Egbert, King of Wessex

1. General information -ALEXANDRA

Egbert (771/775-839) was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839.
Little is known of the first 20 years of his reign, but it is thought that he was
able to maintain the independence of Wessex against the kingdom of
Mercia, which at that time dominated the other southern English kingdoms.
In 829 he defeated Wiglaf of Mercia and drove him out of his kingdom,
temporarily ruling Mercia directly. Later that year, Egbert received the
submission of the Northumbrian.
In 825 Egbert defeated Beornwulf of Mercia, ended Mercia’s supremacy at
the Battle of Elladun, and proceeded to take control of the Mercian
dependencies in southeastern England.

When Egbert died in 839, his son succeeded him; the southeastern kingdoms
were finally absorbed into the kingdom of Wessex after the death of his
grandson in 860. Egbert’s descendants ruled Wessex and, later, all of
England continuously until 1013.
Egbert was unable to maintain ths dominant position, and within a year
Wiglaf regained the throne of Mercia.
However, Wessex did retain control of Kent, Sussex and Surrey; these
territories were given to Egbert’s son to rule as a subking under Egbert.
2. Early reign -IUSTIN
Between these two takes place a confrontation in the same year in which
Beorhtric emerges victorious with the help of the powerful king Offa who
ruled over the kingdom of Mercia.
The claims to the throne of Wessex were first manifested at the age if 15,
when, after the death of King Cynewulf of Wessex in 786, he challenged
Beorhtric’s succession to the throne.

As a thank you for his help given in the fight with Egbert, Beorhtric married
the daughter of King Offa in 789, when Egbert was forced into exile in
 France, where he lived for 13 years under the protection of Emperor
Charlemagne.
He is also thought to have married in France, but his wife’s name remains
unknown.

3. Conquest
As a thank you for his help given in the fight with Egbert, Beorhtric married
the daughter of King Offa in 789, when Egbert was forced into exile in
France, where he lived for 13 years under the protection of Emperor
Charlemagne.
He is also thought to have married in France, but his wife’s name remains
unknown.

4. Battle of Ellandun -ȘTEFAN

It was also in 825 when one of the most important battles in Anglo-Saxon
history took place, when Egbert defeated Beornwulf of Mercia at Ellandun-
now Wroughton, near Swidon.
This battle marked the end of the Mercian domination of southern England.
Although costly to both sides, King Egbert won. It gave Wessex dominance
over the remaining Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the south.
A century later, the kingdom of Wessex became the kingdom of England.

Egbert was in Cornwall with his army when he received word that the
Mercians had invaded Wessex.
He led his army back into Wessex and met Beornwulf and his army at
Ellendun.
In what Frank Stenton called ”one of the most decisive battles of Anglo-
Saxon history”, Egbert defeated Beornwulf.
The victory over Mercia shifted the balance of power to Egbert.
He was now the most accomplished king in southern England.

Egbert was in Cornwall with his army when he received word that the
Mercians had invaded Wessex.
He led his army back into Wessex and met Beornwulf and his army at
Ellendun.
 In what Frank Stenton called ”one of the most decisive battles of Anglo-
Saxon history”, Egbert defeated Beornwulf.
The victory over Mercia shifted the balance of power to Egbert.
He was now the most accomplished king in southern England.
5. Aftermath –THEO

King Egbert’s victories marked the end of the independent existence of the
kingdoms of Kent and Sussex.
The conquered territories were administered as a subkingdom for a while,
including Surrey and possibly Essex.
In 836, King Egbert was defeated at Carhampton by the Danes
At a council at Kingston upon the Thames in 838, Egbert and his son
granted land to the sees of Winchester and Canterbury in return for the
promise of support for his son’s claim to the throne.
King Egbert died in 839 and was burried in Winchester, as were his son, his
grandson (Alfred the Great) and his great-grandson, Edward the Elder.

6. Death
Egbert died of natural causes in 839 and his son succeeded him without
opposition due to support from the church.
King Egbert is featured in the TV series Vikings and is depicted as
mercenary manipulative and self-serving for the most part, through still a
cultured, intelligent and articulate monarch.
This characterization is possibly drawn from the historical Egbert’s
initiatives in consolidating his kingdom.

7. Conclusion
Egbert, also spelled Ecsberth or Echbryht formed around Wessex a
kingdom so powerful tht is eventually achieved the political unification of
England in mid-10th century.
King Egbert was the first King of England. He was the first man to establish
a stable and extensive rule over the Anflo-Saxons of England.
His reign would unite much of southern England and begin to tear down the
power of Mercia.
His work would be completed with his son and his grandson Alfred the
Great.
King Egbert’s influence in English history cannot be doubted.