Æscwine or Erkenwine (died 587) is listed in some Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies as the first king of Essex and father of Sledd. Most sources list Sledd as the first king and Æscwine's existence is uncertain.

Background

Little evidence is available for his existence. His name ''Æscwine'' first appears in an East-Saxon genealogy which is imperfectly preserved in

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Add. MS 23211, presumably of the late 9th century. Here he is said to be father to King Sledd and himself a son of Offa, son of Bedca, son of Sigefugl, son of Swæppa, son of Antsecg, son of Gesecg, son of Seaxnet (

euhemerized In the fields of philosophy and mythography, euhemerism () is an approach to the interpretation of mythology in which mythological accounts are presumed to have originated from real historical events or personages. Euhemerism supposes that histor ...

god of the Saxons), whom the later genealogies make son of

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. Further information is supplied by works of historians writing in the 12th and 13th centuries, who appear to have used pre-Conquest material, ''viz.,''

Henry of Huntingdon Henry of Huntingdon (; 1088 – 1157), the son of a canon in the diocese of Lincoln, was a 12th-century English historian and the author of ''Historia Anglorum'' (Medieval Latin for "History of the English"), as "the most important Anglo- ...

's ''Historia Anglorum'', Roger of Wendover's ''Flores Historiarum'' and

Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris (; 1200 – 1259), was an English people, English Benedictine monk, English historians in the Middle Ages, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts, and cartographer who was based at St A ...

's ''Chronica Majora''. These, however, substitute the name ''Æscwine'' with ''Erkenwine'' or ''Erchenwine'' as Sledd's father. Both these names seem to betray Kentish connections. On no known authority, Roger of Wendover and Matthew Paris state that Erkenwine founded the kingdom in 527 and reigned from that year to 587, when he died and was succeeded by his son Sledd. The reputed length of his reign appears unlikely for the time. Alternatively, genealogies included in the works of

William of Malmesbury William of Malmesbury (; ) was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. He has been ranked among the most talented English historians since Bede. Modern historian C. Warren Hollister described him as "a gifted historical scholar and a ...

and

John of Worcester John of Worcester (died c. 1140) was an English monk and chronicler who worked at Worcester Priory. He is now usually held to be the author of the . Works John of Worcester's principal work was the (Latin for "Chronicle from Chronicles") or ...

make Sledd the first king of Essex and genealogies for later kings Offa, Sigered and Swithred in Add. MS 23211 converge on Sledd. According to tradition, he is remembered for having rebelled against Octa, King of Kent, he defeated him in battle in 527 at a site near modern-day Millfields in Hackney, establishing the

Kingdom of Essex The Kingdom of the East Saxons (; ), referred to as the Kingdom of Essex , was one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was founded in the 6th century and covered the territory later occupied by the counties of Essex ...

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aescwine of Essex 6th-century English monarchs East Saxon monarchs Anglo-Saxon founding monarchs Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Anglo-Saxon people whose existence is disputed Anglo-Saxon people