Online Encyclopedia
Kingdom of Essex
The Kingdom of the East Seaxe (one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy) was founded around 500 AD, occupying territory to the north and east of London. Around 825 AD, the kingdom was merged with Wessex, and was eventually ceded by Wessex under the Treaty of Wedmore to the Danelaw control of the Danish kingdom of East Anglia . Essex is now a county in England.
Here are the Kings of Essex; the dates, names and achievements, like those of most early rulers in all countries of the Heptarchy, remain conjectural. This dynasty claimed descent from the god Seaxneat, not the god Woden (of which the other Saxon tribes claimed descent). This list of kings may omit whole generations.
This was a time when spellings varied widely, even within a document. A number of variations of the details below exist. Amongst these are the preference between þ and ð (hard and soft 'th').
Kings of the East Saxons (Essex)
Reign | Incumbent | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
527 to 587 | Aescwine | Æscvvine Cenfusing EstSeaxna Cyning Æscvvine Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
|
587 to ante604 | Sledda |
Sledda Æscvvining EstSeaxna Cyning Sledda Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
|
ante604 to 616/7 | Saebert |
Sæbryht Sledding EstSeaxna Cyning Sæbryht Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
|
616/7 to 617 | Sexred | Sexred Sæbryhting EstSeaxna Cyning Sexred Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Joint king with Saeward ; killed in battle against the West Saxons |
616/7 to 617 | Saeward | Sævvard Sæbryhting EstSeaxna Cyning Sævvard Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Joint king with Sexred ; killed in battle against the West Saxons |
617 to ante c.653 | Sigeberht I the Little | Sigebryht Sævvarding EstSeaxna Cyning Sigebryht Parvus Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
|
c.653 to 664 | Sigeberht II the Good | Sigebryht Sævvarding EstSeaxna Cyning Sigebryht Sanctus Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Saint Sigeberht; Saint Sebbi (Feast Day 29 August) |
660 to 664 | Swithelm | Svviþelm EstSeaxna Cyning Svviþelm Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
|
664 to 683 | Sighere | Sighere Sigebryhting EstSeaxna Cyning Sighere Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Joint-king with Sebbi |
664 to c.694 | Sebbi | Sebbi EstSeaxna Cyning Sebbi Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Abdicated in favour of his son Sigeheard |
c.694 to c.709 | Sigeheard | Sigeheard Sebbing EstSeaxna Cyning Sigeheard Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Joint-king with his son Swaefred |
c.695 to ante c.709 | Swaefred | Svvæfred Sigehearding EstSeaxna Cyning Svvæfred Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Joint-king with his father Sigeheard |
709 to 709 | Offa | Offa Sighering EstSeaxna Cyning Offa Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Abdicated |
c.709 to 746 | Saelred | Sælred Sigebryhting EstSeaxna Cyning Sælred Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
(aka Swebert) Probably joint-king with Swaefbert |
c.715 to 738 | Swaefbert | Svvæfbryht EstSeaxna Cyning Svvæfbryht Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Probably joint-king with Saelred |
746 to 758 | Svvithred | Svviþred Sigemunding EstSeaxna Cyning Svviþred Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
|
758 to 798 | Sigeric | Sigeric EstSeaxna Cyning Sigeric Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
Abdicated |
798 to 812 | Sigered | Sigered Sigericing EstSeaxna Cyning Sigered Rex Saxonum Orientalium |
then:- |
812 to 825 | Sigered Dux Saxonum Orientalium | Rank reduced by Mercian overlords | |
c.825 | Mercia defeated by Egbert of Wessex, sub-kingdom of Essex subsumed into Wessex |
Sigered was the last king of Essex, and he ceded the kingdom to Egbert of Wessex.
Heptarchy |
East Anglia | Essex | Kent | Mercia | Northumbria | Sussex | Wessex |
Others: Lindsey, Hwicce |