Egbert: Wessex Rises to Power
Egbert, also spelled Ecgberht, or Ecgbryht, birth c.771/crowned King of Wessex, 802 at age c.29; also crowned King of Kent, 825 at age c.54/death approximately 839 at age 68/Spouse, Name Unknown
House: Historians do not agree on Ecgbert’s ancestry
Children: Æthelwulf King of Wessex (839-858)
Reign: King of Wessex, 802-839/King of Kent, 825-836
Like Oswiu, Egbert spent part of his youth as an exile, fleeing to Francia when King Beorhtric claimed authority over Wessex. At this time, Francia was a united empire under the rule of Charlemagne (King of the Franks 768-814 CE, Holy Roman Emperor 800-814 CE) who protected the young exile. Egbert remained in exile in Francia until 802 when, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he returned to England and fought successfully to gain control of Wessex. It helped that at that same time Beorhtric died. (Sources are not sure whether it was in battle or by some other means.)
The first 20 or so years of Egbert’s kingship are not well documented although it is thought that he spent most of this time trying to keep Wessex independent from Mercia. This struggle for independence came to a head in 825 when the two sides met at the Battle of Ellandun near modern day Swindon. Egbert’s forces were victorious and the Mercians (led by King Beornwulf) were forced to retreat to the north.
Riding high from his victory, Egbert and his army invaded East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex, and Surrey, all of which were under either direct or indirect Mercian control at the time. In the space of a year, he and his army successfully took control of these kingdoms and the balance of power in Anglo-Saxon England completely shifted. By 826, Wessex was seen as the most powerful kingdom in the country. In 829 and 830, Egbert led the combined armies of his new dominions northward and took control of the Midlands kingdom, Northumbria, and Wales. Historians emphasize that at this time, rather than trying to unify all of Britain, kings were just trying to expand their power and influence. They still viewed kingdoms as separate entities, although entities over which they did strive to rule.
During Egbert’s reign, the Vikings, Danish and Norwegian raiders, continued to ravage the shores of Britain and the terrifying attacks grew in strength in the last years of his reign. Coming from Denmark and Norway in their dragon prows, or longships, the Vikings were a warrior culture. One of their most famous raids took place on the holy island of Lindisfarne in 793 where they slaughtered all inhabitants and took all of the riches they found. Some historians refer to this as the beginning of the Viking Age.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronical, in 836, a Viking force of thirty-five ships landed on the Somerset coast and their warriors attacked Wessex. Viking ships varied in size, but two well-preserved vessels from the ninth century, the Oseberg Ship and the Gokstad Ship had fifteen and sixteen pairs of oar-holes respectively, indicating thirty and thirty-two rowers each: an invading army of roughly 1,000 individuals. Their clash with Egbert and his army took place at Carhampton and the Danes were victorious.
In 838, King Egbert summoned a great council to Kingston-upon-Thames and made arrangements for his realm after his death. Two of his predecessors. Cædwalla (King of Wessex from 685 to 688) and Ine (also spelled Ini, King of Wessex from 688 to 726) had traveled to Rome at the end of their lives and Egbert hoped to do that as well. Unfortunately, he never got to go on his planned pilgrimage as he died shortly after the council. As he had requested, he was succeeded peacefully by his son Æthelwulf.
