White Dragon banner of Mercia

The Ancestors

Eomer (or Eomaer) (? - c. 489) was, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the great-great-grandfather of Creoda of Mercia, the first King of Mercia. He is considered the ancestor to the Kings of Mercia. Eomer himself was the son of Angeltheow. Eomer's son was Icel.
His name may have been the basis for the name of the fictional character Éomer, as J. R. R. Tolkien was an avid student of the history and language of Mercia, and based many of the names of Rohan on Mercian examples.
He is mentioned in lines 1958-1963 of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf as the son of Offa and grandson of Garmund.

Iclings (House of Icel)

Icel (or Icil) (? - c. 501) was the great-grandfather of Creoda of Mercia and the son of Éomer, last King of the Angles in Europe. Icel's son was Cnebba of Mercia.
Led his people across the North Sea to Great Britain.

Cnebba (? - c. 566) was the grandfather of Creoda of Mercia and the son of Icel. Cnebba's son was Cynewald.

Cynewald (c. 512 - c. 566) was, in semi-legendary Britain, the father of first King of Mercia: Creoda.

The Kings

King Creoda (or Crida) (c. 540 - 593) was the first monarch of Mercia (c. 585 - 593).
Creoda is recorded as having been the son of Cynewald, the grandson of Cnebba, and the great-grandson of Icel; consequently, members of the Mercian royal line were known as Iclingas. Although this suggests that Creoda was only a fourth-generation descendant of the first Angles in England, the sources nevertheless record him as having been the first ruler of the Kingdom of Mercia. One explanation for this is that the Mercians had initially settled further east and only moved into the area of what became known as Mercia in the time of Creoda.
Like most of the early Anglo-Saxon kings, very little is known about his life. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records his death in the year 593.

King Pybba (570?–606/615) (also Pibba, Wibba, Wybba) was an early King of Mercia. He was the son of Creoda and father of Penda and Eowa.
His dates are sometimes given in genealogies as birth in 570, the beginning of his reign in 593, and death in either 606 or 615, but with no apparent evidence; the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle just mentions him as father of Penda, with no further detail.
Pybba is said by the Historia Brittonum to have had 12 sons. Cearl, another Mercian king, is mentioned by Bede, and may have been Pybba's successor, but his relationship to Pybba, if any, is unknown. Pybba's son Penda eventually became king; the Chronicle gives the date of this as 626, although Bede suggests it was not until after the battle of Hatfield Chase in 633.
Besides Penda and Eowa (who the author of the Historia Brittonum said were the sons of Pybba who were the best known to him), Pybba also apparently had a son named Coenwalh. Every king from Penda until Ceolwulf, who was deposed in 823, was said to be a descendant of Pybba, either through Penda, Eowa, or Coenwalh (perhaps excluding Beornrad, who ruled briefly and whose background is unknown).

King Cearl 606-626 Ceorl see King Cearl

King Penda 626-655 last of the pagan kings, died November 15, 655, see King Penda

King Eowa 635-642 (or Eawa), brother to Penda, Co-ruler. Killed in battle. see King Eowa

Péada c. 653-656 Son of Penda. Co-ruler in the south-east Midlands. Murdered.
Peada, was briefly King of southern Mercia after his father's death in November 655 until his own death in the spring of the next year. In about the year 653, Peada was made king of the Middle Angles by his father. He declared that he would willingly become a Christian, and was baptized by Bishop Finan, with all his earls and soldiers, and their servants, that came along with him, at a noted village belonging to the king, called At the Wall. These priests were Cedd and Adda, and Betti and Diuma; the last of whom was by nation a Scot, the others English. Adda was brother to Utta, ... a renowned priest, and abbot of the monastery of Gateshead.
On November 15, 655, Oswiu defeated and killed Penda at the Battle of the Winwaed, and consequently he came to exercise power in Mercia. According to Bede, Oswiu allowed Peada to rule the southern part of Mercia; southern Mercia consisted of 5,000 families, Bede reports, while northern Mercia was populated by 7,000 families, and the two were divided by the River Trent.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Peada helped found the monastery at Peterborough and reports that Peada was "very wickedly killed" through his wife's treachery "during the very time of celebrating Easter" in 656.

