Northumbria, a kingdom of Angles in northern England, was initially divided into two kingdoms, Bernicia and Deira. The two were first united by Aethelfrith around the year 604, and except for occasional periods of division over the subsequent century, they remained so.

The exceptions are during the brief period from 633 to 634, when Northumbria was plunged into chaos by the death of King Edwin in battle and the ruinous invasion of Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd. The unity of the Northumbrian kingdoms was restored after Cadwallon's death in battle in 634.

Another exception is a period from about the year 644 to 664, when kings ruled individually over Deira. In 651, King Oswiu had Oswine of Deira killed and replaced by Aethelwald, but Aethelwald did not prove to be a loyal sub-king, allying with the Mercian king Penda; according to Bede, Aethelwald acted as Penda's guide during the latter's invasion of Northumbria but withdrew his forces when the Mercians met the Northumbrians at the Battle of Winwaed. After the Mercian defeat at Winwaed, Aethelwald lost power and Oswiu's own son, Alchfrith, became king in his place. In 670, Aelfwine, the brother of the childless King Ecgfrith, was made king of Deira; by this point the title may have been used primarily to designate an heir. Aelfwine was killed in battle against Mercia in 679, and there was not another separate king of Deira until the time of Norse rule.

Following are lists of the kings of Bernicia, Deira, and Northumbria. Note that many of their dates, particularly in the earlier period, are considered unreliable.

This was a time when spellings varied widely, even within a document. A number of variations of the details below exist. Amongst these are the preference between þ and ð (hard and soft 'th').

The character '7' was used as the ampersand '&' in contemporary Anglo-Saxon writings. The era pre-dates the emergence of forms of writing accepted today, notably minuscule, and the letters 'W' and 'U'. Where W was followed by U this was generally rendered as 'VV' (which was also used for 'W' alone).

The Kings of Bernicia

Esa (Oesa) fl.500

Eoppa fl.c.520 - Eoppa (died c. 547) was an early ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records him as the son of Esa and grandson of Ingwy.

Ida 547 to 559 - Ida or Ida the Flamebearer (died 559) was a ruler (probably the founder) of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia between 547 and 559.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records him as the son of Eoppa of Bernicia, grandson of Esa and great-grandson of Ingwy. He was married to Bearnoch. According to some sources they had 8 children of whom 6 became kings. The best source for information on Ida is the historian Nennius.
Ida, an Angle, is said to have landed at Flamborough subsequently making Bamburgh his capital.
It is thought that Ida had between eight and twelve sons. Those of his children who were recorded for posterity are:
Glappa of Bernicia
Adda of Bernicia
Æthelric of Bernicia
Theodric of Bernicia
Frithuwald of Bernicia
Hussa of Bernicia
Ogg of Bernicia
Alric of Bernicia

Glappa (Clappa) 559 to 560 - Glappa of Bernicia ruled from 559 to 560. He was the second known king of Bernicia.
He was one of between 8 to 12 sons born to Ida of Bernicia, founder of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia. Nothing is known of his life and reign. The earliest authorities differ widely on the order and the regnal years of the kings between the death of Ida and the beginning of Æthelfrith's rule (592/593).

Adda 560 to 568 - Adda was the third known ruler of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Bernicia which he ruled from 560 to 568.
Adda was one of several sons born to Ida, the first ruler of Bernicia, as was his successor Æthelric. He led the Bernicians to victory against Peredur and Gwrgi of Ebrauc. Ebrauc ceased to exist as a British kingdom after the battle, Deira taking over its territory. Nothing else is known for certain about Adda's life or reign. The earliest authorities differ widely on the order and the regnal years of the Bernician kings between the death of Ida and the beginning of Æthelfrith's rule in 592/593.

Æthelric 568 to 572 - Aethelric was the fourth known king of the Kingdom of Bernicia which he ruled from 568 to 572. Aethelric was the father of Æthelfrith, who was the first monarch to rule both Bernicia and Deira, the two constituent parts of what came to be considered Northumbria.
Aethelric was one of the sons born to Ida of Bernicia, founder of the kingdom. Nothing is known for certain of Aethelric's life and reign. The earliest authorities differ widely on the order and the regnal years of the kings between the death of Ida and the beginning of Æthelfrith's rule in 592/593.

Theodric (Deoric) 572 to 579 - Theodric ruled from 572 to 579. He was the fifth known ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia.
Theodric was the son of Ida of Bernicia, founder of the kingdom of Bernicia. Little is known of Theodric's life and reign although Urien, the king of Rheged, was said to have subjected Theodric and his sons to a three day siege on the island of Lindisfarne. According to medieval Welsh poetry (such as the poem Gweith Argoed Llwyfain (The Battle of Argoed Llwyfain or Battle of Leeming Lane) from the Book of Taliesin), Theodric was killed in battle by Urien's son, Owain mab Urien, after Theodric demanded hostages and Owain refused to give in.
The dates for Theodric's rule are conjecture; the earliest authorities differ widely on the order and the regnal years of the kings between the death of Ida and the beginning of Æthelfrith's rule in 592/593.

Frithuwald (Frithewlf) 579 to 585 - Frithuwald of Bernicia ruled from 579 to 585. He was the sixth known ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia.
Frithuwald was the son of Ida of Bernicia, founder of the kingdom of Bernicia. Nothing is known of Frithuwald's life and reign. The earliest authorities differ widely on the order and the regnal years of the kings between the death of Ida and the beginning of Æthelfrith's rule in 592/593.

Hussa 585 to 593 - Hussa ruled from 585 to 592 and was the seventh known ruler of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia.
It is not entirely certain whether Hussa was the son of Ida, founder of the kingdom of Bernicia, or rather the leader of a rival Anglian faction. Little is known of Hussa's life and reign, however. At some point during his reign, the coalition forces of Rheged and the Brythonic kingdoms of Strathclyde, Bernicia and Elmet laid siege to Hussa and was almost successful in driving the Anglian Bernician kings out of Britain. It is thought this alliance ultimately failed due to arguments between the different British tribes culminating in the murder of Urien, the king of Rheghed, around 590 by his former ally, Morcant.
Nevertheless, there is some evidence from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that following Hussa's death, there was a schism between his family and that of Æthelfrith, Hussa's successor, for it states that Hering son of Hussa, led Áedán mac Gabráin's forces against Æthelfrith at the Battle of Degsastan in 603.
The years of Hussa's reign are conjecture: the earliest authorities differ widely on the order and the regnal years of the kings between the death of Ida and the beginning of Æthelfrith's rule in 592/593.

Æthelfrith 593 to 616 Killed in battle - Æthelfrith (died c. 616) was King of Bernicia from c. 593 until c. 616; he was also, beginning c. 604, the first Bernician king to also rule Deira, to the south of Bernicia. see King Aethelfrith

Deira Dynasty

Edwin 616 to 12/14 October 632 Killed in battle by Penda, King of Mercia - Saint Edwin (alternately Eadwine or Æduini) (c. 586–October 12, 632/633) was the King of Deira and Bernicia - which would later become known as Northumbria - from about 616 until his death. He converted to Christianity and was baptised in 627; after he fell at the Battle of Hatfield Chase, he was venerated as a saint. See (saint) King Edwin

Bernicia Dynasty

Eanfrith late 632 to 633 - Eanfrith (590-634) was briefly King of Bernicia from 633 to 634. He was the son of Æthelfrith, a Bernician king who had also ruled Deira to the south before being killed in battle around 616 against Raedwald of East Anglia, who had given refuge to Edwin, an exiled prince of Deira. see King Eanfrith

Osric late 633 to summer 634 - Osric (died 633 or 634) was a King of Deira (632–633 or 633–634) in northern England. He was a cousin of king Edwin of Northumbria, being the son of Edwin's uncle Aelfric. Osric was also the father of Oswine.
After Edwin was killed in battle against Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd and Penda of Mercia, Northumbria fell into disarray, with Eanfrith taking power in the sub-kingdom of Bernicia and Osric taking power in Deira. According to Bede, Osric was, like Eanfrith, a Christian who reverted to paganism upon coming to power.
Cadwallon continued his ruinous invasion of Northumbria, however. Bede says that Osric besieged Cadwallon "in a strong town", but Cadwallon successfully "sallied out on a sudden with all his forces, by surprise, and destroyed him [Osric] and all his army."
The year in which he and Eanfrith ruled was subsequently deemed so abhorrent because of their paganism that it was decided to add that year to the reign of the Christian Oswald of Bernicia, who defeated Cadwallon and came to rule both Bernicia and Deira, so as to ignore the brief reigns of Osric and Eanfrith.

