Map of the British Isles circa 802

Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. It was named after the West Saxons and was situated in the south and southwest of England. It existed as a kingdom from the 6th century until the emergence of the English state in the 9th century, and as an earldom between 1016 and 1066. "Wessex" has not had any official existence since that time, but it has remained a familiar term since Thomas Hardy revived it for his West Country novels and poetry. The earldom was revived in 1999 for His Royal Highness The Prince Edward. Today some wish to see Wessex restored as a region of England. Museum exhibit Westland Wessex The Westland Wessex is a turbine-powered version of the Sikorsky S-58 Choctaw, developed under license by Westland Aircraft, initially for the Royal Navy, but later for the RAF. The Wessex was built at Westlands factory at Yeovil in Somerset. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, KG, KCVO, SOM (Edward Antony Richard Louis Mountbatten-Windsor; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British Royal Family, the youngest child and third son of Queen Elizabeth II. He has held the title of Earl of Wessex since 1999. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1076x1127, 273 KB) Summary Map of the isle Great Britain in the year 802. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1076x1127, 273 KB) Summary Map of the isle Great Britain in the year 802. ... Events 31 October - Irene deposed as Emperoress of Byzantium and replaced by Nicephorus I. She is banished to Lesbos. ... The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging toRaedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ... A map showing the general locations of the Anglo-Saxon peoples around the year 600 Britain and Ireland around the year 802 Heptarchy (Greek: seven + realm) is a collective name applied to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the south and east of Great Britain during late antiquity and the early... Motto Dieu et mon droit(French) God and my right Territory of the Kingdom of England Capital Winchester; London from 11th century Language(s) Old English (de facto, until 1066) Anglo-Norman language (de jure, 1066 - 15th century) English (de facto, gradually replaced French from late 13th century) Government Monarchy... The 6th century is the period from 501 - 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... As a means of recording the passage of time the 9th century was the century that lasted from 801 to 900. ... An Earl as a member of the British peerage ranks below a Marquess and above a Viscount. ... George Tsul, ruler of Khazaria, is captured by a combined Byzantine-Rus force, which effectively ends Khazarias existence. ... Events January 6 - Harold II is crowned September 20 - Battle of Fulford September 25 - Battle of Stamford Bridge September 29 - William of Normandy lands in England at Pevensey. ... Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy, OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) — an English novelist, short story writer, and poet of the naturalist movement — delineated characters struggling against their passions and circumstances. ... The West Country is an informal term for the area of south-western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. ... HRH is an acronym for His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness. ... The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, KG, KCVO, SOM (Edward Antony Richard Louis Mountbatten-Windsor; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British Royal Family, the youngest child and third son of Queen Elizabeth II. He has held the title of Earl of Wessex since 1999. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ...

History

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (ASC), Wessex was founded by Cerdic and Cynric, chieftains of a clan known as "Gewisse", although the specific events given by the ASC are considered to be suspect. Archæological evidence points to an origin in the upper Thames and Cotswolds area, and the ASC origin myth may have been political propaganda designed to justify a later invasion of the Jutish province in southern Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals narrating the history of the Anglo-Saxons and their settlement in Great Britain. ... Imaginary depiction of Cerdic from John Speeds 1611 Saxon Heptarchy. Cerdic of Wessex (d. ... Cynric of Wessex (Cynric means roughly Royal Ruler) ruled as king of Wessex from 534 to 560. ... Gewissae or Gewisse was a tribal grouping of the upper Thames region of England which formed one of the bases of the kingdom of Wessex. ... // Importance and applicability Most of human history is not described by any written records. ... 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... 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. ... Jutland peninsula The Jutes were a Germanic people who are believed to have originated from Jutland in modern Denmark and part of the Frisian coast. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ... The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire, between the Solent and the English Channel. ...

