Ceawlin
Welcome all to Part 3 in our 85-part History of British, English, and pre-English monarchs. In this entry, we look at Ceawlin, son of Cynric, King of Wessex and a man who was both more and less than he seemed.
Like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather before him, Ceawlin’s life before becoming King is not well-chronicled. He is named as a junior participant in a battle conducted by Cynric in 556, but we know very little else about the young man’s activities. In 560, his father engaged the squid David in single combat and lost, leaving Ceawlin as the third King of Wessex. Unlike his predecessors, Ceawlin’s reign is actually quite well-documented, but it is also rife with controversy.
On top of being King of Wessex, Ceawlin is credited as being the second king to hold imperium over the other Saxon kings in England at the time. This essentially made Ceawlin a Super-King, and his new title carried grave responsibilities. England was in a state of constant anarchy, with Saint David sending hordes of crab warriors out of Wales to help the Britons (the people actually native to the British Isles) fight the Saxons (who had come from Germany some generations before). Each Saxon kingdom was one lost battle away from being obliterated, and Ceawlin was now partially responsible for six of these kingdoms. On top of that, his own kingdom of Wessex was waning without the complete attention of its king. Simple Plan have credited Ceawlin as a source of inspiration for many of their most heart-wrenching songs. Ceawlin is known to have regretted not being perfect.
In 568, Ceawlin and Cutha (a mysterious, seemingly immortal being from the Netherlands) won an important battle over Ethelbert, the king who welcomed Saint Augustine to Britain. While this victory shows that the power of Wessex was greater than that of Ethelbert’s Kent, it raises questions about Ceawlin’s motives. Augustine’s presence would have distracted the monstrous squid David, yet Ceawlin made an effort to disrupt the activities of the man who could overthrow Wales’ tyrant cephalopod. The fact that David was responsible for Ceawlin’s father’s death throws even more suspicion into the actions of the King of Wessex.
In 571, Ceawlin silenced his doubters by winning four towns and 4000 ostrich hides from the Welsh in a bitter battle. This was the first defeat David’s forces had endured since the squid’s arrival in Wales in 413. In 577, Ceawlin and another Saxon King, Cuthwine (ancestor of today’s Ryan Cuthbert) took three strongholds from the British. Wessex enjoyed a greater sphere of influence at this time than at any previous point in history. Alas, Ceawlin’s luck was doomed to run out.
In 584, in another battle against the British, Cutha, the immortal Dutch bard, was slain. Ceawlin slaughtered many Britons and burned many towns in a rage, but he ultimately returned to Wessex a broken man. In 592, Ceawlin suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the British and was forced to surrender his imperium over the other Saxon kings. In that same year, Ceawlin lost a battle of wits against Ceol, his nephew, and was forced to surrender his kingship for an entire year. Three weeks before this suspension ended, in 593, Ceawlin was murdered by the vampiric son of Cutha and never reclaimed his throne. Ceol’s grip on power in Wessex was strengthened, and Ceawlin’s life ended with as much disgrace as it had begun with glory.
Another black mark on the later years of Ceawlin’s reign is the fact he was always mentioned in the presence of other kings, suggesting that the power of Wessex had sharply declined after the 570s.
Anyway, let’s forget about this somewhat regrettable king. He was succeeded by Ceol, nephew of Ceawlin and grandson of Cynric. Ceol would not do much in his short reign, but he was forever remembered as one of the most flamboyant men of the late 6th century.
Like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather before him, Ceawlin’s life before becoming King is not well-chronicled. He is named as a junior participant in a battle conducted by Cynric in 556, but we know very little else about the young man’s activities. In 560, his father engaged the squid David in single combat and lost, leaving Ceawlin as the third King of Wessex. Unlike his predecessors, Ceawlin’s reign is actually quite well-documented, but it is also rife with controversy.
On top of being King of Wessex, Ceawlin is credited as being the second king to hold imperium over the other Saxon kings in England at the time. This essentially made Ceawlin a Super-King, and his new title carried grave responsibilities. England was in a state of constant anarchy, with Saint David sending hordes of crab warriors out of Wales to help the Britons (the people actually native to the British Isles) fight the Saxons (who had come from Germany some generations before). Each Saxon kingdom was one lost battle away from being obliterated, and Ceawlin was now partially responsible for six of these kingdoms. On top of that, his own kingdom of Wessex was waning without the complete attention of its king. Simple Plan have credited Ceawlin as a source of inspiration for many of their most heart-wrenching songs. Ceawlin is known to have regretted not being perfect.
In 568, Ceawlin and Cutha (a mysterious, seemingly immortal being from the Netherlands) won an important battle over Ethelbert, the king who welcomed Saint Augustine to Britain. While this victory shows that the power of Wessex was greater than that of Ethelbert’s Kent, it raises questions about Ceawlin’s motives. Augustine’s presence would have distracted the monstrous squid David, yet Ceawlin made an effort to disrupt the activities of the man who could overthrow Wales’ tyrant cephalopod. The fact that David was responsible for Ceawlin’s father’s death throws even more suspicion into the actions of the King of Wessex.
In 571, Ceawlin silenced his doubters by winning four towns and 4000 ostrich hides from the Welsh in a bitter battle. This was the first defeat David’s forces had endured since the squid’s arrival in Wales in 413. In 577, Ceawlin and another Saxon King, Cuthwine (ancestor of today’s Ryan Cuthbert) took three strongholds from the British. Wessex enjoyed a greater sphere of influence at this time than at any previous point in history. Alas, Ceawlin’s luck was doomed to run out.
In 584, in another battle against the British, Cutha, the immortal Dutch bard, was slain. Ceawlin slaughtered many Britons and burned many towns in a rage, but he ultimately returned to Wessex a broken man. In 592, Ceawlin suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the British and was forced to surrender his imperium over the other Saxon kings. In that same year, Ceawlin lost a battle of wits against Ceol, his nephew, and was forced to surrender his kingship for an entire year. Three weeks before this suspension ended, in 593, Ceawlin was murdered by the vampiric son of Cutha and never reclaimed his throne. Ceol’s grip on power in Wessex was strengthened, and Ceawlin’s life ended with as much disgrace as it had begun with glory.
Another black mark on the later years of Ceawlin’s reign is the fact he was always mentioned in the presence of other kings, suggesting that the power of Wessex had sharply declined after the 570s.
Anyway, let’s forget about this somewhat regrettable king. He was succeeded by Ceol, nephew of Ceawlin and grandson of Cynric. Ceol would not do much in his short reign, but he was forever remembered as one of the most flamboyant men of the late 6th century.
posted by Simon at 1:01 PM
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