Kings of The Mercians
The traditional rulers of Mercia were known as the Iclingas, descendants of the kings of the Angles. When the Iclingas became extinct in the male line, a number of other families, labelled B, C and W by historians, competed for the throne.
Iclingas
C-dynasty (traditionally a branch of the Iclingas, probably instead descended from Wessex king Cenwalh and his Inclinga wife)
B-dynasty (so-called – a conjectural grouping based on names alone)
W-dynasty (Wiglaf and his descendants, later intermarried with C)
Unknown dynastic affiliation
Mercia under external occupation
Æthelred II and family (recognising West Saxon overlordship)
| Ruler | Reign | Biographical notes | Died |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cearl | c.606–c.626 | Named as king by Bede, not included in later regnal lists | c.626 |
| Penda | c.626–655 | Son of Pybba. Raised Mercia to dominant status amongst the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Last pagan ruler of Mercia. Killed in battle by Oswiu of Northumbria. | 15 Nov 655 |
| Eowa | c.635–642 | Son of Pybba. Co-ruler. Killed in battle. | 5 Aug 642 |
| Peada | c.653–656 | Son of Penda. Co-ruler in the south-east Midlands. Murdered. | 17 Apr 656 |
| Oswiu of Northumbria | 655–658 | Briefly took direct control of Mercia after the death of Penda. Also King of Northumbria (655–670). | 15 Feb 670 |
| Wulfhere | 658–675 | Son of Penda. Restored Mercian dominance in England. First Christian king of all Mercia. | 675 |
| Æthelred I | 675–704 | Son of Penda. Abdicated and retired to a monastery at Bardney. | 716 |
| Cœnred | 704–709 | Son of Wulfhere. Abdicated and retired to Rome. | ? |
| Ceolred | 709–716 | Son of Æthelred I. Probably poisoned. | 716 |
| Ceolwald | 716 | Presumed son of Æthelred I (may not have existed). | 716 |
| Æthelbald | 716–757 | Grandson of Eowa. Proclaimed himself King of Britain in 736. Murdered by his bodyguards. | 757 |
| Beornred | 757 | No known relation to his predecessors. Deposed by Offa. Possibly burnt to death in 769 in Northumbria. | 769 |
| Offa | 757–796 | Great-great-grandson of Eowa. The greatest and most powerful of all Mercian kings, he proclaimed himself King of the English in 774, built Offa's Dyke, and introduced the silver penny. | 26 or 29 Jul 796 |
| Ecgfrith | 787–796 | Son of Offa. Co-ruler, died suddenly a few months after his father. | 14 or 17 Dec 796 |
| Cœnwulf | 796–821 | Seventh generation descendant of Pybba, probably through a sister of Penda. Assumed the title of 'emperor'. | 821 |
| Cynehelm | c.798–812 | Son of Cœnwulf. Co-ruler. Allegedly murdered, and later canonised (St Kenelm). | 812 |
| Ceolwulf I | 821–823 | Brother of Cœnwulf. Deposed by Beornwulf. | ? |
| Beornwulf | 823–826 | Conjectured kinsman of Beornred. Killed in battle against the East Anglians. | 826 |
| Ludeca | 826–827 | No known relation to his predecessors. Killed in battle against the East Anglians. | 827 |
| Wiglaf | 827–829 | No known relation to his predecessors. Deposed by Ecgberht of Wessex. | 839 |
| Ecgberht of Wessex | 829–830 | Briefly took direct control of Mercia after the deposition of Wiglaf. Also King of Wessex (802–839). | 4 Feb 839 |
| Wiglaf | 830–839 | Restored. Although Mercia regained its independence, its dominance in England was lost. | 839 |
| Wigmund | c.839–c.840 | Son of Wiglaf and son-in-law of Ceolwulf I. Probably co-ruler. | c.840 |
| Wigstan | 840 | Son of Wigmund. Declined the kingship and was later murdered by Beorhtwulf. Canonised (St Wystan). | 849 |
| Ælfflæd | 840 | Daughter of Ceolwulf I, wife of Wigmund and mother of Wigstan. Appointed regent by Wigstan. | ? |
| Beorhtwulf | 840–852 | Claimed to be a cousin of Wigstan. Usurped the kingship and forced Ælfflæd to marry his son, Beorhtfrith. | 852 |
| Burgred | 852–874 | Conjectured kinsman of Beorhtwulf. Fled to Rome in the face of a Danish invasion. | ? |
| Ceolwulf II | 874–879 | Possibly a descendant of the C-dynasty of Ceolwulf I, perhaps via intermarriage with W-dynasty. Lost eastern Mercia to the Danes in 877. | 879 |
| Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians | c.883–911 | Recognised Alfred of Wessex as his overlord. Regarded as an 'ealdorman' by West Saxon sources. | 911 |
| Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians | 911–918 | Wife of Æthelred and daughter of Alfred of Wessex. Reconquered eastern Mercia together with her brother, Edward the Elder. | 12 Jun 918 |
| Ælfwynn, Second Lady of the Mercians | 918 | Daughter of Æthelred II and Æthelflæd. Deposed by her uncle, Edward the Elder in late 918, who annexed Mercia to Wessex. | ? |
Read more about this topic: List Of Monarchs Of Mercia
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