655-658 Northumbrian rule Mercia was briefly conquered by Oswy of Northumbria.

Wulfhere 658-675 Brother of Péada. Restored Mercian dominance in England.
His father, Penda, was killed on 15 November 655 in the Battle of Winwaed, fighting against Oswiu of Northumbria, and his brother Peada, who became king under Oswiu's overlordship, was murdered at Easter of 656. Mercia then passed under direct Northumbrian rule. Wulfhere came to power in 658 or 659 when his family's supporters organized a revolt in and drove out Oswiu's governors.
In the 660s, Wulfhere extended his influence over the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. By 670, when Oswiu died, Wulfhere was the most powerful king in southern Britain. In 674 he challenged Oswiu's son Ecgfrith of Northumbria, but was defeated. He died, probably of disease, in 675.

Æþelred 675-704 (d. 716) Brother of Wulfhere. Abdicated and retired to a monastery at Bardney.
Æthelred was a son of King Penda of Mercia. He succeeded his brother Wulfhere as King of Mercia in 675. The Kingdom of Mercia was then tributary to King Ecgfrith of Northumbria, but following a decisive battle by the river Trent in 679, Æthelred re-established Mercian independence, but was unable to re-establish Mercian domination of southern Britain.
Unlike his brother and father, Æthelred did not have a great reputation as a warrior, but was a notably pious and religious king, and a friend of Wilfrid. His wife Osthryth was murdered in unknown circumstances in 697, and in 704 Æthelred abdicated, leaving the throne to Wulfhere's son Cenred. Æthelred became a monk at Bardney, a monastery which he had founded with his wife, and was buried there.
In 704, Æthelred became a monk, leaving the kingship to his nephew Cenred. He entered the monastery of Bardney, which he and his wife had established. He became Abbot there. The date of his death is not certainly known. He was buried at Bardney, where relics of Saint Oswald had been placed earlier in his reign.
Æthelred and Osthryth had at least one son, Ceolred, and may have had a second son named Ceolwald.

Cœnred 704-709 (d. ?) Son of Wulfhere. Abdicated and retired to Rome.
Cenred (or Coenred, Coinred, Kenred) ruled the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. The son of Wulfhere, he was probably too young to succeed to the throne when Wulfhere died in 675, and so his uncle Æthelred ruled until 704, when he abdicated. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions Cenred becoming "King of the Southumbrians" (a title of unclear meaning) in 702.
According to Bede, Cenred abdicated in favor of Æthelred's son Ceolred after four years, went with Offa (an East Saxon ruler) to Rome and was made a monk by Pope Constantine. He died at an unknown date.
Cenred's name appears on several charters granting land, including ones to Waldshere the Bishop of London, Cuthswith the Abbess of Worcester, and to the Abbey of Evesham.

Céolred 709-716 Son of Æþelred. Probably poisoned.
Ceolred (died 716) was King of Mercia from 709 to 716. He was a son of Æthelred, but not of Osthryth, Æthelred's only recorded wife. He became king following the abdication of his predecessor, Cenred. He was known for his mistreatment of the Church and, probably in large part because of this, the histories of the period leave a very negative portrayal of him, recording him as a cruel and wicked sinner.
In 715, the Mercians under Ceolred fought a battle against the West Saxons under Ine, but the outcome was not recorded. In the next year, Ceolred dramatically collapsed and died after going into a crazed frenzy at a banquet; in a letter to Ceolred's successor, Æthelbald, Saint Boniface explained this as demon possession and claimed that, in his madness, Ceolred died "cursing the priests of God".
He was married to Saint Werburga and buried at Lichfield.

