Eni of East Anglia
Encyclopedia
Eni or Ennius was a member of the Wuffing
family, the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of East Anglia. He was the son of Tyttla
and brother of Raedwald
, both kings of East Anglia.
There is no historical evidence that Eni ever ruled the East Angles himself. The principal references to him are in Bede
's Ecclesiastical History
and in the East Anglian dynastic tally preserved in the Anglian collection
. The tally is not a regnal list but a series of genealogical affiliations, (hence it does not mention Raedwald, who was not a direct ancestor of the line of Eni).
It is possible, but nowhere indicated, that Raedwald associated Eni to his power as an East Anglian regent or sub-king during the period of his own ascendancy, 616-624. The sources we have indicate that Eorpwald
, Raedwald's son, succeeded his father.
Eni is identified by Bede as the father of three East Anglian kings, namely Anna
(r. c636-654), Aethelhere
(r. 654) and Aethelwold
(r. 654-664). In the Anglian collection he is also the grandfather of King Ealdwulf
(r. 664-713), whose father was Æthelric. Since royal power reverted to Ealdwulf in 664 after the rule of his uncles, it is often supposed that Æthelric was actually the elder brother of Anna, Æthelhere and Æthelwold and may be the same person as Egric of East Anglia
, who shared the throne with Sigeberht
(c. 629-634) and died with him in 636. Hereswitha
, Ealdwulf's mother, had already left East Anglia for a monastic life in Gaul
by 647 (Bede, History, iv.23)and so Æthelric was probably dead by then.
Many of Eni's descendants appear to have been devout Christians and as an immediate member of Raedwald's household he must certainly have been aware of, and possibly even shared in, Raedwald's baptism, which occurred in Kent
under the sponsorship of King Æthelbert before 616, at the hands of the mission sent by Pope Gregory I
. Eni's son Anna was presumably resident at Exning
in 631 when Anna's daughter Æthelthryth
(Saint Audrey) was born there. Exning is close to the Isle of Ely
where, at Cratendune
, Saint Augustine
of Canterbury
himself (d. c604) is stated (in Liber Eliensis
) to have established a church. It is possible, therefore, that the Christianity of Eni's descendants had its origins in an East Anglian phase of Augustine's own mission.
Wuffing
The Wuffingas were the ruling dynasty of the kingdom of East Anglia, the long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Wuffingas took their name from Wuffa, an early East Anglian king. It has been argued that the Wuffingas may have originated...
family, the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of East Anglia. He was the son of Tyttla
Tytila of East Anglia
Tytila was a pagan king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Early sources, including Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, identify him as a member of the Wuffingas dynasty...
and brother of Raedwald
Raedwald of East Anglia
Rædwald ; also Raedwald or Redwald, was a 7th century king of East Anglia, a long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was the son of Tytila of East Anglia and a member of the Wuffingas dynasty , who were the first rulers of the East Angles...
, both kings of East Anglia.
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
's Ecclesiastical History
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
and in the East Anglian dynastic tally preserved in the Anglian collection
Anglian collection
The Anglian collection is a collection of Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies and regnal lists. These survive in four manuscripts; two of which now reside in the British Library...
. The tally is not a regnal list but a series of genealogical affiliations, (hence it does not mention Raedwald, who was not a direct ancestor of the line of Eni).
It is possible, but nowhere indicated, that Raedwald associated Eni to his power as an East Anglian regent or sub-king during the period of his own ascendancy, 616-624. The sources we have indicate that Eorpwald
Eorpwald of East Anglia
Eorpwald; also Erpenwald or Earpwald, , succeeded his father Rædwald as ruler of the independent Kingdom of the East Angles...
, Raedwald's son, succeeded his father.
Eni is identified by Bede as the father of three East Anglian kings, namely Anna
Anna of East Anglia
Anna was King of East Anglia from the early 640s until his death. Anna was a member of the Wuffingas family, the ruling dynasty of the East Angles. He was one of the three sons of Eni who ruled East Anglia, succeeding some time after Ecgric was killed in battle by Penda of Mercia...
(r. c636-654), Aethelhere
Aethelhere of East Anglia
Æthelhere was King of East Anglia from 653 or 654 until his death. Æthelhere was a member of the ruling Wuffingas dynasty and was one of three sons of Eni to rule East Anglia as Christian kings...