The two main sources for the names and dates of the kings of Wessex are the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and an associated document known as the West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List. The Chronicle gives small genealogies in multiple places, under the annals for different years. These sources, however, conflict in various ways, and cannot be fully reconciled. A recent analysis by David Dumville has produced a set of plausible dates for the West Saxon kings; these have been used by other scholars but cannot be regarded as definitive. Dumville's dates are used in the historical outline below, with reference to the original sources to highlight some of the conflicts.

The Chronicle gives 495 as the date for Cerdic's arrival in Britain, but this date has been revised to about 538. The later genealogies were written with the intent of connecting all lineages to Cerdic, and this has introduced additional inconsistencies which cannot all be resolved. Cerdic appears to have reigned for about sixteen years, and the throne passed to Cynric in about 554. Cynric is Cerdic's son according to some sources and Cerdic's grandson in others, which name Creoda, son of Cynric, as Cynric's father. Cynric was in turn succeeded by Ceawlin, who was probably his son, in about 581. 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. ...

Ceawlin's reign is thought to be more reliably documented than those of the earlier kings, though the Chronicle's dates of 560 to 592 are substantially different from the revised chronology. He was militarily active along the upper Thames valley during a time when, it is thought, the Anglo-Saxon expansion had begun again, after a long pause caused by the battle of Mons Badonicus. Ceawlin is one of the seven kings named in Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English People" as holding "imperium" over the southern English; the Chronicle later repeats this claim and refers to Ceawlin as a "bretwalda", or "Britain-ruler". 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. ... Bede (IPA: ) (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin) Beda (IPA: )), (ca. ...

Ceawlin was deposed, perhaps by his successor Ceol, and died the following year. Ceol was the son of Ceawlin's brother, Cutha. Six years later, in about 594, Ceol was succeeded by Ceolwulf, his own brother; and Ceolwulf was succeeded in his turn in about 617 by Cynegils. The genealogies are remarkably inconsistent on Cynegils' pedigree: his father is variously given as Ceola, Ceolwulf, Ceol, Cuthwine, Cutha, and Cuthwulf. Cynegils of Wessex (died 643) (Means roughly Royal Arrow Shaft) was King of Wessex (611-643). ...

It is in Cynegils reign that the first event in Wessex history that can be dated with reasonable certainty occurs: the baptism of Cynegils by Birinus, which happened at the end of the 630s, perhaps in640. This was the first conversion to Christianity by a West Saxon king, but it did not mark a full conversion of the West Saxons: Cynegils' successor, Cenwealh, who came to the throne in about 642, was a pagan at his accession. Baptism in early Christian art. ... Cynegils of Wessex (died 643) (Means roughly Royal Arrow Shaft) was King of Wessex (611-643). ... Events May 28 - Severinus becomes pope, but dies the same year. ...

Cenwealh married a daughter of Penda of Mercia, and when he repudiated her, Penda invaded and drove him into exile for some time, perhaps three years. The dates are uncertain but it was probably in the late 640s or early 650s. He spent his exile in East Anglia, and was converted to Christianity there. Stained glass window from the cloister of Worcester Cathedral showing the death of Penda of Mercia. ...

After his death in 673, his widow, Seaxburh, held the throne for a year; she was followed by Aescwine, who was apparently descended from another brother of Ceawlin. Aescwine's reign only lasted two years, and in 676 Centwine became king of the West Saxons. Centwine, a brother of Cenwealh, is known to have fought and won battles against the British, but the details have not survived.

Wessex expanded its boundaries and clashed with its neighbours, notably British Dumnonia (essentially modern day Devon and Cornwall), which it eventually came to dominate, and with Mercia. After Egbert defeated Mercia in 825 and the Northumbrians accepted his overlordship in 829, Egbert became the Bretwalda, or lord of Britain. He was never referred to as King of England. Dumnonia was a Brythonic kingdom of sub-Roman Britain, located in the south-west peninsula of modern England and covering Cornwall, Devon, most of Somerset and possibly part of Dorset. ... “Devonshire” redirects here. ... Cornwall (pronounced ; Cornish: ) is a county in south-west England, United Kingdom, on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar and Devon. ... The Kingdom of Mercia at its greatest extent (7th to 9th centuries) is shown in green, with the original core area (6th century) given a darker tint. ... Egbert (also Ecgbehrt or Ecgbert, means roughly The shining edge of a blade) (c. ... Events Egbert of Wessex defeats Beornwulf of Mercia at Ellandun. ... 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, from two smaller kingdoms of Bernicia and Diera, and... Events Egbert of Wessex conquers Mercia and is recognized as Bretwalda. ... Bretwalda is an Anglo-Saxon term, the first record of which comes from the late ninth-century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II...

The integrated system of fortified towns (the "burhs") established under Alfred the Great, described in both Asser and the ASC, and documented in a unique hidage,^[1] helped to prevent the conquest of southern England by the Danish invaders in the 870s. The hidage identifies thirty-three forts, which ensured that no one in Wessex was more than a long day's ride from a place of safety. The burh wall at Wallingford A Burh is an Anglo-Saxon name for a fortified town or other defended site, such as a hill fort. ... Alfred (also Ælfred from the Old English: Ælfrēd //) (c. ... Asser (d. ... Centuries: 8th century - 9th century - 10th century Decades: 820s - 830s - 840s - 850s - 860s - 870s - 880s - 890s - 900s - 910s - 920s Years: 870 871 872 873 874 875 876 877 878 879 Events and trends The Danes invade England (870) and conquer East Anglia. ...

Important West Saxon settlements included old Roman settlements such as Dorchester and Winchester, which Alfred made the capital in 871, and newly-founded burhs such as Wallingford. The main road through Dorchester Dorchester is a market town in south west Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome and A35 road 20 miles west of Poole and five miles north of Weymouth. ... Winchester is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40,000 within a 3 mile radius of its centre. ... Events Nine battles are fought between the Danes and Wessex. ... Map sources for Wallingford at grid reference SU6089 Wallingford is a small town in Oxfordshire in southern England. ...

There is some evidence that kingship in Wessex was not rigidly hereditary. The strongest candidate from the pool of the senior families was elected or forced his control on the lesser kings. The internal feuding produced by this may have delayed the rise of Wessex as a full kingdom, but this is conjecture.

After the Mercian conquest of its original territories in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, the northern boundary of Wessex was probably the River Thames; Southwark, facing London from the south bank of the Thames, was included among the burhs, but London fell beyond West Saxon territory. Its heartland was the present-day counties of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, and Berkshire. The Kingdom of Mercia at its greatest extent (7th to 9th centuries) is shown in green, with the original core area (6th century) given a darker tint. ... Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ... The Thames is a river flowing through southern England, and one of the major waterways in England. ... , An aerial view of the London Bridge area, with the City of London across the river. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dɔ.sət], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... This article is about the county of Somerset in England. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Wessex is often symbolized by a Wyvern. Both Henry of Huntingdon and Matthew of Westminster talk of a Golden Dragon being raised at the Battle of Burford in 752AD by the West Saxons. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts a fallen golden dragon, as well as a red/golden/white dragon at the death of King Harold II, who was previously Earl of Wessex. Dorset County Council use the Golden Wyvern in their seal in recognition of the counties historic past. The Wessex Society have produced a flag which features an heraldric golden wyvern on a red background. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For Earl Henry, father of two Scottish kings, see Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon Henry of Huntingdon (c. ... Matthew of Westminster, long regarded as the author of the Flores Historiarum, is now thought never to have existed. ... It has been suggested that European dragon be merged into this article or section. ... The Bayeux Tapestry (French: Tapisserie de Bayeux) is a 50 cm by 70 m (20 in by 230 ft) long embroidered cloth which depicts the events leading up to, as well as, the Norman invasion of England in 1066. ... Name Harold Godwinson Lived c. ... The Earl of Wessex is an Earl in the English and later British nobility. ... For other uses, see Dorset (disambiguation). ... The Wessex Society is a cultural society that aims to promote a regional identity for Wessex. ...

