Cynewulf was the King of Wessex from 757 until 786. Mercia, which was then the dominant power, went through a period of disorder during most of his reign, so he was able to keep his territory intact until he was defeated by King Offa of Mercia in 779. He was killed by the brother of his deposed predecessor in 786.
Reign
Cynewulf became king after deposing his predecessor, Sigeberht, with the support of most of the magnates. He may have accepted the lordship of King Æthelbald of Mercia, who he met shortly thereafter, but it is more likely that Æthelbald acknowledged his kingship. However, it was not long before Æthelbald was assassinated and as a consequence, Mercia fell into a brief period of disorder as rival claimants to its throne fought. Cynewulf was also often at war with the Cornish. He was a benefactor of the church but also seized lands claimed by religious houses.[1]
In 779, Cynewulf was defeated by the new King of Mercia, Offa, at the Battle of Bensington, and Offa then retook Berkshire, and perhaps also London. Despite this defeat, there is no evidence to suggest Cynewulf subsequently became subject to Offa.[1]
Death
The murder of King Cynewulf of Wessex as depicted in Cassell's illustrated history of England.
In 786, Cynewulf attempted to expel Cyneheard, the brother of his predecessor, who discovered that Cynewulf was visiting his mistress's house in Meretun[a] and launched an attack on him. Both Cynewulf and Cyneheard were killed in the ensuing fight. Cynewulf was buried at Winchester.[1]
Notes
^It is not known which of the many Mertons this refers to.[2]
^Downham, Clare (2007), Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ívarr to A.D. 1014, Edinburgh: Dunedin, ISBN 978-1-903765-89-0, OCLC163618313
^Woolf, Alex (2007), From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070, The New Edinburgh History of Scotland, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5, OCLC123113911
^Zaluckyj, Sarah & Feryok, Marge. Mercia: The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Central England (2001) ISBN 1-873827-62-8
^Barbara Yorke (1995), Wessex in the early Middle Ages, A & C Black, ISBN 071851856X; pp 79-83; table p. 81
^Keynes, Simon (2014). "Appendix I: Rulers of the English, c.450–1066". In Lapidge, Michael (ed.). The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-65632-7.
^Kirby, D. P. The Earliest English Kings. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-4152-4211-0.
^Lapidge, M.; et al., eds. (1999). "Kings of the East Angles". The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. London: Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-6312-2492-1.
^Searle, W. G. 1899. Anglo-Saxon Bishops, Kings and Nobles.
^Yorke, B. 1990. Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England.
^Carpenter, Clive. Kings, Rulers and Statesmen. Guinness Superlatives, Ltd.
^Ross, Martha. Rulers and Governments of the World, Vol. 1. Earliest Times to 1491.
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