / Adobe Stock

The Kingdom of Wessex and the Birth of England

The early history of England was characterized by instability, disorder and uncertainty. The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex was the first formation of the modern idea of England, and in its early...
An imaginary depiction of Cerdic of Wessex from John Speed's 1611 "Saxon Heptarchy." Source: John Speed / Public domain

The Question of Ancient Kings: Cerdic of Wessex, First Saxon King of England?

Historians of the ancient world face a myriad of challenges when studying the past. Centuries of legends and myths become intertwined with recorded facts, leaving behind a complex web of mystery...
Mighty Anglo-Saxon Warrior Grave May Throw Light On the Dark Ages

Mighty Anglo-Saxon Warrior Grave May Throw Light On the Dark Ages

The discovery of a 1400-year-old warrior buried in a British field is being hailed as a major discovery and is providing new insights into the so-called Dark Ages and early English history...
English Battlefield Found      Source: PatSM / Adobe Stock

Archaeologists Locate Battlefield Dubbed ‘Where England Began’

The lost battlefield of Brunanburh, the battle that created England, has finally been located by archaeologists. The battle of Brunanburh was fought in 937 AD between King Athelstan of Wessex in what...
Representative image of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians

Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, Struck Fear in Viking Hearts

Aethelflaed, also known as the Lady of the Mercians, was an Anglo-Saxon ruler of Mercia who lived between the 9th and 10th centuries AD. When Aethelflaed was still a child, the Vikings controlled a...
Medieval knight. Credit: rudall30 / Adobe Stock

The Reign of Aethelwulf, King of Wessex: Between Realm and Religion

The early history of England includes all kinds of different cultures and remarkable figures. And one of the crucial parts of the history of this country belongs to the Anglo-Saxon era. Filled with...
Left - Alfred the Great, painting in the Bodleian Gallery. Right - Alfred the Great at the Battle of Ashdown.

Why was Alfred the Great One of Only Two Kings Named ‘Great’ in English History?

Alfred the Great was the first king of the Anglo-Saxons and one of only two English rulers to have been given the epithet ‘the Great’. He may have earned this title in part by defending his kingdom...
On Left - Miniature of Egbert, first king of England. On Right Top - Coin of King Egbert of Wessex. On Right Bottom - The entry for 827 in the C manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle listing the territories he brought together to unite England.  Source: Left, Public Domain; Right Top, Public Domain; Right Bottom, Public Domain.

King Egbert of Wessex Conquers all to Become Bretwalda, the First King of a United England

King Egbert, later designated the first king of England, began his reign in the 9 th century, when England was fragmented into multiple small kingdoms and under attack by Norsemen. He was one of the...
Some Saxon Queens had killer reputations. (Public Domain);Deriv.

Killer Queen: Meet Queen Elfrida – The Original Wicked Stepmother

History has seen some incredible, cut-throat politics and lurid scandals, including the reign of Queen Elgiva: a teenage Saxon princess who was caught enjoying a threesome (along with her mother!),...
Recreated Viking helmet and weapon

Burning, Pillaging, and Carving up the Lands: Viking Raids into England - Part II

Vikings in history and popular culture are known as strong and dangerous, bloodthirsty killers, raiders, pillagers – pirates of land and sea. But who were the Vikings, and what were the causes of...
Medieval-themed illustration of a young woman; representative image only

Putting the Sex Back in Wessex: The Scandalous Reign of Queen Elgiva & Her Clash with a Demon-Fighting Bishop

The Queens of England (as in the consorts of Kings) during the early Medieval periods of English history rarely receive any coverage in the history books. Hands up anyone who can name the wife of...
Alfred the Great. (19th century).

Was Alfred the Great Just a King that was Great at Propaganda?

Stuart Brookes / The Conversation The Last Kingdom – BBC’s historical drama set in the time of Alfred the Great’s war with the Vikings – has returned to our screens for a second series. While most...
Viking Invaders Struck Deep into the West of England – and May have Stuck Around

Viking Invaders Struck Deep into the West of England – and May have Stuck Around

It’s well chronicled that wave after wave of Vikings from Scandinavia terrorised western Europe for 250 years from the end of the eighth century AD and wreaked particular havoc across vast areas of...