#oswiu

Given that one of its historic names is ‘Iedeuurth' I think that Jedburgh is a good candidate for 'Iedeu’ - 'I’ is used instead of 'J’ in Latin

Thanks very interesting

conveniently not too far of Bamburgh and Ad Gefrin/should we say Gefrin. I suppose we should. We say Paris, we do not say ‘at or to Paris’

On this day in 654 or 655, we're told that the Winwaed was fought.  The Winwaed can be counted among the most consequential English battles of the Middle Ages. Northumbria and Mercia had been fighting for decades over who would dominate the Heptarchy, and after innumerable nobles had lost their lives on both sides there was a brief respite, but now they were once again at each other's throats. Leading the Mercians was a powerful King named Penda, and leading the Northumbrians was the fearsome King Oswiu. You really couldn’t ask for two more different kings than Penda and Oswiu. Oswiu came from a long line of ruthless, authoritarian, and dynastically bloodthirsty kings… and he lived up to his birthright. By this point in his life, King Oswiu had already shown that he was perfectly satisfied killing even his own family members if it would in any way benefit the expansion of his power-base. And while King Penda clearly didn't have any issues with killing members of other people’s families…he seems rather protective of his own. He went to war with a neighboring kingdom when his sister was spurned, and he was definitely had a soft touch with his kids, even being rather relaxed and tolerant with their conversion to Christianity. Further, while Penda was incredibly warlike, he doesn't appear to have been interested in expansion or authoritarian rule. In fact, with only a few exceptions, Penda kept giving lands and kingdoms back after he won a battle or killed a king. But, one of those kings was Oswiu's brother, King Oswald, who Penda killed and then chopped up and displayed on spikes.  So things were tense, but they tried to move past it through a series of political marriages. But it looks like it didn't work and by 654 or 655 things had come to a head. We’re even told that Ecgfrith, the son of Oswiu, was being held as a hostage by Penda’s wife, Cynewise.  It's hard to say what caused it, but we're told by Bede that Penda marched into Northumbria, and Oswiu and his kingdom were “exposed to the cruel and intolerable invasions of Penda.” Of course, Penda wasn’t alone. He brought with him thirty royal commanders, from as far away as Gwynedd and including Kings such as King AEthelhere of East Anglia and King AEthelwald of Deira. That’s right… King Oswiu’s own nephew, the King of Deira, was on the side of King Penda of Mercia. This was bad, and so Bede tells us that King Oswiu begged for peace. “Compelled by his necessity, he promised to give him countless gifts and royal marks of honour greater than can be believed, to purchase peace.” All Oswiu wanted was for Penda to take his forces and march home. But Penda didn't get all dressed up for nothing. We’re told that “he had resolved to blot out and exterminate all his nation, from the highest to the lowest.” I don’t know what King Oswiu did, but I have a hard time imagining that this came out of nowhere, and Penda just suddenly became a homicidal maniac. From what the few remaining documents of this battle tell us, it sounds to me like King Oswiu was once again overstepping his bounds, looking to stretch it’s power towards the south and rebel against Mercia. And for Penda, this was just the last straw. The matter would have to be resolved in battle. The scene was set for the Battle of the Winwaed.

Here's a direct link to the episode detailing to this titanic struggle between Mercia and Northumbria.

Penda and Oswiu:  The Winwaed - an episode dedicated to this titanic struggle between Mercia and Northumbria.

Staffordshire Hoard

Psychological warfare in 7th century England.

Where does this lead us?

After 624, when Raedwald Bretwalda dies (and is buried at Sutton Hoo), the centre of leadership for Anglo-Saxon England moves up North. Firstly with Edwin of Deira (Eoforwic/York} the second King of Northumbria. Killed by the king of Gwyndedd (Wales) along the man of the new power house: Mercia. Penda is a pagan; will die a pagan. Gwynedd is Christian (Native church); the late Deiran king converted to the Roman Catholic Church two years withing his wedding to Aethelburg of Kent who is probably the first royal to be born Christian. ?632/?633, who is the new Bretwalda? Bede does not say.

634. Oswald Bretwalda, the new king of Bernicia and Edwin's nephew becomes the third king of Northumbria after killing the proto-Welsh ruler. Oswald is also the son of the first king of Northumbria and the grandson of the king of Deira who has fathered Edwin and his mother. How does one live with the notion one;s father has slain one's maternal grandfather?

642, Oswald is slain in battle by Penda. Bede does not say who is the new Bretwalda, The chronicler calls Oswiu Bretwalda in 656. Oswiu, Oswald young brother has married their cousin Eanflaed of Deira, Edwin only surviving child and heir. From now on, Deira unites with Bernicia peacefully and both blend into North Hymbria/Northumbria (the land of the men north of the River Humber). Oswiu and Penda have an uneasy relationship; Penda has killed his brother; has submitted the king's body to a pagan ritual decapitation and hacking. They live in a wary truce to the point Oswiu eldest son marries Penda daughter. But mainly they recoup, refight, recover and fight again. In 651, Oswiu almost loses it all and the same happens in 656. All is about lost and this is the final straw.

The younger and probably fitter in a face to face mano a mano sword fight king of Bernicia (as Penda has ordered since 642 the division of Northumbria) engages into battle near Loidis/Leeds the greatst warrior ever of Anglo-Saxon England...

...

and a miracle happens. This time, the warlord who has allowed so many times the blood of Bernician & Deiran kings to soak the soil of battlefields has fought a battle too much. Penda dies (do not worry, his two youngest sons are not dead) and it is Oswiu who is named Bretwalda by the monk of Jarrow.

You are free to add the missing names in the list wriiten by a Northumbrian monk. And you are free to see the Staffordshire hoard as the spoils of a battle between pagan Mercia and Christian Northumbria.