Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

Bernicia

Situated around modern Durham and Northumbria, the kingdom was founded in AD 547. Bernicia is the Angle form of the earlier Bernaccia, the preceding Celtic kingdom, which was established early in the fifth century.

Bernicia was settled by Angles, probably as laeti a century before, and possibly in the region between the Forth and the Tyne. That dating seems to suggest that they might have arrived almost at the same time as the Jutes in Kent, and perhaps for the same reason, to help defend the borders against devastating Pictish and Scotti raids. The fact that it seems to have taken them so long to mount a takeover bid probably speaks volumes of the readiness of the Northern British to defend their territory.

While the Angles seemed to have taken over with very little fuss, during a power gap, the former British ruler continued to fight on from outside his former lands until at least 590. It also seems possible that the Bernician Angles had a hand in founding Deira as an independent kingdom, as tradition and King Ida's date of death indicate fighting against British Ebrauc was undertaken. Nennius (whatever his unreliability) seems to back this up in 550 and 561).

Bernician royal residences were at Bamborough and Yeavering. An impressive assembly of wooden structures has been excavated at Yeavering.

around 500

Esa / Oesa

Probably settled his people in the area as laeti.

around 520

Eoppa

Son.

547 - 559

Ida

Son. Became king during a British power gap.

559

Given Ida's date of death of 559, it seems highly probable that one of two circumstances are true: that he took a hand in the initial uprising and may have led the first assaults on Ebrauc; or that he was against fighting his British neighbours, and the Angles had to wait until his son commanded the kingdom before they found someone willing to lead them into battle. It seems more than coincidental that the Angles in Deira asserted their full independence at the same time.

559 - 560

Glappa / Clappa

Son of Ida.

560 - 568

Adda

Son of Ida.

568 - 572

Aethelric

Son of Ida.

572 - 579

Theobald / Theodoric / Deoric

Died 603.

577 or 579

The Bernicians fight Urien Rheged's & Elmet's northern coalition.

579 - 585

Frithuwald

585 - 593

Hussa

590

Elmet and Rheged form a Confederation of British Kings, primarily based and operating in the north. The dispossessed Morcant Bulc of Bernaccia, and Riderch Hael of Alt Clut both join the confederation in operations against the Angles, and are present at the siege of Ynys Metcaut (Lindisfarne) in this year.

593 - 616

Æthelfrith

Subdued Deira. Killed 617 by the East Engle.

595

A resurgent Bernicia apparently conquers the minor British kingdom of Dunoting, and probably The Peak at the same time. Elmet is now surrounded.

c.597

The Battle of Catreath is a disaster for the Britons. The flower of the Northern British warrior class is decimated by the superior numbers of the Bernician Angles. Goutodin, as well as the other kingdoms of the North, probably including Elmet, are all fatally weakened by the defeat.

c.613

South Rheged falls to the Northumbrian Bernicians.

616 - 632

Edwin (St) of Deira

Son of Aelle. Bretwalda.

c.616

Edwin forces the collapse of the British kingdom of North Rheged, although some of it survives and continues as an isolated enclave. The rest is absorbed into Bernicia. He also conquers Ynys Manau.

617

Edwin conquers the British kingdom of Elmet.

c.620 - c.658

The increasingly powerful Bernician / Deiran throne begins to dominate the Lindisware.

632/3

Edwin is killed by Penda of Mercia while the latter is allied to Cadwallon, king of Gwynedd, and High King of the Britons.

632 - 633

Eanfrid / Eanfrith

Son of Ethelfrith. Heathen.

633

Ynys Manau is lost.

633 - 641

Oswald (St)

Ruled a united Northumbria, and was Bretwalda.

634

Oswald defeats High King Cadwallon at Heavenfield, thus removing any British claims to the conquered Elmet.

638

The greatly weakened British kingdom of Goutodin is conquered.

641 - 654

Oswiu

Bretwalda.

654

Following his victory in battle over Penda of Mercia and Aethelhere of the East Engle, and his conquest of Mercia, Oswiu cements the increasingly accepted union of Deira with Bernicia to create a single kingdom of the Angles north of the Humber, known, as with most Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, by its geographical location - Northumbria.

The Northumbrians (Humbrenses / Hymbronenses)

Uniting the kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira after the two had increasingly become dominated by the Bernicians to the north, it was known by Anglo-Saxons of the time by the names in brackets. This means 'the people of the river', referring to the Humber, which at the time was applied to the entire region which was drained by the tributaries of the Humber river system, from the Ouse as far north as York to at least the lower course of the Trent. It may have been Oswiu's victory against Mercia at the battle of Winwaed in 654 which sealed his dominion over the north.

