Æscwine was a King of Wessex from about 674 to 676, but was probably not the only king in

Wessex The Kingdom of the West Saxons, also known as the Kingdom of Wessex, was an Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, kingdom in the south of Great Britain, from around 519 until Alfred the Great declared himself as King of the Anglo-Saxons in 886. The Anglo-Sa ...

at the time.

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

writes that after the death of King Cenwalh in 672: "his under-rulers took upon them the kingdom of the people, and dividing it among themselves, held it ten years". According to the ''

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 ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...

'' Cenwalh was succeeded as ruler for about one year by his wife Seaxburh. Æscwine reigned from about 674 to 676. Another source claims that Æscwine's father, Cenfus (), ruled for two years after Seaxburh.Cenfus is not listed in modern king lists, e.g. Yorke, Barbara, ''Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England'', pp. 133–134. The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' supplies a genealogy, making him a fifth-generation descendant of Cynric. Bede's dismissal of Æscwine as a mere sub-king may represent the views of the supporters of the King

Ine of Wessex Ine or Ini (died in or after 726) was King of Wessex from 689 to 726. At Ine's accession, his kingdom dominated much of what is now southern England. However, he was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecessor, Cædwalla of Wessex ...

, whose family ruled Wessex in Bede's time, as Ine's family were ''bona fide'' descendants of Cynric through Ceawlin's son Cuthwine. In 675, Æscwine defeated an invasion of Wessex led by the

Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

n King Wulfhere at ''Biedanheafde'', a location which has not been certainly identified. Æscwine was succeeded by

Centwine of Wessex Centwine (died after 685) was King of Wessex from c. 676 to 685 or 686, although he was perhaps not the only king of the West Saxons at the time. The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' reports that Centwine became king c. 676, succeeding Æscwine. B ...

References

External links & Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aescwine Of Wessex West Saxon monarchs 670s deaths 7th-century English monarchs Year of birth unknown House of Wessex