Oswald 634 to 5 August 641 - Killed by Penda, King of Mercia; Saint Oswald - see King Oswald

Oswiu late 641 to 654 - Became King of united Northumbria - (c. 612–15 February 670), also known as Oswy, was King of Bernicia. His father, Æthelfrith of Bernicia, was killed in battle, fighting against Rædwald, King of the East Angles and Edwin of Deira at the River Idle in 616. Along with his brothers and their supporters, Oswiu was then exiled until Edwin's death in 633. See King Oswiu

644 to 651 Oswine - Murdered - Oswine or Osuine (d. August 20, 651) was a King of Deira in northern England. He succeeded King Oswald of Northumbria, probably around the year 644, after Oswald's death at the Battle of Maserfield. Oswine was the son of Osric.
His succession, perhaps the choice of the people of Deira, split the Kingdom of Northumbria. Oswiu was the successor of Bernicia to the north. After years of peaceful rule, Oswiu declared war on Oswine. Oswine refused to engage in battle, instead retreating to Gilling, where he was betrayed by a friend, and murdered by Oswiu’s soldiers.

Æthelwold summer 651 to late 654 or 655 - 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 was killed by Oswiu of Bernicia in 651, Œthelwald became king; it is uncertain whether Oswiu (who was Œthelwald's uncle) installed him as king or whether Œthelwald took the kingship in opposition to Oswiu. He subsequently allied himself with Oswiu's enemy, Penda of Mercia, and assisted Penda during his invasion of Northumbria in 655. However, when the armies of Oswiu and Penda met on November 15 at the Battle of the Winwaed, Æthelwold withdrew his forces. Penda was defeated and killed, perhaps in part because of this desertion, and afterward Œthelwald seems to have lost Deira to Alchfrith, who was installed there by the victorious Oswiu. Œthelwald's fate is unknown, as nothing is recorded of him after the battle.
Although he allied himself with the pagan Penda, Œthelwald was a pious Christian and was remembered for his generosity towards St. Chad, to whom he granted land for a monastery.

Oswiu 654 to 15 August 670 - Restored - See King Oswiu

Alchfrith 656 to 664 - Alchfrith or Ealhfrith was a son of King Oswiu of Northumbria and Rieinmelth of Rheged.
Around 655 Eahlfrith was appointed by his father as sub-king of Deira, the southern part of the Northumbrian kingdom. He replaced his cousin Æthelwold, who had supported Oswiu's enemy Penda of Mercia in the campaign leading up to the Battle of the Winwaed. Eahlfrith was married to Penda's daughter Cyneburh; Cyneburh's brother Peada was doubly Eahlfrith's brother-in-law as he later married Eahlfrith's sister Ealhflæd.
At the Synod of Whitby in 664, Eahlfrith was the chief supporter of Wilfrid. Bede, in the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (Book III, chapter 14), states that Ealhfrith attacked his father. No further details are known. Bede's Lives of the Abbots states that Eahlfrith asked his father for permission to accompany Benedict Biscop on a pilgrimage to Rome, but the dating of this request is unclear. With this, Eahlfrith disappears from the record.
While generally presumed to be the son of Aldfrith, a half-brother of Eahlfrith, the possibility is admitted that Osric may have been a son of Eahlfrith and Cyneburh.

Aelfwine 670 to 679 - Aelfwine (c. 661–679) was a King of Deira (670–679). He was a son of Oswiu of Northumbria and a brother of Ecgfrith of Northumbria.
After the succession of Ecgfrith as king of Northumbria in 670, he made Aelfwine king of the sub-kingdom of Deira. Aelfwine was still a boy at the time, and the title may have been intended to designate him as the heir of the childless Ecgfrith. He was, however, killed in battle against the Mercians at the river Trent in 679. This provoked the outrage of the Northumbrians, but further conflict was averted by the intervention of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore, who persuaded Æthelred of Mercia to pay a weregild in compensation for Aelfwine's death.

The Kings of Northumbria

Oswiu 654 to 15 February 670 - Hither of Bernicia and Deira - See King Oswiu

Ecgfrith February 670 to 20 May 685 - Killed in battle against the Picts - Ecgfrith (c. 645–May 20, 685) was the King of Northumbria from 670 until his death. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat in which he lost his life. See King Ecgfrith

Aldfrith (Ealdfrith, Aldfrid) May 685 to 14 December 705 - Aldfrith (born before c. 650 - died 14 December 705) was King of Northumbria. He was a son of Oswiu of Northumbria and Fín, an Irish princess. His name sometimes appears as Aldfrid and as the Latin Aldfridus. In Classical Irish sources his name also appears as Flann Fína mac Ossu. See King Aldfrith

