Aethelbert of Sussex
Encyclopedia
Aethelbert, or, more correctly, Æðelberht, was King of Sussex
, but is known only from charters. The dates of Æðelberht’s reign are unknown beyond the fact that it overlapped at least in part with the bishopship of Sigeferth of Selsey
, as Sigeferth witnessed an undated charter of Æðelberht in which Æðelberht is styled Ethelbertus rex Sussaxonum.
Sigeferth, called Sicgga for short, was the 3rd Bishop of Selsey, consecrated in 733 by Archbishop Tatwine, and was still bishop in 747, when he attended the Synod of Clofesho. His date of death is unknown.
Another undated charter, in which Æðelberht is called Adelbertus rex Australium Saxonum (Æðelberht, King of the South Saxons), is believed to be a forgery http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+47.
Barker (1947) commented "This pair of charters have certain peculiar phrases, especially the firmiter ... præsumat which takes the place of a form introduced by Si quis in most charters. Both state that they were written by the king, and in No. X confixi is a very unusual word for this; it means literally 'pinned together', hence here 'put together' or 'compiled'. The early eighth century was age of enlightened kings: Ealdfrið and Eadberht of Northumbria
and Ine of Wessex
are examples. It is, therefore, not impossible that these two charters were in fact personally drawn up by the king." However, "confixi" is only in the forged charter.
Æðelberht is also mentioned in an undated endorsement to a charter of Noðhelm as Ethilberchto rege http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+44.
Kingdom of Sussex
The Kingdom of Sussex or Kingdom of the South Saxons was a Saxon colony and later independent kingdom of the Saxons, on the south coast of England. Its boundaries coincided in general with those of the earlier kingdom of the Regnenses and the later county of Sussex. A large part of its territory...
, but is known only from charters. The dates of Æðelberht’s reign are unknown beyond the fact that it overlapped at least in part with the bishopship of Sigeferth of Selsey
Sigeferth of Selsey
Sigeferth or Sigefirth or Sicgga, was the third Bishop of Selsey, consecrated in 733 by Tatwine, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Sigeferth was still bishop in 747, when he attended the Synod of Clofesho. His date of death was sometime between 747 and 765.-External links:*...
, as Sigeferth witnessed an undated charter of Æðelberht in which Æðelberht is styled Ethelbertus rex Sussaxonum.
Sigeferth, called Sicgga for short, was the 3rd Bishop of Selsey, consecrated in 733 by Archbishop Tatwine, and was still bishop in 747, when he attended the Synod of Clofesho. His date of death is unknown.
Another undated charter, in which Æðelberht is called Adelbertus rex Australium Saxonum (Æðelberht, King of the South Saxons), is believed to be a forgery http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+47.
Barker (1947) commented "This pair of charters have certain peculiar phrases, especially the firmiter ... præsumat which takes the place of a form introduced by Si quis in most charters. Both state that they were written by the king, and in No. X confixi is a very unusual word for this; it means literally 'pinned together', hence here 'put together' or 'compiled'. The early eighth century was age of enlightened kings: Ealdfrið and Eadberht of Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
and Ine of Wessex
Ine of Wessex
Ine was King of Wessex from 688 to 726. He was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecessor, Cædwalla, who had brought much of southern England under his control and expanded West Saxon territory substantially...
are examples. It is, therefore, not impossible that these two charters were in fact personally drawn up by the king." However, "confixi" is only in the forged charter.
Æðelberht is also mentioned in an undated endorsement to a charter of Noðhelm as Ethilberchto rege http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+44.