Revival

The English author Thomas Hardy used a fictionalised south-west as a setting for many of his novels, reviving the term Wessex for southwest England. His Wessex included all the counties mentioned in the previous paragraph apart from Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, along with Devon. He gave the counties the following fictionalised names: Berkshire = North Wessex; Devon = Lower Wessex; Dorset = South Wessex; Hampshire = Upper Wessex; Somerset = Outer Wessex; Wiltshire = Mid-Wessex. Neighbouring Cornwall was described as Off-Wessex or Lyonesse. See Thomas Hardy's Wessex. Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy, OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) — an English novelist, short story writer, and poet of the naturalist movement — delineated characters struggling against their passions and circumstances. ... “Devonshire” redirects here. ... Lyonesse, Lyoness, or Lyonnesse is the sunken land believed in legend to lie off the Isles of Scilly, to the south-west of Cornwall. ... The English author Thomas Hardy set all of his major novels in the south and southwest of England. ...

There is a movement in modern day south-central England to create a regional cultural and political identity in Wessex. This consists of three distinct but interlinked organisations. The Wessex Regionalist Party is a registered political party which contests elections. The Wessex Constitutional Convention is an all-party pressure group in which those sympathetic to Wessex devolution who are not members of the Wessex Regionalist Party can also be represented. The Wessex Society is a cultural society which promotes a cultural identity for Wessex while remaining neutral on questions of political devolution. The Wessex Regionalist Party is a minor English political party that seeks some degree of legislative and administrative home rule for the area known as Wessex, in the south-west of England. ... The Wessex Constitutional Convention is an all party pressure group with the following stated aims: To achieve the broadest consensus on the form of self-government appropriate for Wessex. ... An advocacy group, interest group or lobbying group is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, doing advocacy: those determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected. ... Look up Devolution in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Wessex Society is a cultural society that aims to promote a regional identity for Wessex. ...

The boundaries of Wessex were unclear and subject to dispute. The Wessex Constitutional Convention and Wessex Society add Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire to Hardy's list; and the Wessex Regionalists, who currently use Hardy's definition of Wessex, are likely to follow suit in the near future.

This definition of Wessex has been criticised from a number of quarters. A number of people within Devon, southern Somerset and parts of Dorset see those areas as sharing a Dumnonian Celtic identity with Cornwall, whereas some regard Hardy's definition as correct on the grounds that the counties north of the Thames, along with Berkshire and north-east Somerset, were part of Mercia for most of the Anglo-Saxon period. There are also a few in Hampshire who argue that southern Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were once a Jutish province in their own right and deserve to be treated differently to the rest of Wessex. The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire, between the Solent and the English Channel. ...

The Wessex regionalist movements justify their eight-shire definition of Wessex in terms both of history and of modern regional geography and point to the impossibility of pleasing everyone as an argument against change at the present time, though they do not rule out the possibility of change in the future if the popular will demands it. A shire is an administrative area of Great Britain and Australia. ...

The present South West England region

The government office region of South West England covers a different area, consisting of Hardy's Wessex, less Berkshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, but including Cornwall and Gloucestershire. Wessex groups are currently campaigning for boundary revisions to the regions in order to more closely match their definitions of Wessex. South West England is one of the regions of England. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ... The Isle of Wight is an English island and county, off the southern English coast, to the south of the county of Hampshire, between the Solent and the English Channel. ... Cornwall (pronounced ; Cornish: ) is a county in south-west England, United Kingdom, on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar and Devon. ... Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ...

