List of monarchs of Northumbria
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Northumbria, an kingdom of Angles in northern England, was initially divided into two kingdoms, Bernicia and Deira. The two were first united by Aethelfrith around the year 604, and except for occasional periods of division over the subsequent century, they remained so.
The exceptions are during the brief period from 633 to 634, when Northumbria was plunged into chaos by the death of King Edwin in battle and the ruinous invasion of Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd. The unity of the Northumbrian kingdoms was restored after Cadwallon's death in battle in 634.
Another exception is a period from about the year 644 to 664, when kings ruled individually over Deira. In 651, King Oswiu had Oswine of Deira killed and replaced by Aethelwald, but Aethelwald did not prove to be a loyal sub-king, allying with the Mercian king Penda; according to Bede, Aethelwald acted as Penda's guide during the latter's invasion of Northumbria but withdrew his forces when the Mercians met the Northumbrians at the Battle of Winwaed. After the Mercian defeat at Winwaed, Aethelwald lost power and Oswiu's own son, Alchfrith, became king in his place. In 670, Aelfwine, the brother of the childless King Ecgfrith, was made king of Deira; by this point the title may have been used primarily to designate an heir. Aelfwine was killed in battle against Mercia in 679, and there was not another separate king of Deira until the time of Norse rule.
Following are lists of the kings of Bernicia, Deira, and Northumbria. Note that many of their dates, particularly in the earlier period, are considered unreliable.
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 and ð (hard and soft 'th').
The character '7' was used as represent ampersand '&' in contemporary Anglo-Saxon writings.
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Kings of Bernicia
| Reign | Incumbent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| fl.500 | Esa (Oesa) | Esa Inguing Cyning Esa Rex Bernicia | |
| fl.c.520 | Eoppa | Eoppa Esing Bernicia Cyning Eoppa Rex Bernicia | |
| 547 to 559 | Ida | Ida Eopping Cyning Bernicia Ida Rex Bernicia | |
| 559 to 560 | Glappa (Clappa) | Glappa Bernicia Cyning Glappa Rex Bernicia | |
| 560 to 568 | Adda | Adda Iding Bernicia Cyning Adda Rex Bernicia | |
| 568 to 572 | Aethelric | Æþelric Iding Bernicia Cyning Æþelric Rex Bernicia | |
| 572 to 579 | Theodric (Deoric) | Þeodric Iding Bernicia Cyning Þeodric Rex Bernicia | |
| 579 to 585 | Frithuwald (Frithewlf) | Friþuvvald Bernicia Cyning Friþuvvald Rex Bernicia | |
| 585 to 593 | Hussa | Hussa Bernicia Cyning Hussa Rex Bernicia | |
| ante?588 to 604 | Aethelric (Aedilric) (Eathilric) | Æþelric Iding Bernicia 7 Deira Cyning Æþelric Rex Bernicia et Deira | |
| Bernicia Dynasty | |||
| 593/604? to 616 | Aethelfrith | Æþelfriþ Æþelricing Bernicia 7 Deira Cyning Æþelfriþ Rex Bernicia et Deira | Killed in battle |
| Deira Dynasty | |||
| 616 to 12/14 October 632 | Edwin | Edvvin Ælling Bernicia 7 Deira Cyning Edvvin Rex Bernicia et Deira | Killed in battle by Penda, King of Mercia; |
| Bernicia Dynasty | |||
| late632 to 633 | Eanfrith | Eanfriþ Æþelfriþing Bernicia Cyning Eanfriþ Rex Bernicia | |
| 634 to 5 August 641 | Oswald | Osvvald Æþelfriþing Bernicia 7 Deira Cyning Osvvald Rex Bernicia et Deira | Killed by Penda, King of Mercia; Saint Oswald |
| late641 to 654 | Oswiu | Osvvio Æþelfriþing Bernicia Cyning Osvvio Rex Bernicia | Became King of united Northumbria |
Kings of Deira
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Kings of Northumbria
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