Ceawlin of Wessex (also spelled "Ceaulin" or "Caelin") is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as being king of the West Saxons, or Wessex from 560 to 591, and named by Bede in his Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum as the second king to hold imperium over other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written in the late 9th century, Ceawlin is referred to as a Bretwalda. The Chronicle records his death as occurring in 593. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals narrating the history of the English and their settlement in Britain. ... Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. ... Events Ceawlin of Wessex becomes King of Wessex (traditional date). ... Events Ethelbert of Kent elected Bretwalda after Ceawlin of Wessex, the former Bretwalda, is deposed. ... Bede depicted in an early medieval manuscript Depiction of Bede from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493. ... The Anglo-Saxons refers collectively to the groups of Germanic tribes who achieved dominance in southern Britain from the mid-5th century, forming the basis for the modern English nation. ... Bretwalda is an Anglo-Saxon term, the first record of which comes from the late 9th-century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. ... Events Empress Suiko ascends to the throne of Japan. ...

Recent scholars have speculated over the relationship of Ceawlin with the Saxon tribe called the Gewissae, whom Bede located in the upper Thames region near Dorchester-on-Thames. He may have been a member of their ruling dynasty; the surviving genealogies of the Wessex royal line all have contradictions, and scholars suspect that these have been altered to support the claims of descent by later rulers. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Gewissae was a tribal grouping of the Upper Thames region of England which formed the basis of the kingdom of Wessex. ... Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames... Dorchester-on-Thames is a village on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. ... Genealogy is the study and tracing of family pedigrees. ...

A fact that has also drawn much comment is the gap of a generation or two between the first Bretwalda Ælle and Ceawlin. This has been cited as supporting Gildas' claim that for over 40 years after the battle of Mons Badonicus the British lived in peace and were secure from major predations from the Anglo-Saxon invaders. And if we ignore the raids of Ceredic and his sons in the areas of present-day southern Hampshire and Wiltshire, and acknowledge that the Angles in Bernicia were confined to a single stronghold by the British, this makes sense. Ælle was king of the South Saxons from 477 to perhaps as late as 514, and was named Bretwalda by Bede, who adds that he was overlord of the English south of the Humber river. ... Gildas (c. ... In the Battle of Mount Badon (Latin Mons Badonicus, Welsh Mynydd Baddon) Romano-British and Celts inflicted a severe defeat on an invading Anglo-Saxon army sometime in the decade before or after 500. ... Cerdic of Wessex (c. ... Hampshire (abbr. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... White cliffs of Dover in England White cliffs of Rugen down the Baltic coast from Schleswig The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestor of Angeln, a modern district located in Schleswig, Germany. ... Bernicia (Brythonic, Brynaich or Bryneich) was a kingdom of the Angles in northern England during the 6th and 7th centuries AD. It later merged with the kingdom of Deira to form the kingdom of Northumbria. ...

Our principal source for the events of his life are the eight entries from the Anglo Saxon Chronicle from 556 to 593. Although the Chronicle itself dates from the final decade of the ninth century, these entries appear to record the skeleton of an older saga. A discussion of these entries follows. Events End of the Western Wei Dynasty in China. ...

556

In this year, Cynric and Ceawlin fought against the British at Beranburh. Events End of the Western Wei Dynasty in China. ...

This is Ceawlin's first appearance in the Chronicle. Cynric was the current king of the West Saxons, and Ceawlin apparently was the junior member in this action. Beranburh is identified with Barbury Camp in the Marlborough Downs, overlooking the valley of Swindon.

Cynric of Wessex ruled as king of Wessex from 534 to 560. ... The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is located in the English counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. ... Swindon is a large town in the South West of England. ...

560

In this year, Ceawlin succeeded to the kingdom of the West Saxons. Events Ceawlin of Wessex becomes King of Wessex (traditional date). ...

The Chronicle has no mention of Cynric's death; there is no sign whether Ceawlin's actions in 556 allow him to seize the primacy of the West Saxons, or if the chronicler missed an entry.

568

In this year, Ceawlin and Cutha fought against Æthelbert, sending him in flight to Kent, and two aldermen were slain in Wibbandun, Oslaf and Cnebban. Events April 1 - King Alboin leads the Lombards into Italy; refugees fleeing from them go on to found Venice. ...

Æthelbert here is the Æthelbert of Kent who welcomed the missionary Augustine to Britain. While this entry is consistent with the Chronicle's claim that Æthelbert ruled Kent from 560, the contemporary account of Gregory of Tours indicates that he more likely became king closer to 590. This discrepancy suggests that the Chronicler either modified his source, or that his source did not reflect the original facts here; or that Gregory was mistaken.

