Everything about the Kingdom Of Sussex totally explained
The
Kingdom of Sussex, (
Suth Seaxe, for example the South Saxons), was one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the boundaries of which coincided in general with those of the earlier kingdom of the
Regnenses and the later county of
Sussex. A large part of that district, however, was covered in early times by the forest called
Andred. It was ruled by the
kings of Sussex.
History
Foundation
According to the traditional account given in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, it was in 477 that a certain
Ælle led the invaders ashore at a place called
Cymenes ora and defeated the inhabitants. A further battle at a place called
Mearcredes burne is recorded under the year 485, and in the annal for 491 we read that Ælle and his son
Cissa sacked
Anderitum (
Pevensey Castle) and slew all the inhabitants. Ælle is the first king of the invading race whom Bede describes as exercising supremacy over his fellows, though little weight can be attached to the dates and events given by the Chronicle, which wasn't compiled until some centuries later..
7th century
The history of Sussex now becomes a blank until 607, in which year
Ceolwulf of Wessex is found fighting against the South Saxons. In 681
Wilfrid of York, on his expulsion from
Northumbria by
Ecgfrith, retired into Sussex, where he remained until 686 converting its
pagan inhabitants. According to
Bede,
Æðelwealh, king of Sussex, had been previously baptized in
Mercia at the suggestion of
Wulfhere, who presented him with the
Isle of Wight and the district about the Meon. After Wilfrid's exertions in relieving a famine which occurred in Sussex, Æðelwealh gave lands in
Selsey to him on which to found
Selsey Abbey, that later became the seat of the
South Saxon bishopric, and remained so until 1075.
Shortly afterwards, however, Æðelwealh was slain and his kingdom ravaged by the exiled West Saxon prince
Caedwalla. The latter was eventually expelled by two Ealdormen named
Berhthun and
Andhun, who thereupon assumed the government of the kingdom. In 686 the South Saxons attacked
Hlothhere, king of
Kent, in support of his nephew
Eadric, but soon afterwards Berhthun was killed and the kingdom subjugated for a time by Ceadwalla, who had now become king of
Wessex.
Of the later South Saxon kings we've little knowledge except from occasional charters. In 692 a grant
(External Link
) is made by a king called
Noðhelm, or Nunna, to his sister, which is witnessed by another king called
Watt. Nunna is described in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the kinsman of
Ine of Wessex who fought with him against
Geraint, King of the Britons, in 710. According to Bede, Sussex was subject to Ine for a number of years.
8th century
A charter
(External Link), dated 775 in error for 725, purports to be a grant by
Noðhelm to
Eadberht,
Bishop of Selsey, and to this too
Watt appears as a witness. But this charter is now believed to be a forgery from the late 10th century or early 11th century, and is therefore of no value.
There is an undated charter of Noðhelm
(External Link) that's witnessed by a certain
Osric, without indication of rank or territory, but presumably another king, as his name is listed before, and he therefore ranked higher than,
Eadberht, Bishop of Selsey, whose rank and see are also omitted. The charter can be approximately dated to some point between about 705 and 717.
Noðhelm’s last surviving charter, which is dated 714 in error for 717,
(External Link), is witnessed by a King
Æðelstan.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that "In 722 Ealdberht fled into Surrey and Sussex, and Ine fought against the South Saxons".
A little later,
Æðelberht, was King of Sussex, but he's known only from charters. The dates of Æðelberht’s reign are unknown beyond the fact that he was a contemporary of
Sigeferth, Bishop of Selsey from 733, as Sigeferth witnessed an undated charter of Æðelberht
(External Link) in which Æðelberht is styled Ethelbertus rex Sussaxonum.
After this we hear nothing more until about 765, when a grant
(External Link) of land is made by a king named
Ealdwulf and with two other kings,
Ælfwald and
Oslac, as witnesses.
In 765
(External Link) and 770
(External Link) grants are made by a King
Osmund, the latter of which was later confirmed by
Offa of Mercia.
Offa also confirmed two charters of
Æðelberht, and in 772
(External Link) he grants land himself in Sussex, with
Oswald,
dux Suðsax', as a witness. It is probable that about this time Offa annexed the kingdom of Sussex, as several persons,
Osmund,
Ælfwald and
Oslac, who had previously used the royal title, now sign with that of
dux.
9th century
In 825 the South Saxons submitted to
Ecgberht, and from this time they remained subject to the West Saxon dynasty. The earldom of Sussex seems later to have been held sometimes with that of Kent.
900-1066
The death of
Eadwine, Ealdorman of Sussex, is recorded in 982, because he was buried at Abingdon Abbey in Berkshire, where one version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was compiled. According to the abbey’s records, in which he was called
princeps Australium Saxonum, Eadwinus nomine, he bequeathed estates to them in his will, although the document itself hasn't survived. Earlier in the same year he witnessed a charter of King
Ethelred the Unready(External Link) as
Eaduuine dux. His name was also added to a forged charter dated 956 (possibly an error for 976)
(External Link).
In the next generation,
Wulfnoth Cild, Thegn of Sussex, played a prominent part in English politics. In 1009 his actions resulted in the destruction of the English fleet, and by 1011 Sussex, together with most of South East England, was in the hands of the Danes. In an early example of local government reform, the Anglo-Saxon ealdormanrys were abolished by the Danish kings and replaced a smaller number of larger earldoms. Wulfnoth Cild was the father of
Godwin, who was made Earl of Wessex in 1020. His earldom included Sussex. When he died in 1053, Godwin was succeeded as Earl of Wessex (including Sussex) by his son
Harold, who had previously been Earl of East Anglia.
Links and references
- Based on a 1911 encyclopedia article.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Kingdom Of Sussex'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://kingdom_of_sussex.totallyexplained.com">Kingdom of Sussex Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