Eadwulf late 704 to early 705 - Usurper - Eadwulf was king of Northumbria from death of Aldfrith in December 704 until February or March of 705, when Aldfrith's son Osred was restored to the throne.
Osred was a child when his father died, and it is assumed that Eadwulf usurped the throne. Eadwulf's relationship, if any, to the ruling dynasty descendants of Ida is not known, but it is quite possible that he was indeed of royal descent as two or more other branches of the Eoppingas are found as kings of Northumbria after the extinction of the main line.
Initially Eadwulf appears to have had the support of ealdorman Berhtfrith son of Berhtred, presumed to be the lord of the north-east frontier of Bernicia, in Lothian and along the Forth. However, a crisis soon arose. Bishop Wilfrid, exiled by Aldfrith, wished to return to Northumbria. Eadwulf aimed to keep the bishop an exile, but Berhtfirth appears to have supported Wilfrid's return. A short civil war, ending with a siege of Bamburgh, was won by Berhtfrith, Wilfrid and the supporters of Osred, and Osred was restored as child-king of Northumbria.
Eadwulf appears to have to have been exiled to either Dál Riata or Pictland as his death is reported by the Annals of Ulster in 717. His son Earnwine was killed on the orders of Eadberht of Northumbria in 740. Eadwulf's great-grandson Eardwulf and and Eardwulf's son Eanred were later kings of Northumbria.

Osred I 705 to 716 - Killed in battle or murdered - Osred (born c. 697, died 716) was king of Northumbria from 705 until his death. He was the son of King Aldfrith of Northumbria and Queen Cuthburg. He did not directly succeed his father as Eadwulf seized the throne, but held it for only a few months. The manner of Osred's death is unknown.
At the time that the usurper Eadwulf was overthrown, Osred was only a child, and the government was controlled by the powerful Bishop Wilfrid, presumably assisted by ealdormen such as Berhtfrith son of Berhtred. Wilfrid's death in 709 appears to have caused no instability at the time, which, together with the rapid rise and more rapid fall of Eadwulf, speaks to a degree of stability and continuity in early 8th century Northumbria which would not long outlast Osred's reign.
In 711 ealdorman Berhtfrith inflicted a crushing defeat on the Picts, in the area around the upper Forth, but the reign of Osred is otherwise unremarkable politically. Domestically, a variety of eccelsiatical sources portray Osred as a dissolute and debauched young man, and a seducer of nuns. More positively, Aethelwulf's De Abbatibus describes Osred as energetic in deeds and words, mighty in arms and bold in his own strength.
Osred reached his majority in 715 or 716, and within a very short period he was killed. The manner of his death is unclear. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states only: Her Osred Norðanhymbra cininga wærð ofslagen be suðan gemære.
N.J. Higham presumes that the border is question is the southern Pictish border, and that the Picts slew Osred. Henry of Huntingdon appears to write that he died in a war with Mercia, which is on Northumbria's southern frontier. William of Malmesbury claims he died as result of "the hostility of his relations" and John of Fordun, writing much later, expands on this, telling that Osred was slain by Coenred, who succeeded him, and Osric, said by Symeon of Durham to be another son of Aldfrith. Bede says little, but he wrote in the reign of Coenred's brother Ceolwlulf.

Coenred 716 to 718 - Coenred or Cenred was king of Northumbria from 716 to 718. John of Fordun claims that he murdered his predecessor Osred. He was described as a member of the Leodwaldings, a kindred descended from Ocg son of Ida of Bernicia, and was the first of the family to rule Northumbria.
William of Malmesbury calls him "a draught from the same cup" as Osred, which is to say a young man, vigorous, dissolute, cruel and bold. The manner of his death is unknown. He was succeeded by Osric, brother, or half-brother, of Osred. Coenred's brother Ceolwulf became king after Osric.

Osric 718 to 29 May 729 - Adopted Ceolwulf as his heir - Osric was king of Northumbria from the death of Coenred in 718 until his death on the 9th of May, 729. Symeon of Durham calls him a son of Aldfrith of Northumbria, which would make him a brother, or perhaps a half-brother, of Osred. Alternatively, he may have been a son of King Eahlfrith of Deira, and thus a first cousin of Osred.
Bede reports little of Osric's reign, but records that comets were seen at his death, a sign of ill omen. William of Malmesbury praises Osric for his decision to adopt Ceolwulf, brother of Coenred, as his heir.

