Everything about Thelfrith Of Northumbria totally explained
Æthelfrith (died c.
616) was
King of
Bernicia from c.
593 until c.
616; he was also, beginning c.
604, the first Bernician king to also rule
Deira, to the south of Bernicia. Since Deira and Bernicia were the two basic components of what would later be defined as
Northumbria, Æthelfrith can be considered, in historical terms, the first Northumbrian king. He was especially notable for his successes against the
British and his victory over the
Irish of
Dál Riata. Although he was defeated and killed in battle and replaced by a dynastic rival, his line was eventually restored to power in the
630s.
Background
Æthelfrith, son of
Æthelric and grandson of
Ida, apparently succeeded
Hussa as king of the Bernicians around the year 592 or 593; Æthelfrith's accession may have involved dynastic rivalry and the exile of Hussa's relatives. The
Historia Brittonum says that Æthelfrith ruled Bernicia for twelve years and ruled Deira for another twelve years, which can be taken to mean that he ruled in Bernicia alone from about 592 to 604, at which point he also came to the throne of Deira. His predecessors are obscure; Æthelfrith is the earliest Bernician ruler about whom any significant details are known.
Conquests
Bede tells of Æthelfrith's great successes over the British, while also noting his
paganism (the conversion of Northumbria didn't begin until a decade after his death): he "ravaged the Britons more than all the great men of the English, insomuch that he might be compared to
Saul, once king of the
Israelites, excepting only this, that he was ignorant of the true religion. For he conquered more territories from the Britons, either making them tributary, or driving the inhabitants clean out, and planting English in their places, than any other king or tribune." It may have been Æthelfrith who destroyed the British army at the
Battle of Catraeth (
Catterick, c. 600); the battle is described in the early poem
Gododdin. The British called him
Flesaur, or "the twister". It was under Æthelfrith that Bernicia's boundaries pushed significantly inland from the coast, and penetrated further into British territory. The battle appears to have been costly for Æthelfrith as well, however; Bede says that Æthelfrith's brother Theodbald was killed, "with almost all the forces he commanded". The appearance of
Hering, son of Hussa, Æthelfrith's predecessor, on the side of the invaders seems to indicate dynastic rivalry among the Bernicians. Æthelfrith may have come to terms with the Irish of Dál Riata after this, judging from the fact that Æthelfrith's subsequent known military campaigns took place in other parts of Britain; that his sons were later able to take refuge among the Irish of Dál Riata after Æthelfrith's own death in battle may be significant.
Æthelfrith gained control of Deira around 604; the circumstances of this are unknown. That he gained Deira through conquest is suggested by the exile of
Edwin, son of the former king
Ælla, and
Hereric, Edwin's nephew, who were both notable members of the Deiran royal line; the short five-year reign of
Aethelric of Deira, who ruled immediately prior to Æthelfrith's acquisition of Deira, may also indicate conquest. and it seems clear that he spent time in
Mercia, because he married a daughter of king
Cearl. Ultimately, he took refuge in
East Anglia, where his presence precipitated the events that caused Æthelfrith's downfall.
It was also around 604 that Æthelfrith's son
Oswald was born. Oswald's mother was Acha, daughter of Ælla, and thus Edwin's sister. Although Bede doesn't explicitly say Æthelfrith married Acha, it's thought that he did so; he may have married her prior to taking power in Deira, in which case the marriage may have facilitated it, or he may have done so afterwards in order to consolidate his position there. Bede also says that Bamburgh was named after a former queen named Bebba, although he doesn't mention Æthelfrith. It has been suggested that she "was probably Æthelfrith's first and most important wife". Æthelfrith attacked the
Kingdom of Powys and defeated its army in a
battle at Chester, in which the Powysian king
Selyf Sarffgadau was killed, along with another king called Cetula, who was probably
Cadwal Crysban of
Rhôs. He also massacred the
monks of
Bangor-Is-Coed who were assembled to aid the British by their
prayers. Bede says that he decided to attack them because, although they were not armed, they were opposing him through their prayers. The number of dead monks was said to be about 1200, with only fifty escaping. It has been suggested that Æthelfrith may have done this for tactical reasons, to catch the British by surprise and force them to change their plans in order to protect the monks. Æthelfrith's victory at Chester has been seen as having great strategic importance, as it may have resulted in the separation of the British between those in
Wales and those to the north; however, Stenton noted that Bede was mainly concerned with the massacre of the monks and doesn't indicate that he regarded the battle as a historical "turning-point".
Rivals
The Deiran exile Hereric was poisoned while at the court of
Ceretic, king of
Elmet; Æthelfrith may have been responsible for this killing. Edwin ended up in
East Anglia, under the protection of its king,
Raedwald. Æthelfrith sent messengers to bribe Raedwald with "a great sum of money" into killing Edwin; Bede reports that his first message had no effect, but Æthelfrith sent more messengers and threatened war if Raedwald didn't comply. (Bribes and threats of this kind may have previously been used to accomplish Hereric's killing. While presented by Bede as being fought simply over the issue of Edwin, this war may have actually involved questions of power and territory between the two rulers. Following Æthelfrith's death, Edwin became king not just of Deira but of Bernicia as well; Æthelfrith's sons
Eanfrith,
Oswald, and
Oswiu fled to the north. Thus Æthelfrith's death in battle has been seen as causing "a near total revolution in the politics of what is now northern England".
Notes and references
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