Céolwald 716 Brother of Céolred. May not have existed.
Ceolwald may have been King of Mercia circa 716. King Ceolred of Mercia, a grandson of Penda died in 716 of a fit. Most Mercian king-lists have Ceolred succeeded by Æthelbald, who was not a descendant of Penda. However, one version of the Worcester Cathedral lists has Ceolred succeeded by Ceolwald.
From the similarity of their names, Ceolwald is thought to have been Ceolred's brother, and thus the last of Penda's direct descendants to have ruled in Mercia.
Ceolwald can only have been king for a short time as Æthelbald appears to have become king in the year of Ceolred's death.

Æþelbald 716-757 Grandson of Éowa. Proclaimed himself King of Britain in 746. Murdered by Béornred. King Æthelbald

Usurping King

Beornrad was briefly King of Mercia in 757, following the murder of Æthelbald. However, he was defeated by Offa and fled. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in 757: "...Aethelbald, king of Mercia, was killed at Seckington, and his body rests at Repton; and he ruled 41 years. And then Beornred succeeded to the kingdom, and held it a little while and unhappily; and that same year Offa put Beornred to flight and succeeded to the kingdom, and held it 39 years..."

House of Offa

King Offa (died July 26/29, 796) The greatest and most powerful of all Mercian kings, he proclaimed himself King of the English in 774. Built Offa's Dyke. see King Offa

King Ecgfrith (died December 796) was a King of Mercia who briefly ruled in the year 796. He was the son and heir of King Offa of Mercia and his wife Cynethryth. In 787, Offa had Ecgfrith crowned as co-ruler.
He succeeded his father in July 796, but despite Offa's efforts to secure his son's succession, it is recorded that Ecgfrith ruled for only 141 days. Since Offa died either on July 26 or July 29, this would mean that Ecgfrith died either on December 14 or December 17. He was Succeeded by Coenwulf.

House of Cœnwulf

Cœnwulf 796-821 a member of a the Mercian royal line through female descent. Assumed the title of 'emperor'. King Coenwulf.

Cynehelm (St Kenelm) 812 or 821 Son of Cœnwulf. Co-ruler. Murdered and later canonized.
Cenelm was a son of King Coenwulf of Mercia who, according to some sources, reigned as a seven-year-old child for a few months after his father's death in 821, but was murdered. However, Cenelm was also mentioned in charters from years before, which would be incompatible with an age of seven in 821, and is generally believed to have died before his father, in 812. He would have been the sixteenth king of Mercia.

Céolwulf 821-823 (d. ?) Brother of Cœnwulf. Deposed by Béornwulf. Ceolwulf I was King of Mercia and Kent, from 821 to 823. He was the brother of Cœnwulf, his predecessor, and was deposed by Beornwulf.

Elected Kings

Béornwulf 823-826 Possible relation of Béornred. Chosen by the Mercian Witan. Died in battle. King Beornwulf

Ludeca 826-827 Chosen by the Mercian Witan. Died in battle. Ludeca was the nineteenth King of Mercia, from 826 to 827. He became king after the death of Beornwulf in battle against the rebellious East Angles, but he too was killed in another failed attempt to subjugate them in the next year. Prior to his rule, he was mentioned in two charters from 824 as a dux under Beornwulf.

Wigláf (first reign) 827-829 Wiglaf was King of Mercia from 827 to 829 and again from 830 until his death in 840. His rule coincided with the continued rise of the rival Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex under Egbert. Wiglaf does not seem to have been a member of the traditional Mercian royal line, but he legitimized his position with his marriage to Cynethryth, the sister of Coenwulf and Ceolwulf I. He became king after his predecessor, Ludeca, was killed in a failed attempt to subjugate the rebellious East Anglians. At this time, Mercia was engaged in a conflict with Wessex, which had begun during the reign of Beornwulf in 825, and in 829, Ecgbert of Wessex successfully invaded Mercia and drove Wiglaf from his throne.This event marked the beginning of the domination of England by Wessex, but the Mercians possibly regained their independence and brought Wiglaf back to power in the following year. It is unclear whether this was the result of a Mercian rebellion against West Saxon rule or a grant made by Ecgbert to a submissive Wiglaf; the 20th century historian Frank Stenton argued that the former is more likely, and cited a charter of 836 as evidence that Wiglaf was acting as an independent ruler at that time.