(r. 654) and Aethelwold
Æthelwold of East Anglia
Æthelwold, also known as Æthelwald or Æþelwald , was a 7th century king of East Anglia, the long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was a member of the Wuffingas dynasty, which ruled East Anglia from their regio at Rendlesham...
(r. 654-664). In the Anglian collection he is also the grandfather of King Ealdwulf
Ealdwulf of East Anglia
Ealdwulf or Aldwulf was an obscure King of East Anglia who reigned from 663 to around 713.Ealdwulf's reign of forty-nine years was extraordinary in length: only Ethelbald of Mercia's and Offa of Mercia's reigns are comparable...
(r. 664-713), whose father was Æthelric. Since royal power reverted to Ealdwulf in 664 after the rule of his uncles, it is often supposed that Æthelric was actually the elder brother of Anna, Æthelhere and Æthelwold and may be the same person as Egric of East Anglia
Egric of East Anglia
Ecgric was a king of East Anglia, the independent Anglo-Saxon kingdom that today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was a member of the ruling Wuffingas dynasty, but his relationship with other known members of the dynasty is not known with any certainty. Anna of East Anglia...
, who shared the throne with Sigeberht
Sigeberht of East Anglia
Sigeberht of East Anglia , was a saint and a king of East Anglia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was the first English king to receive a Christian baptism and education before his succession and the first to abdicate in order to enter...
(c. 629-634) and died with him in 636. Hereswitha
Hereswitha
Hereswitha or Hereswyde , also spelt Hereswithe or Haeresvid, was a 7th century Northumbrian saint. She married into the East Anglian royal dynasty and afterwards retired to Gaul to lead a religious life...
, Ealdwulf's mother, had already left East Anglia for a monastic life in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
by 647 (Bede, History, iv.23)and so Æthelric was probably dead by then.
Many of Eni's descendants appear to have been devout Christians and as an immediate member of Raedwald's household he must certainly have been aware of, and possibly even shared in, Raedwald's baptism, which occurred in Kent
Kingdom of Kent
The Kingdom of Kent was a Jutish colony and later independent kingdom in what is now south east England. It was founded at an unknown date in the 5th century by Jutes, members of a Germanic people from continental Europe, some of whom settled in Britain after the withdrawal of the Romans...
under the sponsorship of King Æthelbert before 616, at the hands of the mission sent by Pope Gregory I
Pope Gregory I
Pope Gregory I , better known in English as Gregory the Great, was pope from 3 September 590 until his death...
. Eni's son Anna was presumably resident at Exning
Exning
Exning is a village in Suffolk, England.It lies just off the A14 trunk road, roughly east-northeast of Cambridge, and south-south-east of Ely...
in 631 when Anna's daughter Æthelthryth
Æthelthryth
Æthelthryth is the proper name for the popular Anglo-Saxon saint often known, particularly in a religious context, as Etheldreda or by the pet form of Audrey...
(Saint Audrey) was born there. Exning is close to the Isle of Ely
Isle of Ely
The Isle of Ely is a historic region around the city of Ely now in Cambridgeshire, England but previously a county in its own right.-Etymology:...
where, at Cratendune
Cratendune
- Archaeology :The search for Cratendune continues though evidence that any one site is the lost village remains sparse. In 1999 there was media attention during preparation work for new buildings at West Fen Road, Ely. The archaeology work subsequently undertaken indeed shows Romano-British and...
, Saint Augustine
Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597...
of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
himself (d. c604) is stated (in Liber Eliensis
Liber Eliensis
The Liber Eliensis is a 12th-century English chronicle and history, written in Latin. Composed in three books, it was written at Ely Abbey on the island of Ely in the fenlands of eastern Cambridgeshire. Ely Abbey became the cathedral of a newly formed bishopric in 1109...
) to have established a church. It is possible, therefore, that the Christianity of Eni's descendants had its origins in an East Anglian phase of Augustine's own mission.
Sources
- B. Colgrave and R.A.B. Mynors (eds). (1969). Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Oxford.
- D.N. DumvilleDavid DumvilleProfessor David Norman Dumville is a British medievalist and Celtic scholar. He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Ludwig-Maximilian Universität, Munich, and received his PhD. at the University of Edinburgh in 1976. In 1974, he married Sally Lois Hannay, with whom he had one son...
. (1976). 'The Anglian Collection of Royal Genealogies and Regnal Lists' in Anglo-Saxon England 5, 23-50. - S. Plunkett. (2005). Suffolk in Anglo-Saxon Times. Stroud: Tempus Publishing