Cerdic of Wessex

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:

• Cynric (died 560)^[11]

• Britannia: Kings of Wessex Archived 2013-07-27 at the Wayback Machine