Ceolwulf 729 to 731 - Deposed; Saint Ceolwulf - Ceolwulf was king of Northumbria from 729 until 737, except for a short period in 731 or 732 when he was deposed, and quickly restored to power. Ceolwulf finally abdicated and entered the monastery at Lindisfarne. He was the "most glorious king" to whom Bede dedicated his history.
He was adopted as heir by his predecessor, and distant cousin, Osric. Ceolwulf was brother of Coenred and was the second of the Leodwaldings to rule Northumbria. With the extinction of the main line of the Eoppingas at the death of Osric (or, if Osric was not in fact of the direct line, even earlier, in 716, at the death of Osred son of Aldfrith), the kingdom of Northumbria entered into a long period of dynastic conflict and instability, which was only ended by the destruction of the kingdom by the Vikings in 867.
As with Aldfrith, the Irish annals give Ceolwulf an Irish name, "Eóchaid son of Cuidin", and if Cuidin is a calque of Cuthwine, Eóchaid is no more obviously related to Ceolwulf than Flann is to Aldfrith. For this reason, it has been suggested that Ceolwulf had spent time in Ireland, perhaps studying to enter into religion. Be that as it may, his reign appears to have met with the approval of clerics such as Bede and William of Malmesbury.
As said, Ceolwulf was deposed for a short period in the autumn of 731 or 732, but quickly restored. The details of the attempted coup are unclear. Bishop Acca of Hexham is said to have been driven from his seat, and Alric and Esc killed.
Ceolwulf was succeeded by his first cousin Eadberht. His death is recorded in the winter of 764–765.

Ceolwulf 731 to 737/8 - Restored; abdicated to become a monk

Eadberht 737 to 758 - Abdicated to become a monk - His reign is seen as a return to the imperial ambitions of seventh-century Northumbria and may represent a period of economic prosperity. See King Eadberht

Oswulf (Osulf) 758 to 24 July 759 - Murdered by his servants - Oswulf was king of Northumbria from 758 to 759. He succeeded his father Eadberht, who had abdicated and joined the monastery at York. Oswulf's uncle was Ecgbert, Archbishop of York.
In spite of his father's long reign, and his powerful uncle, Oswulf did not hold the throne for long. He was murdered within a year of coming to power, by members of his familia, that is by his servants or bodyguards, at Market Weighton, on 24th July 759.
The death of Oswulf's brother, Oswine, is recorded at "Eldunum near Mailros" in August 761, in battle against Æthelwald Moll, who had seized the throne on Oswulf's death.

Æthelwald Moll 759 to 765 - Deposed - see King Aethelwald

Alhred 765 to 774 - Deposed and exiled - Alhred or Alchred was king of Northumbria from 765 to 774. He had married Osgifu, either the daughter of Oswulf, granddaughter of Eadberht Eating, or Eadberht's daughter, and was thus related by marriage to Ecgbert, Archbishop of York. A genealogy survives which makes Alhred a descendant of Ida of Bernicia through a son named Eadric.
Æthelwald Moll was deposed in 765 and Alhred became king. Little is said of his reign in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle other than the bare facts that he became king, and was then deposed and exiled in 774. Symeon of Durham's Historia Regum Anglorum reports that he fled to the kingdom of the Picts, where he was received by King Ciniod.
Stenton notes Ahlred's connection to the English missions on the continent. The mission of Saint Willehad, which led to the founding of the Archbishopric of Bremen, was authorised by a religious assembly called by Alhred. A letter from Alhred to Saint Lull, Archbishop of Mainz, a native of Wessex, also survives.
He was succeeded by Æthelred, son of Æthelwald Moll. Alhred's son Osred would later be king. A second son, Alhmund would be killed in the reign of Eardwulf and develop a cult as Alcmund of Derby.

Æthelred I 774 to 779 - Deposed - Æthelred was king of Northumbria from 774 to 779 and again from 788 or 789 until his murder in 796. He became king after Alhred was deposed. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle refers to him as "Æthelwald Moll's son", rather by his own name, which has led Higham to suppose that he was a child.
If he was indeed no more than a straw man for his father, then Æthelwald Moll's second attempt at ruling Northumbria lasted no longer than his first. Æthelred was deposed in 779 and the throne passed back to the Eatingas in the person of Ælfwald I, probably a grandson of Eadberht Eating.
Æthelred lived in exile during the reign of Ælfwald and his successor Osred II. Osred was deposed, forcibly tonsured and exiled in 788 or 789, and Æthelred was restored to the throne. His second reign saw considerable trouble. The ealdorman Eardwulf was ordered killed by Æthelred in 790, but survived and later became king. Ælfwald's sons Ælf and Ælfwine were killed, probably on Æthelred's orders, in 791. The next year Osred attempted to regain the throne, but was defeated, captured and killed on 14 September 792. A year after, Lindisfarne was sacked, and Alcuin's letters to Æthelred blame the sack on the sins of Æthelred and his nobility. Also in 792, he married Ælflæd, daughter of Offa of Mercia, at Catterick.
Æthelred is thought to have had strong backing in Deira, and received assistance from Charlemagne, but this did not prevent his murder on 18 April 796 by a group of conspirators led by the earldormen Ealdred and Wada. In the resulting confusion, Osbald, probably a veteran ealdorman, became king.

