Centwine of Wessex
Encyclopedia
Centwine was King of Wessex from circa
676 to 685 or 686, although he was perhaps not the only king of the West Saxons at the time.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
reports that Centwine became king circa
676, succeeding Æscwine. Bede states that after the death of King Cenwalh
: "his under-rulers took upon them the kingdom of the people, and dividing it among themselves, held it ten years". Bede's dismissal of Æscwine and Centwine as merely sub-kings may represent the views of the supporters of the King Ine
, whose family ruled Wessex in Bede's time. However, if the West Saxon kingdom did fragment following Cenwalh's death, it appears that it was reunited during Centwine's reign.
An entry under 682 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that "Centwine drove the Britons to the sea". This is the only event recorded in his reign. The Carmina Ecclesiastica of Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne
(d. 709), written a generation after Centwine's reign, records that he won three great battles. In addition, it states that he was a pagan
for part of his reign, adopting Christianity
and becoming a patron of the church. The Chronicle's version of his ancestry makes Centwine a son of King Cynegils
, and thus a brother of King Cenwalh and King Cwichelm
, but Aldhelm does not record any such relationship.
Chapter 40 of Eddius Stephanus's Life of Wilfrid
records that Centwine was married to a sister of Queen Iurminburh, second wife of King Ecgfrith of Northumbria
. Her name is not reliably recorded, and the suggestion that she is to be identified with Dunna, Abbess of Withington
, is broadly rejected. Their daughter Bugga
was certainly a nun
when Aldhelm dedicated verses to her, and was probably an Abbess.
Centwine is reported to have abdicated and become a monk
. Aldhelm writes that he "gave up riches and the reins of government and left his own kingdom in the name of Christ". He was succeeded by Caedwalla
. The date of his death is unknown.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
676 to 685 or 686, although he was perhaps not the only king of the West Saxons at the time.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
reports that Centwine became king circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
676, succeeding Æscwine. Bede states that after the death of King Cenwalh
Cenwalh of Wessex
Cenwalh, also Cenwealh or Coenwalh, was King of Wessex from c. 643 to c. 645 and from c. 648 unto his death, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in c. 672.-Penda and Anna:...
: "his under-rulers took upon them the kingdom of the people, and dividing it among themselves, held it ten years". Bede's dismissal of Æscwine and Centwine as merely sub-kings may represent the views of the supporters of the King Ine
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...
, whose family ruled Wessex in Bede's time. However, if the West Saxon kingdom did fragment following Cenwalh's death, it appears that it was reunited during Centwine's reign.
An entry under 682 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that "Centwine drove the Britons to the sea". This is the only event recorded in his reign. The Carmina Ecclesiastica of Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne
Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne
Aldhelm , Abbot of Malmesbury Abbey, Bishop of Sherborne, Latin poet and scholar of Anglo-Saxon literature, was born before the middle of the 7th century. He is said to have been the son of Kenten, who was of the royal house of Wessex...
(d. 709), written a generation after Centwine's reign, records that he won three great battles. In addition, it states that he was a pagan
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
for part of his reign, adopting Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and becoming a patron of the church. The Chronicle's version of his ancestry makes Centwine a son of King Cynegils
Cynegils of Wessex
Cynegils was King of Wessex from c. 611 to c. 643.Cynegils is traditionally considered to have been King of Wessex, but the familiar kingdoms of the so-called Heptarchy had not yet formed from the patchwork of smaller kingdoms in his lifetime...
, and thus a brother of King Cenwalh and King Cwichelm
Cwichelm
Cwichelm may refer to:*Cwichelm of Wessex, Prince of Wessex*Cwichhelm , Bishop of Rochester...
, but Aldhelm does not record any such relationship.
Chapter 40 of Eddius Stephanus's Life of Wilfrid
Wilfrid
Wilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
records that Centwine was married to a sister of Queen Iurminburh, second wife of King Ecgfrith of Northumbria
Ecgfrith of Northumbria
King Ecgfrith was the King of Northumbria from 670 until his death. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat in which he lost his life.-Early life:...
. Her name is not reliably recorded, and the suggestion that she is to be identified with Dunna, Abbess of Withington
Withington, Gloucestershire
Withington is a village in Gloucestershire, England, about eight miles south-east of Cheltenham. The River Coln runs through the village.The parish church is St Michael and All Angels...
, is broadly rejected. Their daughter Bugga
Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet
Saint Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet was the only daughter of King Centwine and Queen Engyth of Wessex in the 8th century of the Kent royal family and a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Edburga was a friend and student of Saint Mildred and regularly corresponded to Saint Boniface...
was certainly a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
when Aldhelm dedicated verses to her, and was probably an Abbess.
Centwine is reported to have abdicated and become a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. Aldhelm writes that he "gave up riches and the reins of government and left his own kingdom in the name of Christ". He was succeeded by Caedwalla
Caedwalla of Wessex
Cædwalla was the King of Wessex from approximately 685 until he abdicated in 688. His name is derived from the British Cadwallon. He was exiled as a youth, and during this time attacked the South Saxons and killed their king, Æthelwealh, in what is now Sussex. Cædwalla was unable to hold the...
. The date of his death is unknown.