The kingdom of East Anglia, (also known as the kingdom of the East Angles), was a small independent Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...

 kingdom that comprised what are now the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 counties of Norfolk

Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

 and Suffolk

Suffolk

Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

 and perhaps the eastern part of the Fens. The kingdom was one of the seven traditional members of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy

Heptarchy

The Heptarchy is a collective name applied to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of south, east, and central Great Britain during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, conventionally identified as seven: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Sussex and Wessex...

. The East Angles were initially ruled (from the 6th century until 749) by members of the Wuffingas dynasty, named after Wuffa

Wuffa of East Anglia

Wuffa is supposed to have ruled the East Angles from c. 571 to c. 578. East Anglia was a long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk....

, whose name means 'descendants of the wolf'. The last king was Guthrum II

Guthrum II

Guthrum II was, according to some reconstructions, a King of East Anglia in the early tenth century. He should not be confused with the earlier and better-known Guthrum, who fought against Alfred the Great.-Background:...

, who ruled in the 10th century.

After 749 East Anglia was ruled by kings whose genealogy is not known, or by sub-kings who were under the control of the kings of Mercia

Mercia

Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...

. East Anglia briefly recovered its independence after the death of Offa of Mercia

Offa of Mercia

Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...

 in 796, but Mercian hegemony was soon restored by his successor, Coenwulf

Coenwulf of Mercia

Coenwulf was King of Mercia from December 796 to 821. He was a descendant of a brother of King Penda, who had ruled Mercia in the middle of the 7th century. He succeeded Ecgfrith, the son of Offa; Ecgfrith only reigned for five months, with Coenwulf coming to the throne in the same year that Offa...

. Between 826 and 869, following an East Anglian revolt in which the Mercian king, Beornwulf

Beornwulf of Mercia

Beornwulf was King of Mercia from 823 to 825. His short reign saw the collapse of the Mercia's supremacy over the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy....

, was killed, the East Angles again regained their independence. In 869 a Danish army

Great Heathen Army

The Great Heathen Army, also known as the Great Army or the Great Danish Army, was a Viking army originating in Denmark which pillaged and conquered much of England in the late 9th century...

 defeated and killed the last native East Anglian king, Edmund the Martyr

Edmund the Martyr

St Edmund the Martyr was a king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.D'Evelyn, Charlotte, and Mill, Anna J., , 1956. Reprinted 1967...

. The kingdom then fell into the hands of the Danes and eventually formed part of the Danelaw

Danelaw

The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...

. In 918 the East Anglian Danes accepted the overlordship of Edward the Elder

Edward the Elder

Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...

 of Wessex

Wessex

The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...

. East Anglia then became part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Many of the regnal dates of the East Anglian kings are considered unreliable, often being based upon computations. Some dates have presented particular problems for scholars: for instance, during the three-year-long period of apostasy

Apostasy

Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...

 that followed the murder of Eorpwald

Eorpwald of East Anglia

Eorpwald; also Erpenwald or Earpwald, , succeeded his father Rædwald as ruler of the independent Kingdom of the East Angles...

, when it is not known whether any king ruled the East Angles. The main source of information about the early history of the kingdom's rulers is Bede's Ecclesiatical History of the English People.

Chronological list

For a family tree of the East Anglian kings from Wehha to Ælfwald, see Wuffingas.