654 - 670

Oswiu

Bretwalda.

656

The Northumbrians destroy the royal family of Pengwern.

At some point (perhaps after the union of Bernicia and Deira) Oswiu marries Rienmelth ferch Royth of the Royal House of Rheged and legally inherits the Rhegedian throne.

670 - 685

Ecgfrith

Son of Oswiu. Killed by the Picts.

c.675 - c.679

The Northumbrians dominate the Lindisware.

685

Attempting to consolidate thirty years of occupation in southern Pictland, Ecgfrith leads a huge army against the Picts at the Battle of Nechtansmere, probably including forces fron his sub-kingdom at Dunbar. The Picts defeat them and massacre the entire army including Ecgfrith, and proceeds to clear Pictland of the remaining Northumbrians who had settled there, killing or enslaving them.

685 - 704

Aldfrith / Alcfrith

Probable bastard son of Oswiu. Ruled May 685 - 14 Dec 704.

685

Alcfrith is the great-grandson of Rhoedd map Rhun map Urien Rheged, and inherits the remains of North Rheged (possibly long before he gains the Northumbrian throne).

704 - 705

Eardwulf I

705 - 716

Osred I

Ruled from December 704 or early 705. Killed by Cenred.

716 - 718

Coenred / Cenred

718 - 729

Osric

Ruled until 9 May.

729 - 737

Ceolwulf

731

The Venerable Bede completes his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum at Jarrow in Northumbria; five books and 400 pages on the history of England.

737 - 758

Eadbert / Eadbriht

758

Oswulf / Osulf / Oswald

Son. Murdered.

758 - 765

Ethelwald Moll

From 5 August to 30 October.

765 - 774

Alchred / Alhred

774 - 779

Aethelred I

Departed throne.

779 - 788

Elfwald / Alfwold I

788 - 790

Osred II

Exiled. d.792.

790 - 796

Aethelred I

Restored to throne. Ruled until April.

796

Osbald

796 - 806

Eardwulf II

Ruled from 26 May. Departed throne.

806 - 808

Elfwald II

?808

Eardwulf II

Returned to throne.

808 - 840

Eanred

840 - 844

Ethelred II

Departed throne.

844

Redwulf

844 - 849

Ethelred II

Restored to throne.

849 - 862

Osbert / Osbriht

Deposed by Ælla. Died 867 alongside Ælla.

862 - 867

Ælla / Ella

Last independent Old English King of Northumbria.

867

An army from the Viking Kingdom of Dublin under Ivarr the Boneless gains control of the kingdom of Northumbria (as loosely shown in the 1958 feature film, The Vikings). English ealdormen continue to rule Bernicia under the Viking aegis while they directly control Deira. In or around 878 a Scandinavian monarchy is established, ending the necessity of an English puppet ruler.

867 - 873

Egbert I

Installed by Ivarr the Boneless.

867 - 870

Ivarr takes his army southwards to conquer East Anglia.

873 - 876

Ricsig

876 - 878

Egbert II

878

Egbert II is the last recorded English king of Northumbria. By now the 'kingdom' is little more than the former territory of Bernicia. Much of the rest, and after 878, all of it, comes under the rule of the Scandinavian kings of York. From time to time the Kings of Wessex, under whose control falls the rest of England, push the Scandinavians out of York and rule a partially united country.

High Reeves of Bamburh / Bamburgh (Bernicia)

The High Reeves of Bamburgh, the earls of Bernicia, may have started to lay a quiet claim to the Northumbrian crown, and actually ruled the area north of the Tees (former Bernicia) almost as an independent kingdom until 927, being referred to, or referring to themselves as sub-kings. After the full unification of England they continued to serve in their lesser capacity until 1041.

(Corrections by Mick Baker.)

? - 913

Eadwulf / Eadulf

High Reeve of Bamburgh. Claimant to the throne.

913 - 930

Ealdred I Ealdulfing

Son.

927

Athelstan marches north after subduing the Scandinavian Kingdom of York and expels Ealdred. Ealdred becomes the king's man and is reinstated.

930 - 963

Oswulf / Osulf

Son. Pivotal in defeating Eric Bloodaxe.

963 - 970

Waltheof

995 - 1016

Uchtred the Bold

1016 - 1019

Edulf I

1019 - 1038

Eldred II

1038 - 1041

Edulf II