This is a list of the kings of the 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 of 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...

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The regnal dates for the earlier kings are known only from Bede, who piously expunged apostates (Unde cunctis placuit regum tempora computantibus, ut ablata de medio regum perfidorum memoria, idem annus sequentis regis), and seems also to have deliberately suppressed details of short or joint reigns in order to produce an orderly sequence (he had no place for Æðelwald or Eormenred). Generally more than one king ruled in Kent. Some kings are known mainly from charters, of which several are forgeries, while others have subjected to tampering in order to reconcile them with the erroneous king lists of chroniclers, baffled by blanks, and confused by concurrent reigns and kings with similar or identical names. Even modern historians are tempted to fill out the blank prehistoric period with mythological creatures, combine kings with similar names, and suppress multiple kingship, or at least reduce it down to some regular dyarchy. It is commonplace for the later kings to be referred to as subkings, but the actual rank used is always rex, never regulus (except for a late legend concerning Eormenred). The usual style was simply King of Kent (rex Cantiae) or King of the Kentish Men (rex Cantuariorum). Territorial division within Kent is not alluded to, except by Eadberht I (rex Cantuariorum terram dimidii) and Sigered (rex dimidie partis prouincie Cantuariorum).

List of kings of Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

 

Reign	Incumbent	Style	Notes
unknown	Hengest Hengest Hengist and Horsa are figures of Anglo-Saxon, and subsequently British, legend, which records the two as the Germanic brothers who led the Angle, Saxon, and Jutish armies that conquered the first territories of Great Britain in the 5th century AD...	no charters	father of Oisc or Octa
unknown	Horsa	no charters	brother of Hengest
unknown	Oisc Oisc of Kent Oisc was an early king of Kent who ruled from about 488 to about 516.Little is known about him, and the information that does survive regarding his life is often vague and suspect. He seems to have been the son or the grandson of Hengest, who led the initial Anglo-Saxon conquest and settlement of... (Oesc, Aesc, Oeric)	no charters	son of Hengest or Octa
512/516-534/540	Octa Octa of Kent Octa was an Anglo-Saxon King of Kent during the 6th century. Sources disagree on his relationship to the other kings in his line; he may have been the son of Hengist or Oisc, and may have been the father of Oisc or Eormenric. The dates of his reign are unclear, but he may have ruled from 512 to... (Octha)	no charters	son of Hengest
534/540-c.590	Eormenric Eormenric of Kent Eormenric of Kent was King of Kent from circa 534/540 to 564/580. His father may have been Octa of Kent, whom Eormenric succeeded. His son, Æthelberht of Kent, in turn succeeded him circa 580/590, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle....	no charters	father of Æðelberht I
died 24 February 616 (Bede)	Æðelberht I Ethelbert of Kent Æthelberht was King of Kent from about 580 or 590 until his death. In his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, the eighth-century monk Bede lists Aethelberht as the third king to hold imperium over other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms...	no genuine charters	first Christian King of Kent
February 616 616 Year 616 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 616 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Eadbald succeeds Ethelbert as king of Kent.*...  to 20 January 640 (Bede)	Eadbald Eadbald of Kent Eadbald was King of Kent from 616 until his death in 640. He was the son of King Æthelberht and his wife Bertha, a daughter of the Merovingian king Charibert. Æthelberht made Kent the dominant force in England during his reign and became the first Anglo-Saxon king to convert to Christianity from...	no genuine charters	son of Æðelberht I
unknown	Æðelwald	no charters	contemporary with Pope Boniface V (619-625)
January 640 640 Year 640 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Tulga succeeds his father Suinthila as king...  to 14 July 664 (Bede)	Eorcenberht Eorcenberht of Kent Eorcenberht of Kent was king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent from 640 until his death, succeeding his father Eadbald....	no charters	son of Eadbald
