Beornwulf of Mercia

Beornwulf (died 826) was the King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 823 until his death in 826. His short reign saw the collapse of Mercia's supremacy over the other kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. His name derives from the Old English terms beorn 'man, warrior' and wulf 'wolf'.^[1][2][3][4]

Beornwulf
Silver penny of Beornwulf from a mint in East Anglia, struck 823–825. Legend: +beornpvlf rex
King of Mercia
Reign	823–826
Predecessor	Ceolwulf I
Successor	Ludeca
Died	826

Biography

Beornwulf became King of Mercia in 823 following the deposition of King Ceolwulf I.^[5] His family, as well as the majority of his background, are unknown.^[6] However, Beornwulf may be distantly related to a prior Mercian king, Beornred, as well as two subsequent rulers, Beorhtwulf and Burgred— all members of the so-called B-dynasty or group.^[7] Though this is only speculation, alliterative names were prevalent in Anglo-Saxon royal families, and the confirmed kin of these leaders also had names that began with B.^[8][9]

Prior to becoming king, Beornwulf is mentioned as having witnessed a charter of King Coenwulf in 812 and another of King Ceolwulf I in 823, but his position on each of these charters suggests that he was not of an exceptionally high rank.^[6]

In 825 Beornwulf marched against the West Saxons. Beornwulf's army met them at Ellandun (now Wroughton near Swindon in Wiltshire). Although the details are unknown, the battle ended in a disastrous defeat for the Mercians, and is seen by historians as the end of the so-called Mercian Supremacy. That same year, Ecgberht's son Æthelwulf invaded Kent and drove out its pro-Mercian king, Baldred.

In the wake of these events, Mercia's dominance in southern England rapidly unravelled. Essex and Sussex switched their loyalty to Ecgberht; and the East Anglians asked for Ecgberht's protection against the Mercians in the same year. Beornwulf was killed by the East Anglians in battle while attempting to put down a rebellion.

Beornwulf rebuilt the Abbey of St. Peter (later Gloucester Cathedral)^[10] and he presided over two synods at Clofesho (an unknown location believed to be near London with Archbishop Wulfred of Canterbury, in 824 and 825.^[11] A Kentish charter shows that Beornwulf still had authority in Kent on 27 March 826 – S1267^{[clarification needed]}, issued on that date, is said to be in the third year of Beornwulf's reign.^[12] Coins minted during Beornwulf's reign are very rare, with only around 25 known examples.

See also

• Kings of Mercia family tree

References

1. "berne, n.", Oxford English Dictionary (3 ed.), Oxford University Press, 2 March 2023, doi:10.1093/oed/2335390817, retrieved 16 October 2024
2. "beorn", Wiktionary, the free dictionary, 3 July 2022, retrieved 16 October 2024
3. "wolf, n.", Oxford English Dictionary (3 ed.), Oxford University Press, 6 February 2024, doi:10.1093/oed/6647787904, retrieved 16 October 2024
4. "wulf", Wiktionary, the free dictionary, 30 September 2024, retrieved 16 October 2024
5. Kelly, S. E. (2004). "Beornwulf (d. 826?), king of the Mercians". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2183. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 21 December 2023. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
6. Stenton, F.M. (1971). Anglo-Saxon England (3rd ed.). Oxford at The Clarendon Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-19-821716-9. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
7. Zaluckyj, Sarah (2001). Mercia: The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Central England. Logaston Press. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-873827-62-8. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
8. Wormald, Patrick (1982). "The Ninth Century". In Campbell, James (ed.). The Anglo-Saxons. Cornell University Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-8014-1482-4. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
9. Yorke, Barbara (1990). Kings And Kingdoms Of Early Anglo-Saxon England. Routledge. p. 119. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
10. "Houses of Benedictine monks: The abbey of St Peter at Gloucester". A History of the County of Gloucester, Volume 2. (William Page, ed.) London: Victoria County History, 1907. 53-61. British History Online
11. Hunt, William (1885). "Beornwulf" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 4. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
12. Sawyer 1267, esawyer.org.uk, archived from the original on 19 January 2015, retrieved 14 January 2015

External links

• Beornwulf 3 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England

Beornwulf of Mercia B-dynasty of the Mercians  Died: 826
Regnal titles
Preceded by Ceolwulf I	King of Mercia 823–826	Succeeded by Ludeca
	Ruler of East Anglia 823–825	Succeeded by Æthelstan as King
	Ruler of Kent 823–825 with Baldred (c. 823–825)	Succeeded by Ecgberht with Æthelwulf