Timeline	Dynasty	Reign	King	Notes
	Wuffingas
		unknown	Wehha Wehha of East Anglia Wehha was a pagan king of the East Angles who, if he actually existed, ruled the kingdom of East Anglia during the 6th century, at the time the kingdom was being established by migrants from the Jutland peninsula. Early sources identify him as a member of the Wuffingas dynasty, which became...	Possible ruler; "The first to rule over the East Angles", according to Nennius Nennius Nennius was a Welsh monk of the 9th century.He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the Historia Brittonum, based on the prologue affixed to that work, This attribution is widely considered a secondary tradition.... .
		571 (from unknown annal)	Wuffa Wuffa of East Anglia Wuffa is supposed to have ruled the East Angles from c. 571 to c. 578. East Anglia was a long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk....	Possible ruler; son of Wehha and the king after whom the Wuffingas dynasty is named.
		578 (from unknown annal)	Tytila 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...	Possible ruler; son of 'Uffa' (Wuffa); acceded in 578, according to the Flores Historiarum.
		Acceded around 616, died before 627.	Rædwald	Son of Tytila; named imperium by Bede, later interpreted as Bretwalda Bretwalda Bretwalda is an Old English word, the first record of which comes from the late 9th century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. It is given to some of the rulers of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from the 5th century onwards who had achieved overlordship of some or all of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms... . The Flores Historiarum gives 599 for Rædwald's accession. Rædwald is the first of the Wuffingas of which more than a name is known.
		Died 627 or 628.	Eorpwald Eorpwald of East Anglia Eorpwald; also Erpenwald or Earpwald, , succeeded his father Rædwald as ruler of the independent Kingdom of the East Angles...	Son of Rædwald; murdered by Ricberht.
		c. 627 to c. 630.	Ricberht Ricberht Ricberht is thought to have briefly been the king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk....	Possible ruler.
		Acceded c. 630.	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...	Abdicated to lead a monastic life; later slain in battle.
		Acceded c. 630 (ruled jointly with Sigeberht until c. 634).	Ecgric	Slain in battle, possibly as late as 641; kinsman of 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... .
		early 640s to c. 653.	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...	Nephew of Rædwald and son of Eni Eni of East Anglia 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... ; killed, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
		c. 653 to 655.	Æthelhere	Brother of Anna. Slain at the Battle of the Winwaed Battle of the Winwaed The Battle of the Winwaed was fought on 15 November 655 , between King Penda of Mercia and Oswiu of Bernicia, ending in the Mercians' defeat and Penda's death.-History:Although the battle is said to be the most important between the early northern and southern divisions of... .
		655 to 663	Æthelwold 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...	Brother of Anna.
		663 to 713	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...	Nephew of Anna, Æthelhere and Æthelwold.
	713 to 749	Ælfwald	Son of Ealdwulf.
	East Anglian dynasty
		Ruling in 749.	Hun Hun of East Anglia Hun is the name of a supposed 8th century ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia, who may have begun ruling with Beorna and Alberht at the division of the kingdom in 749.- Sources :... , Beorna Beorna of East Anglia Beorna was a ruler in East Anglia from 749. The end-date of his reign is not known, but may have been around 760 AD. He shared his reign with another ruler called Alberht , and possibly with another named Hun.The primary sources for Beonna are very few...  and Alberht Alberht of East Anglia Alberht, Ethælbert or Æthelberht was an eighth century ruler of East Anglia, who shared the kingdom with Beorna and possibly with a ruler named Hun in 749. He may still have been ruling c...	Joint kings, of unknown origin. Alberht is also known as Æthelberht I. Nothing is known of Hun.
		unknown	Æthelred I Æthelred I of East Anglia Æthelred I was a semi-historical eighth-century king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. It is thought that he ruled for some time between 760 and 790 and held East Anglia during the overlordship of Offa of Mercia...	Possibly succeded Beonna; named as the father of Æthelberht II.
		?779 to 794	Æthelberht II	Accession date is from a late mediaeval source; East Anglian independence indicated by ability of Æthelberht to mint his own coins. Executed at the command of Offa Offa of Mercia Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely... .
	Mercian dynasty
