Peada of Mercia
Peada (died 17 April 656) was briefly the King of Mercia. From c. 653 he had been King of the Middle Angles. Peada was a pagan who accepted baptism in order to marry the daughter of Oswiu of Northumbria.
King in Mercia
Peada was a son of King Penda.[1] In c. 653 he was made king of the Middle Angles by his father.[2] The Middle Angles were a group of peoples located between Mercia and East Anglia. They later became part of Mercia.[2] Peada asked for the hand of Alflaed, daughter of Oswiu of Northumbria.[1] Oswiu agreed on condition Peada and his kingdom became Christian.[a] In 653 Peada was baptised by Finan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, and married Alflaed.[4] On 15 November 655 the armies of Oswiu and Penda met in battle near Leeds.[2] Although he had the larger army, Penda was killed.[5] This established Oswiu as king of all Northumbria and as overlord of all the English south of the River Humber.[5] Oswiu ruled northern Mercia himself, but gave southern Mercia to Peada to rule as king.[6] Peada was murdered five months later - probably upon the orders of his wife Alflaed.[7] Mercians rebelled against Oswiu, and Peada's brother Wulfhere became king of Mercia.[6]
Notes
References
Other websites
- The Kings of Mercia Archived 2014-07-08 at the Wayback Machine