Where is Mercia today?
The Kingdom of Mercia (c. 527-879 CE) was an Anglo-Saxon political entity located in the midlands of present-day Britain and bordered on the south by the Kingdom of Wessex, on the west by Wales, north by Northumbria, and on the east by East Anglia. It was founded by the semi-legendary king Icel (r. c. 515 – c.
What is Mercia called now?
English Midlands
Mercia was one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the Heptarchy. It was in the region now known as the English Midlands.
Were Mercians Angles or Saxons?
Besides this, from the country of the Angles, that is, the land between the kingdoms of the Jutes and the Saxons, which is called Angulus, came the East Angles, the Middle Angles, the Mercians, and all of the Northumbrian people (that is those people who dwell north of the River Humber) as well as the other Anglian …
Who is the most famous king of Wessex?
Alfred the Great
Alfred, also spelled Aelfred, byname Alfred the Great, (born 849—died 899), king of Wessex (871–899), a Saxon kingdom in southwestern England. He prevented England from falling to the Danes and promoted learning and literacy. Compilation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle began during his reign, circa 890.
Did the Vikings conquer Mercia?
He led the Viking army to a conquest of Mercia in 874 AD, organised a parcelling out of land among the Vikings in Northumbria in 876 AD, and in 878 AD moved south and forced most of the population of Wessex to submit. The Vikings had conquered almost the whole of England.
Is uhtred Ragnarson real?
But while the series does explore a number of real battles and occurrences that happened when England was still a series of independent kingdoms, the lead character — Uhtred — is only loosely based on a real person.
Who defeated the Saxons?
The Anglo-Saxons had not been well organized as a whole for defense, and William defeated the various revolts against what became known as the Norman Conquest. William of Normandy became King William I of England – while Scotland, Ireland and North Wales remained independent of English kings for generations to come.
Did King Alfred defeat the Vikings?
Born at Wantage, Berkshire, in 849, Alfred was the fifth son of Aethelwulf, king of the West Saxons. At the battle of Ashdown in 871, Alfred routed the Viking army in a fiercely fought uphill assault. However, further defeats followed for Wessex and Alfred’s brother died.
Who was the king of Wessex in the Vikings?
Ecbert was named as the Bretwalda (ruler of Britain) in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle after he conquered the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia from King Wiglaf and received homage from the Northumbrians. Though the series depicts Ecbert as king of Wessex in the approximate year 800 AD, Ecbert was not crowned until 802 AD.
Who is the current king of Wessex and Mercia?
King Ecbert forms an alliance with King Aelle of Northumbria, and takes advantage of the Mercian Civil War to claim sovereignty over the Kingdom of Mercia, making him and his decedents the king of Wessex and Mercia. The current ruler is King Alfred the Great . Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
How did the Kingdom of Wessex get its name?
Wessex is one of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. Its name comes from the Old English : Westseaxna rīċe, meaning “the Kingdom of the West Saxons.” The Kingdom of Wessex lasted from 519 AD until the unification of England in 927 AD.
Who was the king of Wessex in 871?
In April 871, King Æthelred died, and Alfred his brother, succeeded to the throne of Wessex and thus inherited the problems of the Viking invasions. In the meantime the Mercians were busy making ‘peace’ with the Vikings, allowing them to strengthen their position, gaining confidence and advantage.
