Oswine, King of Kent, jointly with

Swæfberht Swæfberht was a King of Kent, reigning jointly with Oswine, and possibly also Swæfheard. Swæfberht issued an undated charter that was witnessed by Oswin and is probably the ''Gabertus'' who witnessed a charter issued by Oswine in July 68 He is ...

and

Swæfheard Swæfheard was a king of Kent, reigning jointly with Oswine, Wihtred, and possibly Swæfberht. Swæfheard's chartedated 1 March 689, in the second year of his reign, identifies his father as Sæbbi of Essex, Sæbbi, King of Essex (''ac consensu ...

. Oswine is known from charters: on

is dated 26 January 690, witnessed by Swæfheard, and implies Oswine's descent from Eormenred of Kent, Eormenred; and a thir

which is undated, but again witnessed by Swæfheard, expresses Oswine's gratitude for his restoration to the kingdom of his fathers (''gratias refero miserenti Deo omnipotenti qui confirmauit me in regno patrum meorum et dedit mihi domum cognationis mee'').

Background

After the death of

Eadric of Kent Eadric (died August 686/ 687?) was a King of Kent (685–686). He was the son of Ecgberht I. Historical context In the 7th century the Kingdom of Kent had been politically stable for some time. According to Bede: Eorcenberht was succeeded by ...

, Kent was in turmoil.

Cædwalla of Wessex Cædwalla (; 659 – 20 April 689 AD) was the King of Wessex from approximately 685 until he abdicated in 688. His name is derived from the Welsh Cadwallon. He was exiled from Wessex as a youth and during this period gathered forces and ...

invaded in 686 and installed his brother

Mul of Kent Mul ( ang, Mūl, literally "mule") (died 687) was an Anglo-Saxon ruler of the Kingdom of Kent in England. Biography The name Mul is very unusual and it has been postulated that it derives from the Latin ''mulus'' meaning mule, a word which is ...

as king. Mul was killed in an uprising a year later. Cædwalla returned and laid waste to Kent leaving it in a state of chaos. He may have ruled Kent directly after this second invasion. However, he abdicated in 688 and went on a pilgrimage to Rome, possibly because he was dying of wounds suffered while fighting on the Isle of Wight.

Charters

Oswine was of the royal house of Kent. Gordon Ward, writing in ''Archaeologia Cantiana'' suggests that Oswine was a grandson of

Eormenred of Kent Eormenred (died before 664) 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 conside ...

, possibly the son of Æthelred of East Kent. A charter of January 690 granting land in

Sturry Sturry is a village on the Great Stour river situated northeast of Canterbury in Kent. Its large civil parish incorporates several hamlets and, until April 2019, the former mining village of Hersden. Geography Sturry lies at the old Roman jun ...

to Æbba, abbess of

Minster-in-Thanet Minster, also known as Minster-in-Thanet, is a village and civil parish in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is the site of Minster in Thanet Priory. The village is west of Ramsgate (which is the post town) and to the north east of Cant ...

states that they were closely related ("carnali propinquitate proxime"). It also indicates that Oswine had the support of

Æthelred of Mercia Æthelred (; died after 704) was king of Mercia from 675 until 704. He was the son of Penda of Mercia and came to the throne in 675, when his brother, Wulfhere of Mercia, died from an illness. Within a year of his accession he invaded Kent, w ...

. Oswine appears to have ruled jointly with

, son of

Sæbbi of Essex Sæbbi (also known as Saint Sebbi or Sebba; before 626 – 695) was son of Sexred and was the joint King of Essex from 664 to about 683 along with his cousin, Sighere. After Sighere died, Sæbbi became sole ruler of Essex until 694. Life Sigh ...

, Oswine ruling the eastern half of Kent.Yorke, Barbara, ''Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England'', 2002, Routledge, p. 30
In a charter of July 689, Oswine, king of Kent, granted to St Peter's Minster and Abbot Hadrian 1 sulung (aratrum) of iron-bearing land, formerly belonging to the royal vill at

Lyminge Lyminge is a village in southeast Kent, England. It lies about five miles (8 km) from Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel, on the road passing through the Elham Valley. At the 2011 Census the population of Etchinghill was included. The Na ...

, Kent."S12", Electronic Sawyer, Kings College, London
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Kentish Monarchs Kentish monarchs 7th-century English monarchs

Background

Charters

See also

References

External links