Events from the 8th century in England.

Events

* 700 ** Osgyth, Abbess of Chich in Essex, is killed. ** Approximate date – Beverley Minster is founded by John of Beverley. * 704 ** Æthelred of Mercia abdicates to become a monk at Bardney and is succeeded as king by his nephew Coenred. * 705 ** Wilfrid is re-instated as Bishop of Ripon. **

Bede Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...

completes his first chronological work. ** Approximate date *** The Diocese of Sherborne is created from part of that of Winchester with

Aldhelm Aldhelm ( ang, Ealdhelm, la, Aldhelmus Malmesberiensis) (c. 63925 May 709), Abbot of Malmesbury Abbey, Bishop of Sherborne, and a writer and scholar of Latin poetry, was born before the middle of the 7th century. He is said to have been the so ...

as first bishop. *** John of Beverley is elevated from Bishop of Hexham to Bishop of York. * 709 ** Coenred of Mercia abdicates to become a monk in Rome and is succeeded as king by his cousin Ceolred. * 710 ** Picts unsuccessfully invade Northumbria. ** Approximate date – Bishop Wilfrid dies at Oundle. * 715 ** Approximate date – Completion of Lindisfarne Gospels. * 716 ** Æthelbald becomes King of Mercia on the death of Ceolred, marking the beginning of that kingdom's ascendancy over the other Saxon realms. ** The ' Codex Amiatinus', the earliest surviving complete manuscript of the Vulgate, produced at Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey, is taken to Italy as a gift to the Pope. * 721 ** Death of Bishop Eadfrith of Lindisfarne. * 722 ** King Ine of Wessex fails to conquer Cornwall, being defeated at the three battles of Hehil, Garth Maelog, and Pencon. * 725 ** 23 April – King Wihtred of Kent dies leaving the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent to his three sons: Æthelberht II, Eadberht and Alric. * 726 ** King Ine of Wessex abdicates to travel to Rome and is succeeded by Æthelheard. * Before 730 ** Northumbria annexes Rheged. * 731 ** Bede completes his ''

Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum The ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People'' ( la, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum), written by Bede in about AD 731, is a history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict be ...

'' (''Ecclesiastical History of the English People''). ** 13 January – death of

Berhtwald Berhtwald (died 731) was the ninth Archbishop of Canterbury in England. Documentary evidence names Berhtwald as abbot at Reculver before his election as archbishop. Berhtwald begins the first continuous series of native-born Archbishops of Ca ...

, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Tatwine. * 732 ** Wilfrid II resigns the Bishopric of York and is succeeded by Ecgbert who establishes a library and school in York. * 734 ** 30 July – death of Tatwine, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Nothhelm. * 735 ** Bishopric of York elevated to an Archbishopric; Ecgbert becomes the first Archbishop. * 736 ** King Æthelbald of Mercia describes himself as "King of Britain". * 739 ** 17 October – death of Nothhelm, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by

Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...

. * 740 ** Approximate date – Æthelheard of Wessex is succeeded by Cuthred. * 747 ** First

Council of Clofeshoh The Councils of Clovesho or Clofesho were a series of synod, synods attended by Anglo-Saxon kings, bishops, abbots and nobles in the 8th and 9th centuries. They took place at an unknown location in the Kingdom of Mercia. Location The location of ...

reforms the Church. * 749 ** Edict of Gumley: Church freed from its economic obligations to the King of Mercia. * 750 ** King Eadberht of Northumbria invades the Kingdom of Strathclyde, capturing Kyle. * 752 ** Battle of Beorhford: Cuthred of Wessex defeats Æthelbald of Mercia at Battle Edge, Burford,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. * 753 ** Cuthred of Wessex fights the Cornish. * 756 ** King Eadberht captures Dumbarton, capital of Strathclyde. * 757 ** King Æthelbald of Mercia murdered; succeeded by

Offa Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æt ...

. ** King

Sigeberht of Wessex Sigeberht (meaning roughly "Magnificent Victory") was the King of Wessex from 756 to 757. Sigeberht succeeded his distant relative Cuthred, but was then accused of acting unjustly. After ruling a year he was accused of unlawful acts and removed f ...

deposed and murdered; succeeded by Cynewulf.Dated 755 in the very full entry in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''. ** Wat's Dyke constructed. * 758 ** King Eadberht of Northumbria abdicates to enter a monastery at York; succeeded by his son Oswulf. * 759 ** 24 July – King Oswulf of Northumbria is murdered at Market Weighton; succeeded by Æthelwald Moll (crowned 5 August). * 760 ** Battle of Hereford: Battle between Mercia and the Welsh; Dyfnwal ap Tewdwr dies. ** 26 October – death of

, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Bregowine (consecrated 27 September 761). * 761 ** 6 August – Battle of Eildon: King Æthelwald Moll of Northumbria defeats and kills a rival, Oswine, in a 3-day battle in Scotland. * 764 ** Offa conquers Kent. ** August – death of Bregowine, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by

Jænberht Jænberht (died 12 August 792) was a medieval monk, and later the abbot, of St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury who was named Archbishop of Canterbury in 765. As archbishop, he had a difficult relationship with King Offa of Mercia, who at one point ...

