Eadberht (sometimes spelled as Eadbert or Edbert) (died 768), also known as Eadberht Eating, was the king of Northumbria from 737 to 758, when he abdicated in favour of his son Oswulf and became a monk at York. Eadberht was the brother of Ecgbert, Archbishop of York. Events Charles (Charlemagne) and Carloman divide the Frankish kingdom after the death of their father Pippin the Short. ... Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, and of the much smaller earldom which succeeded the... Events Favila becomes king of Asturias after Pelayos death Births Emperor Kammu of Japan (d. ... Events End of the reign of Empress Koken of Japan; she is succeeded by Emperor Junnin. ... York is a city in northern England, at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. ... Ecgberht, Archbishop of York (or Ecgberht; died 766), was made bishop of York in 734 by Ceolwulf of Northumbria, succeeding Wilfrid II on the latters resignation. ...

Eadberht succeeded his first cousin Ceolwulf, who abdicated in his favour and entered the monastery at Lindisfarne. Lindisfarne Castle Lindisfarne (Grid reference NU125421, , ), also called Holy Island (variant spelling, Lindesfarne), is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England, which is connected to the mainland of Northumberland by a causeway and is cut off twice a day by tides — something well described by Sir Walter...

In 740 King Aethelbald of Mercia took advantage of the absence of Eadberht from Northumbria on campaign against the Picts to ravage southern Northumbria. It may have been during these campaigns that York was burnt, in April 741. Events October 26 - An earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death. ... Ethelbald (or Æthelbald) (died 757) was the King of Mercia in England from 716 until his death. ... The Pictish Strathpeffer eagle stone, Highland, Scotland. ... York is a city in northern England, at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. ... Events June 18 - Constantine V succeeds Leo III as emperor of the Byzantine Empire. ...

In 750 Eadberht took Kyle from Dumnagual of Strathclyde; and by 756 was in alliance with Óengus mac Fergusa against Dumnagual; an ultimately unsuccessful compaign. According to the Historia Regum Anglorum of Symeon of Durham Kyle is a gender-neutral (although usually masculine) first name. ... Events Abd-ar-rahman I conquers Iberia and establishes a new Umayyad dynasty. ... Óengus I of the Picts, sometimes called Onuist (Hypothetical Pictish form: Unust map Uurguist; O.Ir. ... Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (d. ...

In the year from the Lord's incarnation 756, king Eadberht, in the eighteenth year of his reign, and Unust, king of the Picts, led an army to the town of Alc[lu]ith (Dumbarton). And hence the Britons accepted terms there, on the first day of the month of August. But on the tenth day of the same month perished almost the entire army which he led from Ouania (Govan), to Niwanbirig (Newbrough, near Hexham), that is, to the New City. Dumbarton (Dùn Breatainn in Scottish Gaelic) is a burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ... Govan is a district and former burgh in the southwestern part of the Scottish city of Glasgow. ... See also Hexham, New South Wales, and Hexham (constituency). ...

Eadberht's son Oswulf succeeded him, and was murdered within the year, and a second son, Oswine, was killed in battle in 761. However, his son-in-law Alhred did become king, and Eadberht's kin continued to contest for the Northumbrian throne until the end of the century, if not later. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports his death in 768. Events Telets succeeds Vinekh as king of Bulgaria. ... Events Charles (Charlemagne) and Carloman divide the Frankish kingdom after the death of their father Pippin the Short. ...

Of Eadberht, Sir Frank Stenton wrote that he was the "last Northumbrian king to lead expeditions beyond the northern border". Going further, it may be fair to say that Eadberht was the last Northumbrian king to have been a significant figure in Britain. Sir Frank Merry Stenton (1880–September 15, 1967) was a noted 20th century historian of Anglo-Saxon England. ...

Further reading

• Higham, N.J., The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350-1100. Stroud: Sutton, 1993. ISBN 0862997305
• Marsden, J., Northanhymbre Saga: The History of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Northumbria. London: Cathie, 1992. ISBN 1856260550

See also

• List of monarchs of Northumbria