			Offa Offa of Mercia Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...	Ruled Mercia from 757 to July 796; jointly ruled with his son Ecgfrith Ecgfrith of Mercia Ecgfrith was a King of Mercia who briefly ruled in the year 796. He was the son and heir of King Offa of Mercia and his wife Cynethryth. In 787, Offa had Ecgfrith crowned as co-ruler. He succeeded his father in July 796, but despite Offa's efforts to secure his son's succession, it is recorded...  from 787 (who succeded him and died after ruling for less than five months). Held dominion over East Angles.
	East Anglian dynasty
		c. 796 to c. 800	Eadwald Eadwald of East Anglia Eadwald of East Anglia was the king of East Anglia c. 796-798. Eadwald was probably in exile during the oppressive reign of Offa . After the death of Offa of Mercia, who had ruled East Anglia directly since deposing and beheading its king Aethelberht in 796...	Ancestry unknown; emerged as king during a period of instability following the death of Offa.
	Mercian dynasty
			Coenwulf Coenwulf of Mercia Coenwulf was King of Mercia from December 796 to 821. He was a descendant of a brother of King Penda, who had ruled Mercia in the middle of the 7th century. He succeeded Ecgfrith, the son of Offa; Ecgfrith only reigned for five months, with Coenwulf coming to the throne in the same year that Offa...	Ruled Mercia from 796 to 821: held dominion over the East Angles after Eadwald's brief reign; no precise date is known for the start of his overlordship in East Anglia.
			Ceolwulf Ceolwulf I of Mercia Ceolwulf I was King of Mercia and Kent, from 821 to 823. He was the brother of Cœnwulf, his predecessor, and was deposed by Beornwulf.-External links:* http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+186...	Brother of Coenwulf; ruled Mercia from 821 to 823.
			Beornwulf Beornwulf of Mercia Beornwulf was King of Mercia from 823 to 825. His short reign saw the collapse of the Mercia's supremacy over the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy....	Of unknown origin; ruled Mercia from 823 to 826; killed during an East Anglian revolt.
	East Anglian Dynasty
		827 to 845	Æthelstan	May have led a revolt against the Mercians in 825. East Anglian independence re-established at his accession.
		c.845 to 855	Æthelweard Æthelweard of East Anglia Æthelweard was a 9th century king of East Anglia, the long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Little is known of Æthelweard's reign and even his regnal dates are not known for certain...
		855 to 869	Edmund (Eadmund) Edmund the Martyr St Edmund the Martyr was a king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.D'Evelyn, Charlotte, and Mill, Anna J., , 1956. Reprinted 1967...	The last native East Anglian king; acceded at the age of 14 (according to Asser Asser Asser was a Welsh monk from St David's, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join the circle of learned men whom Alfred was recruiting for his court... ); killed by the Vikings 20 November 869; canonised. Political organisation of East Anglia following the death of Edmund is uncertain.
	Sub-kings under Norse suzerainty
c.875		Oswald Oswald of East Anglia Oswald was king of East Anglia in the 870s after the death of Edmund the Martyr. No textual evidence of his reign is known but some of his coins are known from the same period....	Known only from numismatic Numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...  evidence.
c.875		Æthelred II Æthelred II of East Anglia Æthelred was King of East Anglia.No textual evidence of his reign is known, but numismatic evidence points to his reign being in the 870s, perhaps together with Oswald of East Anglia, whose coins are known from the same period....	Known only from numismatic evidence.
Danish kingdom of East Anglia
	c. 879 to 890	Guthrum Guthrum The name Guthrum corresponds to Norwegian Guttom and to Danish Gorm.The name Guthrum may refer to these kings:* Guthrum, who fought against Alfred the Great* Gorm the Old of Denmark and Norway* Guthrum II, a king of doubtful historicity...	East Anglia was awarded to him in 879 as part of a peace settlement with Alfred the Great Alfred the Great Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...  of Wessex.
	Ruled until 902	Eohric Eohric of East Anglia Eohric was king of East Anglia. Seemingly of Scandinavian origin, his name is the Old English form of the Old Norse Eiríkr, little is known of Eohric or of East Anglia in his time....	Killed in battle (along with Æthelwold) in December 902.
	902	Æthelwold Æthelwold of Wessex Æthelwold was the youngest of three known sons of King Æthelred of Wessex. His brother Oswald is recorded between 863 and 875, and Æthelhelm is only recorded as a beneficiary of King Alfred's will in the mid 880s, and probably died soon afterwards...	Killed in battle December 902.
	902 to 918	Guthrum II Guthrum II Guthrum II was, according to some reconstructions, a King of East Anglia in the early tenth century. He should not be confused with the earlier and better-known Guthrum, who fought against Alfred the Great.-Background:...	Killed in battle 918.
East Anglia becomes part of England after 918