Å’thelwald 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.
References
External links
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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