Everything about Oswiu Of Northumbria totally explained
Oswiu (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.
Following the death of his brother
Oswald, defeated by
Penda at the
Battle of Maserfield on
5 August 642, Oswiu became King of the
Bernicians. He passed the next decade in obscurity as one of many kings subject to Penda. In 655 Penda invaded Bernicia, driving Oswiu before him. The details of the campaign are unclear, but at the
Battle of the Winwæd Oswiu unexpectedly defeated and killed Penda. This victory was followed by Oswiu's short-lived
imperium—he is traditionally counted as a
Bretwalda— over much of
Great Britain. He established himself as
King of Mercia, setting up his son-in-law, Penda's son
Peada as a subject king.
Oswiu's unchallenged domination of Britain lasted only a short time, ending when a revolt among the
Mercians established Penda's son
Wulfhere as their king. A negotiated settlement appears to have been preferred on both sides to prevent war. Divisions within the Northumbrian church led to the
Synod of Whitby in 664, where Oswiu agreed to settle the
Easter controversy by adopting the
Roman dating. His later years were marred by conflict with his son
Ealhfrith. Oswiu died in 670 and was succeeded by his son
Ecgfrith.
Background and early life
Oswiu was fifty-eight years old at his death according to
Bede, placing his birth c. 612. At this time, his father was at the height of his power. Oswiu's mother may have been Æthelfrith's only recorded wife, Acha of Deira, Edwin's sister, but the apparent unwillingness of the Deirans to have him as their king may argue against this. Oswald, who is known to have been Acha's son, was accepted as king in Deira, while Oswiu appears never to have ruled the kingdom directly.
Æthelfrith ruled over both
Bernicia and
Deira. His authority ran from the lands of the
Picts and the
Dál Riata in modern
Scotland to
Wales and the
Midlands in the south. Æthelfrith's power rested on his military success, and this success came to an end in 616, when the exiled Edwin of Deira, with the support of King Rædwald, defeated and killed him in battle by the
River Idle.
On Æthelfrith's death, his sons and their supporters fled
Northumbria, finding sanctuary among the
Gaels and
Picts of northern Britain and
Ireland. Here they'd remain until Edwin's death at the
Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633.
In exile, the sons of Æthelfrith were converted to Christianity, or raised as Christians.
As well as learning the Irish language and being thoroughly Christianised, Oswiu may have fought for his Gaelic hosts, perhaps receiving his arms—a significant event—from a
King of Dál Riata, such as
Eochaid Buide, son of that
Áedán mac Gabráin whom his father had defeated at the
Battle of Degsastan. The
Irish annals name one
Oisiric mac Albruit, rigdomna Saxan—
ætheling Osric—among the dead, alongside
Connad Cerr, King of Dál Riata, and others of the
Cenél nGabráin, at the Battle of Fid Eóin. Whether Oswiu's marriage with the
Uí Néill princess Fín of the
Cenél nEógain, and the birth of
Aldfrith, should be placed in the context of his exile, or took place at a later date is uncertain.
Equally uncertain is the date of Oswiu's return to Northumbria. He may have returned with
Eanfrith on Edwin's death in 633, as Bede appears to write.
Eanflæd and Oswine
Oswald died in battle against Penda of Mercia at the
Battle of Maserfield, dated by Bede to
5 August 642. Oswald's son Œthelwald may have been his preferred successor, but Œthelwald can't have been an adult in 642. So, the kingship came to Oswiu. Unlike Eanfrith and Osric, Oswiu held to the Christian faith in spite of his brother's defeat by the pagan Penda. This may have been due to his more thoroughly Christian upbringing, but the influence of Bishop
Aidan of Lindisfarne, by then a major figure in Bernicia, could also have been significant.
Bede summarises Oswiu's reign in this way:
Oswald being translated to the heavenly kingdom, his brother Oswy, a young man of about thirty years of age, succeeded him on the throne of his earthly kingdom, and held it twenty-eight years with much trouble, being harassed by the pagan king, Penda, and by the pagan nation of the Mercians, that had slain his brother, as also by his son Alfred [for exampleEalhfrith], and by his cousin-german Ethelwald [for exampleŒthelwald of Deira], the son of his brother who reigned before him.
Oswiu's first recorded action as king of Bernicia was to strengthen his position, and perhaps his claims to Deira, by marrying Edwin's daughter
Eanflæd, then in exile in the
Kingdom of Kent. This marriage took place between 642 and 644.
Oswiu's is known to have been married three times. Eanflæd, his Queen, bore him two sons and two daughters. The sons were
Ecgfrith (644x645–685) and
Ælfwine (c. 660–679), the daughters
Osthryth (died 697) and
Ælfflæd (c. 654–714). The Irish princess Fín was the mother of
Aldfrith (died 705). Finally, the
British princess Rieinmellt, of
Rheged, is named as a wife of Oswiu in the
Historia Brittonum. It is thought that Eahlfrith was her son, and Eahlflæd may have been her daughter.
The first half of Oswiu's reign was spent in the shadow of Penda, who dominated much of Britain from 642 until 655, seemingly making and breaking kings as it suited him. The future kingdom of Northumbria was still composed of two distinct kingdoms in Oswiu's lifetime. The northerly kingdom of
Bernicia, which extended from the
River Tees to the
Firth of Forth, was ruled by Oswiu. The kingdom of
Deira, lying between the
North York Moors and the
Humber, was ruled by a series of Oswiu's kinsmen, initially as a separate kingdom, later as a form of
appanage for Oswiu's sons.