In any case, the point of this entry was to show that Ceawlin was superior in arms to the better known Æthelbert.

Since at least as early as Charles Plummer's edition of the Chronicle, it has been observed that this is the first recorded battle between the Anglo-Saxon tribes.

Wibbandun up to the early twentieth century was identified with Wimbledon, London, but research in the formation of that place name did not support that identification. Currently, scholarly opinion holds that it is located somewhere south of the Thames, west of the Kent border. It is now considered that the site of the battle was Whitmoor Common, Worplesdon, north of Guildford.

Nothing more is known of the aldermen Oslaf and Cnebban.

Ethelbert (or Æthelbert, or Aethelberht) (c. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... Saint Augustine of Canterbury Augustine of Canterbury (birth unknown, died May 26, 604) was the first Archbishop of Canterbury, sent to Ethelbert of Kent, Bretwalda of England by Pope Gregory the Great in 597. ... St. ... Charles Plummer was an 18th century English historian, best known for editing Sir John Fortescues The Governance of England, and for coining the term bastard feudalism. Categories: History stubs | People stubs | English historians ... Wimbledon (pronounced ) is a suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located seven miles (11. ... Guildford is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region. ...

571

In this year, Cuthwulf fought against the British Welsh at Bedcanford and took 4 towns, Lygeanburg, Aegelesburg, Baenesington and Egonesham, and in the same year he passed on. Events The Monophysites again reject the Council of Chalcedon, causing another schism. ...

So the Parker manuscript, as well as two others; the Laud manuscript names the West Saxon leader "Cutha". The term "British Welsh" is an attempt to translate the Anglo-Saxon "Bretwalas", which appears in the Chronicle only nine times, including this entry: up to the entry for about year 600, the Chronicler calls the native British inhabitants "Brettas" or British -- except for his entries concerning Aelle -- and "Wealas" or Welsh afterwards

Bedcanford up to the early twentieth century was identified with Bedford, but research in the formation of that place name does not support that identification. The four towns, respectively, are the modern Limbury, Aylesbury, Benson, and Eynsham -- all located in the Chiltern Hills or Oxfordshire. Archaeological evidence points to the fact that there was an enclave of British communities around London and Verulamium into the sixth century. This area may be remembered as the Chilternsaete listed in the Tribal Hidage, who were taxed at a valuation of 4000 hides.

Bedford is the county town of the English county of Bedfordshire. ... Limbury is a post-war housing development in west Luton, Bedfordshire, UK. Category: ... St Marys Church, Aylesbury Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in south central England. ... Benson is a village in Oxfordshire, England. ... Eynsham is a large village in Oxfordshire, England with a population of 5,000, lying six miles between Witney and Oxford. ... The Chiltern Hills are a chalk escarpment that stretches in a south-west to north-east diagonal from Goring-On-Thames to Luton, but is most prominent in Buckinghamshire. ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ... Remains of the city walls Verulamium was the third largest city in Roman Britain. ... The Tribal Hidage is a list of territorial assessments in Anglo-Saxon England which lists regions and the number of hides those regions contained. ...

577

In this year, Cuthwine and Ceawlin fought against the British, and they killed 3 kings Coinmail, Condidan, and Farinmail in the place that is called Deorham. And they captured 3 strongholds, Gloucester, Cirencester and Bathcester. Events The Anglo-Saxons under Ceawlin of Wessex defeat the British (Welsh) at the Battle of Deorham. ...

This is the Battle of Deorham. Much has been made that with this battle the Cornish Celts were separated from the Welsh; in actual fact, the Celtic peoples living in those parts of Britain could still travel by land with little significant barrier between them for many more years. The Historia Britonum records one Glast as coming from Lichfield south to found Glastonbury about the time the Mercians conquered part of their kingdom to create Shropshire. More important is the fact that the Anglo-Saxon invaders could now sweep into the Severn valley (as Ceawlin is said to have done several years later) and plunder the inhabitants, while the Celts to the west no longer could as easily penetrate the Cotswolds scarp between Gloucester and Cirencester to return the visit.

Deorham has been identified as Dyrham, a village some eight miles north of Bath, and five miles west of the Fosse Way, the Roman road between Bath and Cirencester.

It is not clear if the three kings should be matched with one "stronghold" each, or perhaps they were relatives who shared rule over all three. The modern Welsh form of these kings names is Cynvael, Cynddylan, and Ffernvael.