unknown	Eormenred Eormenred of Kent Eormenred was a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Kent, who is described as king in some texts. There is no contemporary evidence for Eormenred, but he is mentioned in later hagiographies, and his existence is considered possible by scholars.Eormenred is described as a son of Eadbald,...	Irminredus	brother of Eorcenberht
July 664 664 Year 664 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 664 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Arab armies conquer Kabul.* Kuo Wu Tsung of Tang...  to 4 July 673 (Bede)	Ecgberht I Ecgberht of Kent Ecgberht was a King of Kent who ruled from 664 to 673, succeeding his father Eorcenberht s:Ecclesiastical History of the English People/Book 4#1....	no charters	son of Eorcenberht
acceded 674 or 675, died 685	Hlothhere Hlothhere of Kent Hlothhere was a King of Kent who ruled from 673 to 685.He succeeded his brother Ecgberht I in 673. He must have come into conflict with Mercia, since in 676 the Mercian king Æthelred invaded Kent and caused great destruction; according to Bede, even churches and monasteries were not spared, and...	Lotharius rex Cantuariorum Lotharius rex Cancie Clotharius Hlotharius	son of Eorcenberht; reigning jointly with Eadric
685 to 686 (Bede)	Eadric Eadric of Kent Eadric was a King of Kent . He was the son of Ecgberht I.Eadric was for a time co-ruler alongside his uncle Hlothhere, and a code of laws issued in both their names has survived. However, Eadric eventually revolted and defeated Hlothhere with the aid of the South Saxons...	Eadricus rex Cantuariorum Ædricus rex Edricus	son of Ecgberht I; reigning jointly with Hlothhere
killed 687	Mul Mul of Kent Mul may have briefly ruled as king of Kent following its conquest by his brother, Caedwalla of Wessex, in 686. Mul's father was Coenberht, making him a member of the House of Wessex The name Mul is very unusual and it has been postulated that it derives from the Latin mulus meaning mule, a word...	Mulo rege regnum Cantie	brother of Cædwalla, King of Wessex
acceded 687 or 688, still reigning 692	Swæfheard Swæfheard Swæfheard was a king of Kent, reigning jointly with Oswine, Wihtred, and possibly Swæfberht.Swæfheard’s charter dated 1 March 689, in the second year of his reign, identifies his father as Sæbbi, King of Essex . He witnessed two charters of Oswine , one of which is dated 27 January 690...	Suebhardus rex Cantuariorum Sueaberdus rex Cantie	son of Sæberht, King of Essex, reigning jointly in Kent with Oswine and Withred
fl. 689	Swæfberht Swæfberht Swæfberht was a King of Kent, reigning jointly with Oswine, and possibly also Swæfheard.Swæfberht issued an undated charter that was witnessed by Oswine , and is probably the Gabertus who witnessed a charter issued by Oswine in July 689...	Gabertus Suebertus rex Cantuariorum	jointly with Oswine
fl. 689 to 690	Oswine Oswine of Kent Oswine, King of Kent, jointly with Swæfberht and Swæfheard.Oswine is known from three charters: one is dated July 689 and apparently witnessed by Swæfberht ; another is dated 26 January 690, witnessed by Swæfheard, and implies Oswine's descent from Eormenred; and in third , which is undated, but...	Oswynus rex Cantie Oswinus rex Cantuariorum	jointly with Swæfberht and Swæfheard
acceded 691 or 692, died 23 April 725	Wihtred Wihtred of Kent Wihtred was king of Kent from about 690 or 691 until his death. He was a son of Ecgberht I and a brother of Eadric. Wihtred acceded to the throne after a confused period in the 680s, which included a brief conquest of Kent by Cædwalla of Wessex and subsequent dynastic conflicts...	Wihtredus rex Cantie Wythredus rex Cantuariorum Wihtredus rex Cantuariorum	son of Ecgberht I; reigned jointly with Swæfheard
succeeded 725	Ælfric	no charters	son of Wihtred; succeeded jointly with his brothers Æðelberht II and Eadberht I
725 to 748	Eadberht I Eadbert I of Kent Eadberht I was king of Kent from 725 to 748. After his father, Wihtred of Kent died, he inherited the kingdom of Kent along with his two brothers Æðelberht II and Ælfric. Æðelberht II seems to have been the eldest and more dominant brother. Eadberht I died in 748, according to the Anglo-Saxon...	Eadbertus rex Cantuariorum terram dimidii Ædbeortus rex Cantie	son of Wihtred; reigned jointly with his brothers Æðelberht II and Ælfric
Subject to 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... n overlordship