(consecrated 2 February 765 at Offa's court). * 765 ** 30 October – King Æthelwald Moll of Northumbria deposed; succeeded by Alhred. * 771 ** Offa conquers

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

. * 774 ** Offa first uses the title "King of the English". ** King Alhred of Northumbria is deposed; succeeded by Æthelred. * 776 **

Battle of Otford The Battle of Otford was a battle fought in 776 between the Mercians, led by Offa of Mercia, and the Jutes of Kent. The battle took place at Otford, in the modern English county of Kent. The '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' recorded that the Merci ...

: Kent expels the Mercians. * 778 ** Offa raids Dyfed. * 779 ** Æthelred I of Northumbria is deposed for the first time; succeeded by

Ælfwald I of Northumbria Ælfwald (born between 759 and 767 AD) was king of Northumbria from 779 to 788. He is thought to have been a son of Oswulf, and thus a grandson of Eadberht Eating. Ælfwald became king after Æthelred son of Æthelwald Moll was deposed in 7 ...

* 779 ** Hygeberht becomes Bishop of Lichfield. * 784 ** Offa raids Wales. ** Construction of Offa's Dyke begins. * 786 ** Papal legates hold councils in Mercia and Northumbria. ** Mercia regains control of Kent. ** King

Cynewulf of Wessex Cynewulf was the King of Wessex from 757 until his death in 786. He ruled for about 29 years. He was a direct male descendant of Cerdic. Cynewulf became king after his predecessor, Sigeberht, was deposed. He may have come to power under the inf ...

is killed in a surprise attack at his mistress's house in Marten or Merton by Cyneheard the Ætheling (brother of the deposed Sigeberht), who also dies in the attack;

Beorhtric Beorhtric (meaning "magnificent ruler"; also spelled Brihtric) (died 802) was the King of Wessex from 786 to 802, succeeding Cynewulf. During his rule, however, his wife and father-in-law had most of the power. Early life The names of his par ...

takes the throne with the support of his father-in-law Offa. * 787 ** Offa issues the first silver

penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

. ** At a Synod of Chelsea, Offa has his son

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

as King; the first such ceremony in England. * 788 ** 23 September –

is murdered, probably at Chesters, by

ealdorman Ealdorman (, ) was a term in Anglo-Saxon England which originally applied to a man of high status, including some of royal birth, whose authority was independent of the king. It evolved in meaning and in the eighth century was sometimes applied ...

Sicga and succeeded by his first cousin Osred II as king of Northumbria. ** At Offa's urging, the Pope elevates the Bishopric of Lichfield (under Hygeberht) to an Archbishopric. * 789 ** Charlemagne establishes a trade embargo on the English after failed negotiations for his daughter to marry Offa's son. ** Norse activity in the British Isles: Viking raid on England, at Portland. * 790 ** Æthelred is restored as king of Northumbria following the deposition of Osred II and institutes minting of the styca to replace the silver sceat. * 792 ** 12 August – death of

, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Æthelhard. ** October – Osred, the deposed king of Northumbria, returns from exile and is murdered. * 793 ** 8 June – Vikings raid

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...

. * 794 ** 6 January? – Vikings raid

Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne ...

. ** 20 May – King Æthelberht II of East Anglia is beheaded on the order of King Offa of Mercia at Sutton Walls, Herefordshire. * 796 ** 18 April – Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered at Corbridge by a group led by ealdormen Ealdred and Wada. Osbald succeeds him as king of Northumbria for 27 days before going into exile, initially in Lindisfarne. ** 14 May – Eardwulf succeeds as king of Northumbria. ** 29 July –

Offa of Mercia Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was List of monarchs of Mercia, King of Mercia, a kingdom of History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa of Mercia, Eowa, Offa came to ...

dies having raided Dyfed and possibly fought in the Battle of Rhuddlan Marsh (perhaps against Caradog ap Meirion). He is buried, maybe at Bedford, and succeeded by his son Ecgfrith who reigns only until December; Wessex regains its independence.''

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 Alf ...

''. Offa's widow Cynethryth becomes abbess of

Cookham Abbey Cookham Abbey was an Anglo-Saxon monastery in Berkshire, England. It was established by 726. History Situated south of the Thames, Cookham was traditionally part of Wessex, but being near a Roman crossing point the abbey was captured in 733 by Æ ...

. ** December – Ecgfrith is succeeded by Coenwulf of Mercia. ** Kent rebels against Mercia again. * 798 ** Kentish rebellion suppressed. ** Saxons kill Caradog ap Meirion, King of

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

.'' Annales Cambriae''

Births

* c. 700 – Lullus, Archbishop of Mainz (d. 786)

References

{{England early year nav British history timelines