Ælfwald I 779 to 23 September 788 - Murdered - Ælfwald (died 23 September 788) was king of Northumbria from 778 to 788. He is thought to have been a son of Oswulf, and thus a grandson of Eadberht Eating.
Ælfwald became king after Æthelred son of Æthelwald Moll was deposed in 778. He was murdered, probably at Chesters, by the patricius (ealdorman) Sicga.
He was succeeded by his first cousin Osred, son of Alhred and Osgifu daughter of Eadberht Eating. Ælfwald's sons Ælf and Ælfwine were killed in 791 on the orders of King Æthelred.
Ælfwald was buried at Hexham Abbey where he was considered a saint.

Osred II 788 to 790 - Deposed and exiled - Osred was king of Northumbria from 789 to 790. He was the son of Alhred and Osgifu, daughter of Eadberht.
He succeeded Ælfwald, son of his mother's brother Oswulf, who was murdered by the patricius (ealdorman) Sicga.
Osbert, even though he united two of the competing factions in Northumbria, was king for only a year before being deposed in favour of the previously deposed Æthelred son of Æthelwald Moll. Osbert was then exiled.
He returned from exile in 792, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that he was "apprehended and slain on the eighteenth day before the calends of October. His body is deposited at Tynemouth." It is presumed that this killing was done by or for King Æthelred, who had had Ælf and Ælfwine, sons of Ælfwald, killed the previous year, and had attempted to kill Eardwulf in 790.

Æthelred I 790 to 18 April 796 - deposed - see Aethelred above

Osbald 796 - Exiled after a reign of 27 days - Osbald was a king of Northumbria during 796. He was a friend of Alcuin, a monk from York who often sent him letters of advice.
Osbald was a violent man and most likely a murderer as modern records suggest. On the 9th January AD 780, he killed Bearn, the son of King Ælfwald by burning him to death at Seletune. In 793 Alcuin wrote two letters to Osbald urging him to give up his extravagant way of life. He criticised his greedy behaviour, luxurious dress and his pagan hair style. He warned him to devote himself to God because “Luxury in princes means poverty for the people”.
Osbald became king of Northumbria in 796 at a time when it was dissolving into anarchy. He ruled for 27 days before being abandoned by the royal household and deserted by the people. He went into exile in Lindisfarne. Here Alcuin wrote Osbald a letter urging him to become a monk. After Osbald’s refusal Alcuin sent another letter. It read: “My dear friend Osbald … I am disappointed in you for not taking my advice. I urged you in my letter that you should give up this way of life. Do not add sin to sin by ruining your country and shedding blood. Think how much blood of kings, princes, and people has been shed through you and your family.”
Shortly afterwards, Osbald sailed to Pictland with his companions, where he was given refuge by Caustantín, King of the Picts.
Osbald gave his name to two places in and around the area of Northumbria:
Osbaldeston, Blackburn
Osbaldwick, York
Osbald died in AD 799 and was buried in an unmarked grave in York Minster.

Eardwulf 14 May 796 to 806/8 - Deposed - Eardwulf was king of Northumbria from 796 to 806, and perhaps from 808 to 811 or 812, although his second reign is not recorded in any surviving sources. See King Eardwulf

Ælfwald II (Elfwald II) 806/8 to 808/10 - Eardwulf deposed by otherwise unknown Ælfwald in either 806 or 808

Eardwulf 808 to 810 - Restored - see Eardwuld above

Eanred 810 to 841 - Eanred was king of Northumbria from c.810 to c.840. Very little is known for certain about Eanred. The only reference made by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to the Northumbrians in this period is the statement that in 829 Egbert of Wessex:

led an army against the Northumbrians as far as Dore, where they met him, and offered terms of obedience and subjection, on the acceptance of which they returned home.
thereby, at least temporarily, extending Egbert's hegemony to the entirety of Anglo-Saxon Britain. However, Roger of Wendover states that Eanred reigned from 810 until 840, whilst the twelfth century History of the Church of Durham records a reign of 33 years, and, given the turbulence of Northumbrian history in this period, a reign of this length suggests a figure of some significance. Within a generation of Eanred's death, Anglian monarchy in Northumbria had collapsed.

Eanred was the son of King Eardwulf, who was deposed by an otherwise unknown Ælfwald in either 806 or 808. According the History of the Church of Durham, Ælfwald ruled for two years before Eanred succeeded. However, Frankish sources claim that, after being expelled from England, Eardwulf was received by Charlemagne and then the pope, and that their envoys escorted him back to Northumbria and secured his restoration to power. Therefore, the precise nature of the removal of Ælfwald and the succession of Eanred are unclear. All sources agree that Eanred was eventually succeeded by his son, Æthelred.