725 to 762	Æðelberht II Æthelbert II of Kent Æthelbert II was king of Kent. Upon the death of his father Wihtred s:Ecclesiastical History of the English People/Book 5#23, the kingdom was ruled by his three sons, Æthelbert II, Eadberht I and Ælfric. Æthelbert seems to have outlived both of his brothers and later reigned jointly with his...	Æthilberhctus rex Cantie Athelbertus rex	son of Wihtred; reigned jointly with his brothers Eadberht I and Ælfric, and nephew Eardwulf
unknown	Eardwulf Eardwulf of Kent Eardwulf was King of Kent, jointly with Æðelberht II.Eardwulf is known from two charters, one is undated , but identifies Eardwulf’s father as Eadberht I ; the other has a date that that is incompatible with its witness list ), as it is dated 762, but witnessed by Archbishop Cuðbert, who died in...	Earduulfus rex Cantuariorum Eardulfus rex Cantiae	son of Eadberht I; reigned jointly with Æðelberht II; contemporary with Archbishop Cuðbert (740-760)
fl. 762	Eadberht II Eadberht II Eadberht II, King of Kent, jointly with Sigered. He was apparently the son of Æðelberht II.Eadberht II is known from three charters. As a result of confusion with Eadberht I, these charters have been subjected to tampering...	Eadberht rex Cantiae Ædbertus rex Eadbertus rex Cantie	jointly with Sigered
fl. 762	Sigered Sigered of Kent Sigered, King of Kent, jointly with Eadberht II.Sigered is known just from his charters , one of which is dated 762 and witnessed by Eadberht II....	Sigiraed rex Cantiae Sigeredus rex dimidie partis prouincie Cantuariorum	jointly with Eadberht II
unknown	Eanmund Eanmund of Kent Eanmund was a king of Kent, jointly with or in succession to Sigered of Kent.Eanmund is known only from an undated confirmation, witnessed by Archbishop Bregowine , added to a charter of Sigered ....	Eanmundus rex	contemporary with Archbishop Bregowine (761-764)
fl. 764 to 765	Heaberht Heaberht of Kent Heaberht was a King of Kent in the 8th century, ruling jointly with Ecgberht II.Heaberht is known from his coins and from charters of other kings. He witnessed or confirmed two charters of Ecgberht II , one dated 765, as is mentioned in a charter of Offa, King of Mercia , dated 764 ....	Heaberhtus rex Cantie Heaberhtus rex	jointly with Ecgberht II
fl. 765 to 779	Ecgberht II Egbert II of Kent Ecgberht II was King of Kent jointly with Heaberht.Ecgberht II is known from his coins and charters, ranging from 765 to 779 , two of which were witnessed or confirmed by Heaberht.Ecgberht II acceded by 765, when he issued his earliest surviving charter...	Ecgberhtus rex Cantie Egcberhtus rex Cantiae Egcberht rex Cantie Egcberth rex Cantie Egcberhtus rex	jointly with Heaberht
fl. 784 784 Year 784 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 784 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* The Japanese capital moves away from Nara,...	Ealhmund Ealhmund of Kent Ealhmund was King of Kent in 784.The only contemporary evidence of him is an abstract of a charter dated in that year, in which Ealhmund granted land to the Abbot of Reculver...	Ealmundus rex Canciæ	father of Ecgberht III
Under the direct rule 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...  (785 785 Year 785 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The article denomination 785 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years... –796 796 Year 796 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 796 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* December – Coenwulf becomes king of... ).
796 to 798, deposed	Eadberht III Præn Eadberht III Præn Eadberht III Præn was the King of Kent from 796 to 798. His brief reign was the result of a rebellion against the hegemony of Mercia, and it marked the last time that Kent existed as an independent kingdom....	no charters; coins: EADBEARHT REX	Deposed and mutilated by Cœnwulf 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...
acceded 797 or 798, died 807	Cuðred Cuthred of Kent Cuðred was a King of Kent .After the revolt of Kent under Eadberht III Præn was defeated in 798 by Cœnwulf, he established Cuðred as a client king...	Cuthredus Rex Cantiae Cuðred rex Cantiae Cuðredus rex cantwariorum	brother of Cœnwulf and Ceolwulf
fl. 809	Cœnwulf 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...	Ceonulfus Christi gracia rex Merciorum atque provincie Cancie	brother of Cuðred and Ceolwulf; also King of Mercia (796-821)
