Cerdic | |
---|---|
King of Wessex | |
![]() | |
King Of Wessex | |
Reign | 519–534 |
Coronation | c. 519 |
Predecessor | Honorius (Roman Emperor) |
Successor | Cynric |
Born | c. 475 |
Died | 4 May 534(534-05-04) (aged 59) |
Issue | Cynric |
House | Wessex |
Cerdic (475-4 May 534) was the first Anglo Saxon King of the Gewisse,[a] also called the King of Wessex. He was the ancestor of the kings of Wessex and the Anglo-Saxon kings of England beginning with Athelstan.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,[b] Cerdic, along with his son Cynric, came to Britain in 495.[4] Their three ships landed at Cerdic's ora fought the Britons there on the same day.[4] Most of what is known about Cerdic comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.[5] In 519 he and his son defeated Britons at Cerdic's ford and took Wessex.[6] In 527 at a place called Cerdic's leaga Cerdic and Cynric battled with the Britons again. In 530 they conquered the Isle of Wight.[6] The record for 534 states that Cerdic died this year.[7] Cerdic was succeeded by his son Cynric.[8]
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle gave Cenred a pedigree going back to the Saxon god Woden. But historian Kenneth Sisam showed this legendary pedigree was borrowed from the Kings of Bernicia and was not historic.[9] But archaeological evidence shows that outside of Kent and Sussex, the main area of settlement was in the upper Thames Valley.[10] This agrees with much of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle although dates are harder to verify.
It should be noted that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is not a reliable document for the period contemporary to Cerdic's supposed reign. It should also be noted that Cerdic is a British name and not an Anglo-Saxon name. It is also unlikely that Wessex was the name of his proposed kingdom. Ultimately, Cerdic should be considered as mythology.
Cerdic had: