Å’thelwald Of Deira
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Œthelwald was a King of Deira (651–c. 655). He was the son of King Oswald of Northumbria, who was killed at the Battle of Maserfield in 642. After
Oswine of Deira Oswine, Oswin or Osuine (died 20 August 651) was a King of Deira in northern England. Life Oswine succeeded King Oswald of Northumbria, probably around the year 644, after Oswald's death at the Battle of Maserfield. Oswine was the son of Os ...
was killed by Oswiu of Bernicia in 651, Å’thelwald became king; it is uncertain whether Oswiu (who was Å’thelwald's uncle) installed him as king or whether Å’thelwald took the kingship in opposition to Oswiu. He subsequently allied himself with Oswiu's enemy,
Penda of Mercia Penda (died 15 November 655)Manuscript A of the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' gives the year as 655. Bede also gives the year as 655 and specifies a date, 15 November. R. L. Poole (''Studies in Chronology and History'', 1934) put forward the theor ...
, and assisted Penda during his invasion of Northumbria in 655. However, when the armies of Oswiu and Penda met on 15 November at the
Battle of the Winwaed The Battle of the Winwaed ( Welsh: ''Maes Gai''; ) was fought on 15 November 655 between King Penda of Mercia and Oswiu of Bernicia, ending in the Mercians' defeat and Penda's death. According to Bede, the battle marked the effective de ...
, Å’thelwald withdrew his forces. Penda was defeated and killed, perhaps in part because of this desertion, and afterward Å’thelwald seems to have lost Deira to Alchfrith, who was installed there by the victorious Oswiu. Å’thelwald's fate is unknown, as nothing is formally recorded of him after the battle.Kirby, page 81. Local tradition, however, held that he became a hermit in Kirkdale,
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
. Although he allied himself with the
pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
Penda, Å’thelwald was a pious
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
and was remembered for his generosity towards St. Cedd, to whom he granted land for a monastery.


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oethelwald of Deira Anglo-Saxon warriors Deiran monarchs 7th-century English monarchs 620s births 7th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Place of birth unknown Year of death unknown Place of death unknown Burials at Lastingham Priory