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
Famous quotes containing the words kings of and/or kings:
“And the Pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and loss,
And called the kings of Christendom for swords about the Cross,”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)
“High on a throne of royal state, which far
Outshone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind,
Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand
Show’rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold,
Satan exalted sat, by merit raised
To that bad eminence; and, from despair
Thus high uplifted beyond hope, aspires
Beyond thus high, insatiate to pursue
Vain war with Heav’n, and by success untaught,
His proud imaginations”
—John Milton (1608–1674)