829-830 West Saxon rule - Mercia was briefly conquered by Egbert of Wessex.

Wigláf (second reign) 830-840 .

Restored to the kingship, but from this time onwards Mercian dominance in England was lost.

Wigmund c. 840 Wigmund may have briefly reigned in Mercia in about 840, in succession to his father, Wiglaf of Mercia. He may, on the other hand, have predeceased his father and never been anything more than a co-ruler with him. He was himself the father of Wigstan of Mercia.

Wigstan 840 (d. 849) Wigstan (died 840), also known as Saint Wystan, was the son of Wigmund of Mercia and Ælfflæd, daughter of King Ceolwulf I of Mercia. Wigstan may have been sub-king, or ealdorman, of the Hwicce, and may have ruled Mercia in 839 and 840. Wigstan was killed by his successor, Beorhtwulf, who is said to have been his godfather. The cause of the dispute was Beorhtwulf's plan to marry his son Beorhtfrith to Wigstan's mother. Wigstan objected to the marriage, and Beorhtwulf's response was to have him killed at a meeting.
Wigstan's remains were reburied at Repton in 849, where his grandfather King Wiglaf was also buried, and a cult developed soon after. Repton became a centre of pilgrimage as a result. In the reign of Cnut the Great, his relics were translated to Evesham.
Of later kings of Mercia, Ceolwulf II is thought to be related to Wigstan, although the precise relationship is not known.

Béorhtwulf 840-852 Claimed to be a cousin of Wigstan. Chosen by the Mercian Witan. Beorhtwulf was the twenty-fourth king of Mercia, from 840 to 852.

Burgred 852-874 (d. ?) Chosen by the Mercian Witan. Fled to Rome in the face of a Danish invasion. Burgred or Burhred or Burghred was the last[citation needed] king of Mercia (852 - 874). (Burgred is the spelling on existing coinage.) He succeeded to the throne in 852, and in 852 or 853 called upon Ethelwulf of Wessex to aid him in subduing northern Wales. The request was granted and the campaign proved successful, the alliance being sealed by the marriage of Burgred to Aelthelswith, daughter of Ethelwulf. In 868 the Mercian king appealed to Ethelred of Wessex and his brother, Alfred the Great for assistance against the Danes, who were in possession of Nottingham. The armies of Wessex and Mercia did no serious fighting, and the Danes were allowed to remain through the winter. In 874 the march of the Danes from Lindsey to Repton drove Burgred from his kingdom.[citation needed] They appointed a Mercian ealdorman Ceolwulf to replace him, demanding oaths of loyalty to the Danes.[citation needed] Burgred retired to Rome and died there. He was buried, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, "in the church of Sancta Maria, in the school of the English nation" in Rome.
Burgred is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the years 852, 853, 868, and 874.
Coins from the reign of Burgred have been found in several hoards. In December, 2003, silver coins from the reign of King Burgred were found at a site in Yorkshire, which may be the first actual Viking ship burial in England proper.

Céolwulf the Foolish 874-883 Possibly a son of Wigmund. Set up by the Danes as a puppet ruler. King Ceolwulf II

Æþelred Mucil 883-911 Chosen by the Mercian Witan. Recognised Alfred of Wessex as his overlord. Sometimes listed as 'éaldorman' rather than 'king', especially by the West Saxons.Earl Æthelred (d. 911) was a ruler of Mercia (c. 883-911). His title was "Lord of the Mercians", and although he retained many attributes of a king, he was subject to the power of his close ally Wessex. In 886, he was given control of London by King Alfred of Wessex, whose daughter, Ethelfleda, he married. As Alfred reconquered the Danelaw, it was useful to place the heir to the divided Kingdom of Mercia in control of its former eastern region.
Aethelred was recorded as fighting many battles against the Welsh, and at one point Brochwael of Gwent appealed to Alfred for help against him. Towards the end of his life, he allowed his wife Ethelfleda to exercise many of his powers, and when he died after the Battle of Tettenhall she succeeded him.

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