Æthelred II 840/1 to 844 - Deposed - Æthelred was king of Northumbria from 840 or 841 until 848 or 849. He was the son of Eanred. Relatively little is known of his reign. He appears to have been expelled in 844, in favour of Rædwulf, whose reign is confirmed by the evidence of coinage. However, Rædwulf was killed the same year, fighting against Vikings, and Æthelred was restored to power. He was assassinated in 848 or 849.

Rædwulf (Redwulf) 844 - Usurper - Rædwulf was king of Northumbria for a short time in 844. His descent is not known, but it is possible that he was a kinsman of Osberht and Ælle.
Rædwulf became king when Æthelred son of Eanred was deposed. Coins from his reign are known, but other than the report in the Flores Historiarum of his death fighting pagans (i.e. Vikings), nothing more is known. Æthelred was restored after Rædwulf's death.

Æthelred II 844 to c.848/9 - Restored

Osberht (Osbert) c.848/9 to 862/3 - Deposed - Osberht (died 21 March 867) was king of Northumbria in the middle of the 9th century. Sources on Northumbrian history in this period are limited. Osberht's descent is not known and the dating of his reign is problematic. See King Osberht

Ælle II 862/3/7 to 23 March 867 - Usurper; Killed by the Danes with Osbeorht - Ælla or Ælle (died 21 March 867) was king of Northumbria in the middle of the 9th century. Sources on Northumbrian history in this period are limited. Ælla's descent is not known and the dating of his reign is problematic. He is a major character in the saga Ragnarssona þáttr (The Tale of Ragnar's sons). See King Aella II

Osberht (Osbert) 867 to 21 March 867 - Killed by the Danes with the usurper Aelle - see Osberht above

The Kings of Northumbria

Sub-Kings under Norse Kingdom of York

Ecgberht I 867 to 872 - Puppet king of the Danes - Ecgberht (died 873) was king of Northumbria in the middle of the 9th century. This period of Northumbrian history is poorly recorded, and very little is known of Ecgberht.
He first appears following the death of kings Ælla and Osberht in battle against the Vikings of the Great Heathen Army at York on 21 March 867. Symeon of Durham records:

Nearly all the Northumbrians were routed and destroyed, the two kings being slain; the survivors made peace with the pagans. After these events, the pagans appointed Egbert king under their own dominion; Egbert reigned for six years, over the Northumbrians beyond the Tyne.

Historians presume that Ecgberht ruled as the Great Army's tax collector and that he belonged to one of the several competing royal families in Northumbria.
The next report of Ecgberht is in 872: "The Northumbrians expelled their king Egbert, and their Archbishop Wulfhere". Finally, Ecgberht's death is reported in 873, and it is said that Ricsige succeeded him.

Ricsige 872 to 876 - Ricsige was king of Northumbria from 872 or 873 to 876. He became king after Ecgberht I was overthrown and fled, with Wulfhere, Archbishop of York, to Mercia.
Ricsige appears not to have been the nominee or client of the Vikings of the Great Heathen Army, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that the Great Army came north in 873 or 874. Halfdan Ragnarsson appears to have retaken southern Northumbria for the Danes, corresponding with the old Kingdom of Deira, or the Viking kingdom of Jórvík, between the Humber and the Tees.
Ricsige or his successor Ecgberht II remained in control of Bernicia, between the Tees and the Forth. Roger of Wendover reports that Ricsige died of a broken heart after the partition. He was followed by Ecgberht II in Bernicia.

Ecgberht II 876 to c.878 - Ecgberht was a king in Northumbria in the later Ninth century. Very little is known of his reign. Unlike his predecessor King Ricsige, who may have ruled most of the kingdom of Northumbria following the expulsion of the first King Ecgberht in 872, this Ecgberht ruled only the northern part of Northumbria, the lands beyond the Tyne in northern England and southern Scotland. The northern frontier of Ecgberht's kingdom is uncertain.
Ricsige's death and Ecgberht's coming to power is recorded by Symeon of Durham, who writes, that in 876:
The pagan king Halfdene divided between himself and his followers the country of the Northumbrians. Ricsig, king of the Northumbrians, died, and Egbert the second reigned over the Northumbrians beyond the river Tyne.
In 883, recording the election of a king of the Vikings in York and southern Northumbria on the death of their leader Halfdene, Symeon states:
Then St. Cuthbert, aiding by a vision, ordered abbot Eadred (who because he lived in Luel was surnamed Lulisc) to tell the bishop and the whole army of Angles and Danes, that by paying a ransom, they should redeem Guthred, the son of Hardicnut, whom the Danes had sold as a slave to a certain widow at Whittingham, and should raise him, then redeemed, to be king; and he reigned over York, but Egbert over the Northumbrians.
However, elsewhere it said that the second Ecgberht reigned two years, but this may refer to his claims to all Northumbria. Nick Higham sees Symeon's account of Guthred's election as an unhistorical record of a settlement between the York Vikings in southern Northumbria, and Ecgberht in northern, English Northumbria.
Ecgberht was succeeded by Eadulf.

