This is a list of monarchs of Wessex until 927. For later monarchs, see the List of English monarchs. While the details of the later monarchs are confirmed by a number of sources, the earlier ones are in many cases obscure.
The names are given in modern English form followed by the names and titles (as far as is known) in contemporary Anglo-Saxon English and Latin, the prevalent 'official' languages of the time.
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 the runic letter "Thorn" (Þ) and the letter "Eth" (Ð), both of which are pronounced "Th" and were interchangeable. They were used indiscriminately for voiced and unvoiced sounds, unlike modern Icelandic. Thorn tended to be more used in the south (Wessex) and eth in the North (Mercia and Northumbria). "Th" was preferred in the earliest period in Northern texts.
The character "⁊" (tironian et) was used as the ampersand (&) in contemporary Anglo-Saxon writings. The era pre-dates the emergence of some forms of writing accepted today; notably rare were lower case and the letters "W" and "U". W was occasionally rendered "VV", but the runic letter "wynn" (Ƿ) was the normal way of writing the "W" sound. Again, in the earliest period, the Angles/Engle preferred 'VV', whilst the West Saxons preferred the letter derived from a rune. (Compare "Thorn" and "Eth")
Except in manuscripts, runic letters were an Anglian phenomenon. (The early Engle restricted the use of runes to monuments, whereas the Saxons adopted Wynn and Thorn for sounds which did not have a Latin equivalent. Otherwise they were not used in Wessex).
Contents
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Monarchs of the West Saxons (Wessex) 1
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See also 2
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Notes 3
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References 4
Monarchs of the West Saxons (Wessex)
Reign
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Incumbent
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Notes
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The Kingdom of the Gewissae
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Cerdicing Dynasty
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519 to 534
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Cerdic
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CERDIC ELESING GEVVISSÆ CYNING
CERDIC REX GEVVISSÆ
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Celtic, Brythonic, name
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534 to 560
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Cynric
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CYNRIC CERDICING GEVVISSÆ CYNING
CYNRIC REX GEVVISSÆ
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Possibly Celtic, Brythonic name
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560 to 591
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Ceawlin
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CEAVVLIN CYNRICING GEVVISSÆ CYNING
CEAVVLIN REX GEVVISSÆ
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Celtic, Brythonic, name
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591 to 597
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Ceol
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CEOL CVÞING GEVVISSÆ CYNING
CEOL REX GEVVISSÆ
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597 to 611
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Ceolwulf
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CEOLVVLF CVÞING GEVVISSÆ CYNING
CEOLVVLF REX GEVVISSÆ
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611 to 643
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Cynegils
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CYNEGILS CEOLING GEVVISSÆ CYNING
CYNEGILS REX GEVVISSÆ
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Celtic, Brythonic, name
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c. 626 to 636
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Cwichelm
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CVVICHELM CYNEGILSING GEVVISSÆ CYNING
CVVICHELM REX GEVVISSÆ
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643 to 645
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Cenwalh
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CENVVALH CYNEGILSING GEVVISSÆ CYNING
CENVVALH REX GEVVISSÆ
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Celtic, Brythonic, name; Deposed
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Mercian Dynasty
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645 to 648
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Penda
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PENDA PYBBING MIERCNA 7 GEVVISSÆ CYNING
PENDA REX MIERCNA ET GEVVISSÆ
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Cerdicing Dynasty
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648 to 674
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Cenwalh
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CENVVALH CYNEGILSING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
CENVVALH REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Restored; reigned jointly with his wife Queen Seaxburh 672 to 674
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672 to 674
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Seaxburh
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SEAXBVRG VVESTSEAXNA CVEN
SEAXBVRH REGINA SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Reigned jointly with her husband Cenwalh until his death 674
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674
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Cenfus
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CENFVS CENFERÞING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
CENFVS REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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674 to 676
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Æscwine
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ÆSCVVINE CENFVSING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
ÆSCVVINE REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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676 to 685
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Centwine
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CENTVVINE CYNEGILSING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
CENTVVINE REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Deposed by Cædwalla
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685 to 688
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Caedwalla
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CÆDVVALLA CENBRYHTING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
CÆDVVALLA REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Usurper; abdicated, possibly of British origin
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688 to 726
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Ine
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INE CENREDING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
INE REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Abdicated
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726 to 740
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Æthelheard
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ÆÞELHEARD VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
ÆÞELHEARD REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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740 to 756
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Cuthred
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CVÞRED VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
CVÞRED REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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756 to 757
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Sigeberht
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SIGEBRYHT VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
SIGEBRYHT REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Deposed (and killed?) by Cynewulf
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757 to 786
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Cynewulf
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CYNEVVLF VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
CYNEVVLF REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Assassinated by Cyneheard, brother of Sigeberht
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786 to 802
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Beorhtric
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BEORHTRIC VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
BEORHTRIC REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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802 to 839
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Egbert
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ECGBRYHT EALHMVNDING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
ECGBRYHT REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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839 to 858
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Æthelwulf
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ÆÞELVVLF ECGBRYHTING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
ÆÞELVVLF REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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858 to 860
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Æthelbald
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ÆÞELBALD ÆÞELVVLFING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
ÆÞELBALD REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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860 to 865
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Æthelberht
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ÆÞELBRYHT ÆÞELVVLFING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
ÆÞELBRYHT REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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865 to 871
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Æthelred
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ÆÞELRED ÆÞELVVLFING VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
ÆÞELRED REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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871 to 899
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Alfred the Great
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ÆLFRED ÆÞELVVLFING ÐE GREAT VVESTSEAXNA CYNING
ÆLFRED MAGNVS REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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The only Anglo-Saxon monarch to be given the epithet "the Great".
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899 to 924
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Edward the Elder
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EADVVEARD ÆLFREDING ÐE ELDRA WESTSEAXNA CYNING
EADVVEARD REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Died 17 July 924
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924
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Ælfweard?
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ÆLFVVEARD WESTSEAXNA CYNNING
ÆLFVVEARD REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Second son of Edward the Elder. Died 2 August 924, only 16 days after his father
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924 to 927
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Æthelstan
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ÆÞELSTAN EADVVEARDING WESTSEAXNA CYNNING
ÆÞELSTAN REX SAXONVM OCCIDENTALIVM
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Became King of the English in 927 when the Northumbrians accepted his lordship.[1]
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See also
Notes
References
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"Family tree of the Kings of Wessex and England 802–1066" (
Kingdoms and subdivisions of Anglo-Saxon England
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Kingdoms
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Lesser kingdoms
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Minor Anglo-Saxon
tribes and fiefs
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