List of Monarchs of Wessex
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This is a list of monarchs of Wessex until 924. For later monarchs, see the List of monarchs in the British Isles. While the details of the later monarchs are confirmed by a number of sources, the earlier ones are in many cases obscure.
The names are given in modern English form followed by the names and titles (as far as is known) in contemporary Anglo-Saxon English and Latin, being the prevalent 'official' languages of the time.
This was a time when spellings varied widely, even within a document. A number of variations of the details below exist. Amongst these are the preference between þ [thorn] and ð [eth/thet] (modern 'th'). They were used indiscriminately for voiced and unvoiced sounds, unlike in modern Icelandic. Thorn tended to be more used in the south [Wessex] and thet in the North [Mercia and Northumbria i.e. in Engel-lond]. "Th" was preferred in the earliest period in Northern texts.
The character '7' was used as the ampersand '&' in contemporary Anglo-Saxon writings. The era pre-dates the emergence of forms of writing accepted today, notably minuscule, and the letters 'W' and 'U'. Where W was followed by U this was generally rendered as 'V V' (which was also used for 'W' alone). A letter based on the rune "wynn" was normally used for 'w'. Again, in the earliest period, the Angles/Engle preferred 'vv', whilst the West Saxons preferred the letter derived from a rune. (Compare "thorn" and "eth" [this is a modern name for the letter. The early name was "thet", which was probably derived from the Greek letter "theta"])
Except in manuscripts, runic letters were an Anglian phenomenon. [The early Engle restricted the use runes to monuments, whereas the Saxons adopted wynn and thorn for sounds which did not have a Latin equivalent. Otherwise thay were not used in Wessex].
[edit] Monarchs of the West Saxons (Wessex)
| Reign | Incumbent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Kingdom of the Gewissae | |||
| Cerdic Dynasty | |||
| 519 to 534 | Cerdic | CERDIC ELESING GEVVISSÆ CYNING CERDIC REX GEVVISSÆ |
Most probably of British origin |
| 534 to 560 | Cynric | CYNRIC CERDICING GEVVISSÆ CYNING CYNRIC REX GEVVISSÆ |
Possibly of British origin |
| 560 to 591 | Ceawlin | CEAVVLIN CYNRICING GEVVISSÆ CYNING CEAVVLIN REX GEVVISSÆ |
Possibly of British origin |
| 591 to 597 | Ceol | CEOL CVÞING GEVVISSÆ CYNING CEOL REX GEVVISSÆ |
|
| 597 to 611 | Ceolwulf | CEOLVVLF CVÞING GEVVISSÆ CYNING CEOLVVLF REX GEVVISSÆ |
|
| 611 to 643 | Cynegils | CYNEGILS CEOLING GEVVISSÆ CYNING CYNEGILS REX GEVVISSÆ |
|
| c.626 to 636 | Cwichelm | CVVICHELM CYNEGILSING GEVVISSÆ CYNING CVVICHELM REX GEVVISSÆ |
|
| 643 to 645 | Cenwalh | CENVVALH CYNEGILSING GEVVISSÆ CYNING CENVVALH REX GEVVISSÆ |
Deposed |
| Mercian Dynasty | |||
| 645 to 648 | Penda | PENDA PYBBING MIERCNA 7 GEVVISSÆ CYNING PENDA REX MIERCNA ET GEVVISSÆ |
|
| The Kingdom of the West Saxons | |||
| fl. 571 | Cuthwulf | CVÞVVLF VVESTSEAXNA CYNING CVÞVVLF REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
invaded Midland Britain and conquered the Britons in 571 at the Battle of Bedford (see also Bedford Castle and Bedford), probably under King Cadrod of Calchfynedd. Probably an associate of Ceawlin. |
| Cerdic Dynasty | |||
| 648 to 674 | Cenwalh | CENVVALH CYNEGILSING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING CENVVALH REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
Restored; reigned jointly with his wife Queen Seaxburh 672 to 674 |
| 672 to 674 | Queen Seaxburh | SEAXBVRG VVESTSEAXNA CVEN SEAXBVRH REGINA SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
Reigned jointly with her husband Cenwalh until his death 674 |
| 674 to 674 | Cenfus | CENFVS CENFERÞING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING CENFVS REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 674 to 676 | Aescwine | ÆSCVVINE CENFVSING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING ÆSCVVINE REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 676 to 685 | Centwine | CENTVVINE CYNEGILSING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING CENTVVINE REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
Deposed by Caedwalla |
| 685 to 688 | Caedwalla | CÆDVVALLA CENBRYHTING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING CÆDVVALLA REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
Usurper; abdicated, possibly of British origin |
| 688 to 726 | Ine (Ina) |
INE CENREDING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING INE REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
Abdicated |
| 726 to 740 | Æthelheard | ÆÞELHEARD VVESTSEAXNA CYNING ÆÞELHEARD REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 740 to 756 | Cuthred | CVÞRED VVESTSEAXNA CYNING CVÞRED REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 756 to 757 | Sigeberht | SIGEBRYHT VVESTSEAXNA CYNING SIGEBRYHT REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
Deposed (and killed?) by Cynewulf |
| 757 to 786 | Cynewulf | CYNEVVLF VVESTSEAXNA CYNING CYNEVVLF REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
Assassinated by Cyneheard, brother of Sigeberht |
| 786 to 802 | Beorhtric | BEORHTRIC VVESTSEAXNA CYNING BEORHTRIC REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 802 to 839 | Egbert | ECGBRYHT EALHMVNDING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING ECGBRYHT REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 839 to 856 | Ethelwulf | ÆÞELVVLF ECGBRYHTING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING ÆÞELVVLF REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 856 to 860 | Ethelbald | ÆÞELBALD ÆÞELVVLFING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING ÆÞELBALD REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 860 to 865 | Ethelbert | ÆÞELBRYHT ÆÞELVVLFING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING ÆÞELBRYHT REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 865 to 871 | Ethelred | ÆÞELRED ÆÞELVVLFING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING ÆÞELRED REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
|
| 871 to 899 | Ælfred the Great | ÆLFRED ÆÞELVVLFING ÐE GREAT VVESTSEAXNA CYNING ÆLFRED MAGNVS REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
The only English monarch to be given the nickname "The Great" First King of the Anglo Saxons |
| 899 to 924 | Edward the Elder | EADVVEARD ÆLFREDING ÐE ELDRA WESTSEAXNA CYNING EADVVEARD REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
Died 17th July 924 |
| 924 to 924 | Ælfweard | Second son of Edward the Elder, Died August 2nd 924, possibly before coronation. | |
| 925 to 927 | Athelstan | ÆÞELSTAN EADVVEARDING WESTSEAXNA CYNNING ÆÞELSTAN REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM |
Becoming first King of England. |
|
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