Modern uses

• Wessex Institute of Technology
• Wessex business institute
• Wessex Stadium, home to Weymouth F.C.
• 43rd (Wessex) Brigade - British Army's regional command for the South West region
• Royal Wessex Yeomanry - British Army territorial unit
• Wessex Archaeology - An educational charity and the largest UK archaeological practice [1]
• Wessex culture - an archæological label used anachronistically to describe a Bronze Age culture whose remains are found in the Wessex area
• Wessex League - football league covering Hampshire and parts of the surrounding counties
• Wessex Sound Studios - a renowned former recording studio
• Wessex Trains - train operating company that used to operate in much of the South West region
• Wessex Water - water supply and sewage company that covers much of the South West region
• Wessex Cyclists Touring Club - cycling and events across the region [2]
• Wessex Sport - Southampton University Sports teams have adopted 'Wessex' as a group identity [3]

The Wessex Institute of Technology (WIT) is located in New Forest National Park in England. ... The Wessex Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Weymouth, England. ... Weymouth F.C., also known as The Terras, are a Dorset-based English football club based in the town of Weymouth, who play in the Conference National. ... The British Armys 43rd Infantry Brigade was originally created during World War I as part of the 14th (Light) Division. ... The Royal Wessex Yeomanry is an armoured regiment of the Territorial Army consisting of four squadrons, each of which bears the cap badge of an old yeomanry regiment: A (Dorset Yeomanry) Squadron B (Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry) Squadron C (Royal Gloucestershire Hussars) Squadron D (Royal Devon Yeomanry) Squadron The Royal Wessex... Wessex Archaeology is one of the largest private archaeological organisations operating in the United Kingdom, based near Salisbury in Wiltshire Founded in 1974 as the Trust for Wessex Archaeology by members of the earlier Wessex Archaeological Committee, it took its present name in 1979 and became one of the first... The Wessex culture is a name given to the predominant prehistoric culture of southern Britain during the early Bronze Age. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... The Wessex League is an English association football league formed in 1986, currently at the fifth step of the National League System, or the ninth tier of the overall English football league system. ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... Wessex Sound Studios was a recording studio located in Highbury New Park, London, England. ... A Wessex Class 153 A Class 150/2 unit in West Country advertising livery. ... National Rail uses the BR double arrow logo National Rail is a brand name describing the passenger rail service previously provided by British Rail, the now defunct UK state-owned rail operator. ... Wessex Water is a water supply and sewerage utility company serving parts of south west and southern England. ... CTC, the Cyclists Touring Club, is the United Kingdom and Irelands largest cycling membership organisation. ...

Earl of Wessex

Main article: Earl of Wessex

In an unusual move, Prince Edward was made Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn in honour of his marriage to Sophie, The Countess of Wessex. The title Earl of Wessex had not been in use for over 900 years. The last earl, King Harold Godwinson, was famously killed at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Earl of Wessex is an Earl in the English and later British nobility. ... The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, KG, KCVO, SOM (Edward Antony Richard Louis Mountbatten-Windsor; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British Royal Family, the youngest child and third son of Queen Elizabeth II. He has held the title of Earl of Wessex since 1999. ... A viscount is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl (in Britain) or a count (his continental equivalent). ... “Severn” redirects here. ... The Countess of Wessex (Sophie Helen; neé Rhys-Jones, born 20 January 1965), is a member of the British Royal Family, the wife of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. ... Harold II of England (Harold Godwinson; c. ... Combatants Normans supported by: Bretons (one third of total), Aquitanians, Flemings Anglo-Saxons Commanders William of Normandy, Odo of Bayeux Harold Godwinson † Strength 7,000-8,000 7,000-8,000 Casualties Unknown, thought to be around 2,000 killed and wounded Unknown, but significantly higher than the Normans The... Events January 6 - Harold II is crowned September 20 - Battle of Fulford September 25 - Battle of Stamford Bridge September 29 - William of Normandy lands in England at Pevensey. ...

See also

• Monarchs of Wessex

This is a list of monarchs of Wessex until 924. ...

References

1. ^ The Burghal Hidage: Alfred's Towns, Alfred the Great website

Alfred (also Ælfred from the Old English: Ælfrēd //) (c. ...

External links

• The Case for Wessex (devolutionary movement)PDF (863 KiB)
• The Burghal Hidage
• Thomas Hardy's Wessex Research site by Dr Birgit Plietzsch
• The History Files: Kings of the West Saxons

• A History of Wessex from Cerdic onwards