Ceolwulf I of Mercia
Ceolwulf I was King of Mercia, East Anglia and Kent, from 821 to 823. He was the brother of Coenwulf, his predecessor, and was deposed by Beornwulf.[1]
William of Malmesbury declared that, after Cœnwulf: "the kingdom of the Mercians declining, and if I may use the expression, nearly lifeless, produced nothing worthy of historical commemoration." Actually, Mercia did have a moment of glory that William was unaware of. Indicating the year 822, the Annales Cambriae states: "The fortress of Degannwy (in Gwynedd) is destroyed by the Saxons and they took the kingdom of Powys into their own control."
A later charter depicts a disturbed state of affairs during Ceolwulf's reign: "After the death of Cœnwulf, king of the Mercians, many disagreements and innumerable disputes arose among leading persons of every kind – kings, bishops, and ministers of the churches of God – concerning all manner of secular affairs". In 823, sometime after 26 May, on which date he granted land to Archbishop Wulfred in exchange for a gold and silver vessel, Ceolwulf was overthrown. His replacement was one Beornwulf, whose pedigree is not known.[2]
Ceolwulf had ruled Kent directly – in his two charters, he is styled as "King of the Mercians and of the men of Kent". Beornwulf would place a kinsman, Baldred, on the Kentish throne.
See also
- Kings of Mercia family tree
- List of monarchs of Kent
- Chronology of Kentish Kings
References
- Brown, Michelle P.; Farr, Carol A. (1 March 2005). Mercia: An Anglo-Saxon Kingdom in Europe. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4411-5353-1.
- Whitehead, Annie (15 September 2018). Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-7653-1.
External links
- Ceolwulf 5 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
- http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+186
- http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+187
Titles of nobility | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Coenwulf |
King of Mercia 821–823 |
Succeeded by Beornwulf |
King of East Anglia 821–823 | ||
King of Kent 821–823 |
Succeeded by Baldred |