fl. 822 to 823	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...	Ceolwulf rex Merciorum vel etiam Contwariorum Ceolwulf rex Merciorum seu etiam Cantwariorum	brother of Cuðred and Cœnwulf; also King of Mercia (821-823)
deposed in 825	Baldred Baldred of Kent Baldred was a king of Kent, until 825, when he was expelled by Æthelwulf, son of King Egbert of Wessex, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, "because formerly they had been wrongly forced away from their allegiance to his kinsmen"....	no charters; coins: BALDRED REX CANT	expelled by Æðelwulf in 825
825 to 839	Ecgberht III Egbert of Wessex Egbert was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent...	Ecgberht rex occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum	son of Ealhmund; reigned in Kent jointly with his son Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (802-839)
825 to 858	Æðelwulf Ethelwulf of Wessex Æthelwulf, also spelled Aethelwulf or Ethelwulf; Old English: Æþelwulf, meaning 'Noble Wolf', was King of Wessex from 839 until his death in 858. He is the only son who can indisputably be accredited to King Egbert of Wessex. He conquered the kingdom of Kent on behalf of his father in 825, and was...	Aetheluulf rex Æðeluulf rex Cantrariorum Æthelwolf gratia Dei rex Kanciae Ætheluulf rex Cancie Aeðeluulf Rex Cancie Aetheluulf gratia Dei rex occidentalium Saxonum seu etiam Cantuuariorum Aeðeluulf gratia Dei rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non 7 Cantuariorum Eðelwulf rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non et Cantuariorum Eðeluulfus rex Occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum Æðelulf rex misericordia Dei occidentalium Saxonum ; necnon & Cantuuariorum	jointly with his father Ecgberht III and son Æðelstan; also King of Wessex (839-856)
fl. 839 to 851	Æðelstan I Æðelstan I Æthelstan was either the eldest son or younger brother of King Æthelwulf of Wessex.When Æthelwulf became King of the West Saxons in 839 on the death of his father Egbert, he appointed Æthelstan to rule over Kent, Essex, Surrey and Sussex...	Edelstan rex Kancie Ethelstan Rex Aeðelstan rex Aedelstan rex	jointly with his father Æðelwulf
fl. 855 to 866	Æðelberht III Ethelbert of Wessex Æthelberht was the King of Wessex from 860 to 865. He was the third son of Æthelwulf of Wessex and his first wife, Osburga. In 855 he became under-king of Kent while his father, Æthelwulf, visited Rome. His brother Æthelbald was left in charge of the West Saxons...	Aeðelberht rex Eþelbearht rex Eðelbearht rex Æthelbertus occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum rex Aeðelbearht rex Occidentalium Saxonum seu Cantuuariorum Aeðælberht rex Occidentalium Saxonum seu Cantuariorum Eðelbearht rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non et Cantuariorum	jointly with his father Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (860-866)
866 to 871	Æðelred I Ethelred of Wessex King Æthelred I was King of Wessex from 865 to 871. He was the fourth son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex...	Eðelred rex occidentalium Saxonum . non et Cantwariorum Aeðered rex Occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum	son of Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (866-871)

Sources

• Campbell, A. 1973. Charters of Rochester. Anglo-Saxon Charters 1.
• Fryde, E. B., Greenway, D. E., Porter, S., & Roy, I. 1986. Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd ed. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks 2.
• Garmonsway, G. N. 1954. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 2nd edition.
• Kelly, S. E. 1995. Charters of St. Augustine’s Abbey Canterbury and Minster-in-Thanet. Anglo-Saxon Charters 4.
• King, J. E. 1930. Baedae Opera Historica. Loeb Classical Library 246 & 248.
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• Sawyer, P. H. 1968. Anglo-Saxon Charters: An Annotated List and Bibliography. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks 8.
• Searle, W. G. 1899. Anglo-Saxon Bishops, Kings and Nobles.
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• Yorke, B.
  Barbara Yorke
  Barbara Yorke is a historian of Anglo-Saxon England.She studied history and archaeology at Exeter University, where she completed both her undergraduate degree and her Ph.D. She is currently Professor of Early Medieval History at the University of Winchester, and is a Fellow of the Royal...
  
  1990. Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England.