The Battle of Deorham occurred in 577 between the West Saxons and the Celts. ... The Historia Britonum, or The History of the Britons, is a historical work that was first written sometime shortly after AD 820, and exists in several recensions of varying difference. ... The West Front of Lichfield Cathedral, June 2005 Lichfield is a small city and civil parish in Staffordshire, 110 miles northwest of London and 14 miles north of Birmingham. ... Map sources for Glastonbury at grid reference ST5039 Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry spot on the Somerset Levels, 30 miles south of Bristol. ... The general location of Mercia, along with the other peoples of Britain around the year 600. ... Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Shrops) is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands region of England. ... The Severn is the name of a river in the United Kingdom. ... The Cotswolds is the name given to a range of hills in central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, a hilly area reaching over 300 m or 1000 feet. ... Gloucester (pronounced ) is a city and district in south-west England, close to the Welsh border. ... Map sources for Cirencester at grid reference SP023020 Cirencester is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles (150 km) west northwest of London. ... For other uses, see Bath (disambiguation). ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

584

In this year, Ceawlin and Cutha fought against the British in the place that is named Fethanleag and Cutha was slain. And Ceawlin took many towns and robbed countless bodies, and in anger he returned to his lands. Events The Visigoths conquer the Suevi kingdom in Spain. ...

Cutha again appears a final time, thirteen years after his possible death at Bedcanford. It is not clear if the chronicler made a confusion of his source materials, or if Cutha and Cuthwine are different individuals. However the phrase "in anger he returned to his lands" appears to be a line from saga.

This event has been interpreted as a sweeping raid up the Severn valley to the location of Fethanleag. Plummer identifies this place name with Faddiley in Cheshire; more recent scholarly research identifies this with Stoke Lyne.

The Severn is the name of a river in the United Kingdom. ... The Cheshire Plain - photo taken adjacent to Beeston Castle The Cheshire Plain - photo taken towards Merseyside The Cheshire Plain - photo taken from Mid-Cheshire Ridge The Cheshire Plain panorama - photo taken from Mid-Cheshire Ridge Cattle farming in the county Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a palatine...

592

In this year, there was a great slaughter at Woddesbeorg, and Ceawlin was driven out. Events After the great slaughter at Woddesbeorg, Ceawlin is deposed as both king of Wessex and Bretwalda. ...

(So the Parker manuscript; the Laud manuscript reads "In this year Gregorius succeeded to the papacy in Rome, and there a great slaughter happened in Britain this year at Wodnesbeorg, and Ceawlin was driven out.")

Woddesbeorg/Wodnesbeorg is a rare pagan Anglo-Saxon place name. It is identified with the present day Alton Priors seven miles east of Devizes.

The chronicler shows that this was a decisive defeat for Ceawlin by dating it only a year prior to his death; all of his other entries concerning Ceawlin are separated by five to seven years. Obviously this exile would also demonstrate that his claim to the title of Bretwalda ended at the same time.

Of unknown value is William of Malmesbury's comment that this slaughter at Woddensbeorg was the result of "the Angles and the British conspiring together". We have no other evidence for the identity of Ceawlin's adversary, only the suspicion that his successor Ceolwulf, son of his associate Cutha, might have been involved -- but if that is the case, it is puzzling that would he need until 597 to succeed to the kingship of the West Saxons.

Alton is a civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. ... Arms of Devizes Devizes is a town and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. ... William of Malmesbury (c. ... Events Saint Augustine is created Archbishop of Canterbury. ...

593

In this year, Ceawlin, Cuichelm and Crida perished, and Æthelfrith succeeded to the kingdom in Northumbria. Events Empress Suiko ascends to the throne of Japan. ...

By dating Ceawlin's death to the same year Æthelfrith became king of Bernicia, the Chronicler betrays his assumption that the various kings of this early period followed closely upon each other. While the entry of 568 suggests that Ceawlin and Ethelbert were contemporaries, this entry should not be taken as proof that Ceawlin died at the same time Æthelfrith became king.

One feature of Ceawlin's activities, similar to other early Anglo-Saxon kings, is that he is frequently mentioned in the company of other individuals. This suggests that although he was renowned as a warrior, his own following was too small for his to effectively wage war by himself, and that he depended on the support of other nobles or kings of the West Saxons. In other words, there was no centralized kingdom of Wessex at this time, instead Wessex was properly a federation of varying closeness of petty rulers. Æthelfrith (d. ... Bernicia (Brythonic, Brynaich or Bryneich) was a kingdom of the Angles in northern England during the 6th and 7th centuries AD. It later merged with the kingdom of Deira to form the kingdom of Northumbria. ...

The translation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in this article is copyrighted by its translator, and appears here under the provisions of the GNU FDL. GFDL redirects here. ...