For the first decade of Oswiu's reign, Deira was ruled by an independent king,
Oswine, son of the apostate
Osric, who belonged to the rival Deiran royal family. Oswine and Oswiu came into conflict circa 651, Bede blames Oswiu for the troubles and writes:
For when they'd raised armies against one another, Oswin perceived that he couldn't maintain a war against one who had more auxiliaries than himself, and he thought it better at that time to lay aside all thoughts of engaging, and to preserve himself for better times. He therefore dismissed the army which he'd assembled, and ordered all his men to return to their own homes, from the place that's called Wilfaresdun, that is, Wilfar's Hill, which is almost ten miles distant from the village called Cataract [for exampleCatterick], towards the north-west. He himself, with only one trusty soldier, whose name was Tonhere, withdrew and lay concealed in the house of Earl [comes] Hunwald, whom he imagined to be his most assured friend. But, alas! it was otherwise; for the earl betrayed him, and Oswy, in a detestable manner, by the hands of his commander [praefectus], Ethilwin, slew him... An entry in the Irish annals recording "[t]he battle of Oswy against Penda" circa 650 may refer to this campaign.
D.P. Kirby suggests that the killing of Oswine may have led to an improvement in relations between Penda and Oswiu in the early 650s. Oswiu's son Ealhfrith married Penda's daughter Cyneburh, while his daughter Ealhflæd married Penda's son Peada. Peada was baptised at Ad Murum—in the region of Hadrian's Wall—by Aidan's successor Finan. Peada and Ealhflæd took a missionary group, including Cedd and Diuma, to establish a church in their lands.
In 655 Bede reports that Penda invaded Bernicia at the head of a large army. Bede states that Oswiu offered "an incalculable quantity of regalia and presents as the price of peace", but that Penda refused. Oswiu vowed to give his daughter Ælfflæd to the church, and to found a dozen monasteries if he was granted the victory, and assisted by Ealhfrith he engaged Penda with a small army in the Battle of the Winwæd, which took place in the region of Loidis, which is to say Leeds. He was successful, and Penda was killed, along with many of his allies, including King Æthelhere of the East Angles. Œthelwald had assisted Penda, but stood aside from the fighting.
The Historia Brittonum gives a somewhat different account. Here, Oswiu's offer of treasure is accepted, and is associated with the siege of a place named Iudeu. It is assumed that Ecgfrith was given over as a hostage, into the keeping of Penda's queen Cynewise, at this time. The Historia suggests that many of Penda's allies were British kings, and notes that Cadafael ap Cynfeddw joined Œthelwald in avoiding the battle, so gaining the epithet Cadomedd (the Battle-Shirker). The decisive battle is located at "Gaius's field".
Overlord of Britain
The surprising defeat of the hitherto dominant Penda, and the death of the East Anglian king Æthelhere left Oswiu as the dominant figure in Britain. Œthelwald's ambivalent stance during the campaign which led to the Winwæd appears to have led to his removal as he disappears from the record at this time. Oswiu installed his adult son Eahlfrith as king of Deirans in Œthelwald's place. Penda's son Peada was installed as king of southern Mercia, while Oswiu took the north of the kingdom. Other subject rulers seem to have been established elsewhere in Mercia.
Further south, Æthelhere's brother Æthelwold may have been established with Oswiu's assistance, as well as that of his kinsman by marriage King Eorcenberht of Kent. Cenwalh of Wessex, who had been driven out of his lands by Penda for putting aside his marriage to Penda's sister, may also have returned to power in this period, again with Oswiu's assistance. King Sigeberht the Good of the East Saxcons was Oswiu's ally. Oswiu's nephew, Eanfrith's son Talorcan, may have also been established as a leading king among the Picts at this time.
Oswiu's total domination lasted only a short time, around three years. The proximate cause was the death of Peada, supposedly poisoned by his wife, Oswiu's daughter Eahlflæd. This probably occurred at Easter 656, and Oswiu proceeded to install governors or subject kings in Mercia. Probably in late 659, but perhaps in 657, a revolt led by three Mercian noblemen—Immin, Eata, and Eadberht—installed Penda's son Wulfhere as ruler of the Mercians and drove out Oswiu's supporters. Oswiu remained a force to be reckoned with, and political settlement rather than open warfare appears to have resolved the crisis. Oswiu's kinsman Trumhere was named to be Wulfhere's bishop. While Wulfhere extended Mercian influence and authority in southern Britain, he apparently continued to recognise Oswiu's primacy.
Welsh sources suggest that Oswiu campaigned in Wales in the late 650s, imposing tribute on the Welsh kings who had previously been Penda's allies such as Cadafael, the battle-dodging King of Gwynedd. Elsewhere in the south, Oswiu's ally Sigeberht of the East Saxons was murdered and replaced by his brother Swithhelm, who remained a Christian, but distanced himself from Oswiu and the Irish-Northumbrian church. Switthelm was probably subject to the East Angles.
Ecclesiastical politics
Eahlfrith and the Synod of Whitby
In 664 at the synod of Whitby, Oswiu accepted the usages of the Roman Church, which led to the departure of Bishop Colman of Lindisfarne. The reasons of the gathering, and its significance, have been closely studied, and the simplistic explanations offered by Bede, and by Eddius, the biographer of Wilfrid, are no longer accepted.
Bede writes that the dispute was brought to a head by Oswiu's son Eahlfrith, who had adopted Roman usages at the urging of Wilfrid. Eahlfrith had been brought up with Irish-Northumbrian usages, and his rejection of these, along with the expulsion of the future saints Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and Eata of Hexham from Ripon, is considered to have had a strong political component. Equally, 665 would be a year when, as Bede writes, "that Easter was kept twice in one year, so that when the King had ended Lent and was keeping Easter, the Queen and her attendants were still fasting and keeping Palm Sunday".
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