Natanleod
Encyclopedia
Natanleod, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
, was a king of the Britons
. It is considered unlikely that any such person existed. His inclusion in the Chronicle is believed to be the product of folk etymology.
Under the year 508, a date which is not to be relied upon, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Cerdic and Cynric "killed a certain British king named Natanleod, and 5 thousand men with him – after whom the land as far as Cerdic's ford was named Natanleaga". Cerdic's ford is identified with Charford in modern Hampshire
, and Natanleaga with a marshy area, Netley Marsh
, close to the town of Totton in Hampshire.
Natanleaga, however, probably does not preserve the name of a defeated British king, but is instead derived from the Old English
element naet, wet.
Natanleod is not unique as an invented persona in the early part of the Chronicle. Similar folk etymologies are believed to lie behind the Jutish
king Wihtgar, Port, the supposed eponyom of Portsmouth
, and others. Campbell notes the similarity between such Anglo-Saxon traditions and the Middle Irish language
dindshenchas, such as the Metrical Dindshenchas, which record traditions about places.
In the 18th and 19th centuries Natanleod was frequently identified with Ambrosius Aurelianus
. Edward Gibbon
, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
, refers to this identification with skepticism: "By the unanimous, though doubtful, conjecture of our antiquarians, Ambrosius is confounded with Natanleod, who lost his own life and five thousand of his subjects in a battle against Cerdic, the West Saxon."
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...
, was a king of the Britons
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
. It is considered unlikely that any such person existed. His inclusion in the Chronicle is believed to be the product of folk etymology.
Under the year 508, a date which is not to be relied upon, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Cerdic and Cynric "killed a certain British king named Natanleod, and 5 thousand men with him – after whom the land as far as Cerdic's ford was named Natanleaga". Cerdic's ford is identified with Charford in modern Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, and Natanleaga with a marshy area, Netley Marsh
Netley Marsh
Netley Marsh is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, UK, close to the town of Totton. It lies within the New Forest District council, and the New Forest National Park. It is the alleged site of the battle between an invading Anglo Saxon army, under Cerdic and a British army under Natanleod in...
, close to the town of Totton in Hampshire.
Natanleaga, however, probably does not preserve the name of a defeated British king, but is instead derived from the Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
element naet, wet.
Natanleod is not unique as an invented persona in the early part of the Chronicle. Similar folk etymologies are believed to lie behind the Jutish
Jutes
The Jutes, Iuti, or Iutæ were a Germanic people who, according to Bede, were one of the three most powerful Germanic peoples of their time, the other two being the Saxons and the Angles...
king Wihtgar, Port, the supposed eponyom of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, and others. Campbell notes the similarity between such Anglo-Saxon traditions and the Middle Irish language
Middle Irish language
Middle Irish is the name given by historical philologists to the Goidelic language spoken in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man from the 10th to 12th centuries; it is therefore a contemporary of late Old English and early Middle English...
dindshenchas, such as the Metrical Dindshenchas, which record traditions about places.
In the 18th and 19th centuries Natanleod was frequently identified with Ambrosius Aurelianus
Ambrosius Aurelianus
Ambrosius Aurelianus, ; called Aurelius Ambrosius in the Historia Regum Britanniae and elsewhere, was a war leader of the Romano-British who won an important battle against the Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century, according to Gildas...
. Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is a non-fiction history book written by English historian Edward Gibbon and published in six volumes. Volume I was published in 1776, and went through six printings. Volumes II and III were published in 1781; volumes IV, V, VI in 1788–89...
, refers to this identification with skepticism: "By the unanimous, though doubtful, conjecture of our antiquarians, Ambrosius is confounded with Natanleod, who lost his own life and five thousand of his subjects in a battle against Cerdic, the West Saxon."