c.878| Northumbria subsumed into the Norse kingdom of York

Deira under Norse York Control from 878

The following were ealdormen, later earls, in Bernicia, with their capital at Bamburgh under the Norse of York. By the time of Osulf, they were ruling over all Northumbria from York under the king of England.

Eadulf I ??? to 913 - Eadulf I or Eadwulf (d.913) was the first ealdorman of Bernicia while the Norse held York. He was a friend of Alfred the Great.

Ealdred I 913 to 930 - Ealdred I (d.12 July 927) was the ealdorman of Bernicia from 913 to his death. He allied with Constantine II of Scotland against Raegnald, king of York. They raided his Norse kingdom of York in 913 and defeated him at Corbridge in 915. He and Donald I, king of Strathclyde, did homage to Athelstan of England at Eamont near Penrith and became vassals of the English king.

Osulf 930 to 963 - Earl of all Northumbria in 954, with death of Eric Bloodaxe - Osulf I (d.963) was earl of Bernicia from 930 and of all Northumbria from 954 until his death. He is known mostly for conspiring with Earl Maccus, son of Olaf Guthfrithson or Olaf Sihtricson, to kill Eric Bloodaxe, king of York, and his son and brother. After Eric's death, Edred, king of England, gave the once Norse-held lands south of the river Tees to Osulf, who was already in possession of Bernicia north of the Tees.
It seems that Osulf, who was one of Eric's men, betrayed him when he was fighting for his kingdom after the local populace expelled him. Eric was defeated and slain at the Battle of Stainmore, of which little else is known.
He was succeeded by Waltheof, his son.

Waltheof (Walþeof) 963 to 970 - Earl of all Northumbria - Waltheof I was the earl of Northumbria (963-995), the son and successor of Osulf I. His name is Scandinavian and implies that he had Viking ancestors. It remained in his family when Earl Siward married his great-granddaughter and named his son Waltheof. Nothing is known about Waltheof I's reign, despite its length.
Uchtred the Bold 995 to 1016 - Uchtred (or Uhtred), called the Bold, was the earl of Northumbria from 1006 to 1016, when he was assassinated. He was the son of Waltheof I, earl of Bernicia, whose ancient family had ruled from Bamburgh north of the Tees since the late ninth century. In 1006, while his father was alive but too aged to fight, Uhtred defeated Malcolm II of Scotland at the siege of Durham, and he was rewarded by King Ethelred II with the earldom of all Northumbria.
In 1013 King Sweyn of Denmark invaded England, and Uhtred submitted to him, but he transferred his allegiance back to King Ethelred II after Sweyn's death in 1014. In 1015 Uhtred supported a rebellion by Ethelred's son Edmund Ironside against his father, but in the same year Sweyn's son, Canute the Great, took up his father's fight (a fight he eventually won), and Uhtred then did homage to him as king of England.
In 1016, invited to a meeting with Canute, Uhtred was murdered by Thurbrand the Hold with the connivance of Canute. Uhtred was succeeded by his brother Eadwulf Cudel, but only in Bernicia. Over all Northumbria, Canute placed Eric of Hlathir. Uhtred's son Ealdred killed Thurbrand and Thurbrand's son Carl killed Ealdred. Nonetheless, Uhtred's dynasty continued to reign until 1041, and briefly a scion ruled in 1067.
Uhtred was married first to Ecgfrida, daughter of Aldhun, the first Bishop of Durham. He subsequently married Elgiva, daughter of King Ethelred II the Unready of England.

Eadulf II 1016 to 1019 - Only in Bernicia

Ealdred II 1019 to 1038 - Only in Bernicia

Eadulf III 1038 to 1041 - Only in Bernicia - Eadulf III or Eadwulf (d.1041) was the earl of Bernicia from 1038 until his death. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he was betrayed by Hardecanute and killed. He was the last of the ancient Bernician line of earls to rule before his son Osulf usurped the Northumbrian earldom in 1067.

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