Mercia (mûr`shə), one of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England, consisting generally of the region of the Midlands. It was settled by Angles c.500, probably first along the Trent valley. Its history emerges from obscurity with the reign of Penda Penda, d. 654, king of Mercia (c.632–654). A noble of the Mercian royal house, he fought (629) the king of Wessex for lands along the Severn River. He then allied himself with Cadwallon of Wales, defeated (632) Edwin of Northumbria, and made himself king of
..... Click the link for more information. , who extended his power over Wessex (645) and East Anglia (650) to gain overlordship of England S of the Humber River. After his death Mercia suffered a three-year loss of ascendancy during which it was converted to Christianity by a Northumbrian mission. Penda's son, Wulfhere, then reestablished a Greater Mercia that finally, under Æthelbald Æthelbald (ĕ`thəlbôld, ă`–), d. 757, king of Mercia (716–57), grandson of a brother of Penda.
..... Click the link for more information. in the 8th cent., extended over all S England. This hegemony was strengthened by Offa Offa (ŏf`ə), d. 796, king of Mercia (757–96).
..... Click the link for more information. (reigned 757–96), who controlled East Anglia, Kent, and Sussex and maintained superiority of a sort over Wessex and Northumbria. He had the great Offa's Dyke built to protect W Mercia from the Welsh. After his death, Mercian power gradually gave way before that of Wessex. The victories of Egbert Egbert, d. 839, king of Wessex (802–39). His name also appears as Ecgberht. He was descended from Cerdic and was apparently an unsuccessful aspirant for the crown of Wessex against Beohtric (reigned 786–802).
..... Click the link for more information. of Wessex in Mercia established him briefly as overlord. In 874, Mercia weakly succumbed to the invading Danish army, and ultimately the eastern part became (886) a portion of the Danelaw Danelaw (dān`lô'), originally the body of law that prevailed in the part of England occupied by the Danes after the treaty of King
..... Click the link for more information. , while the western part was controlled by Alfred Alfred, 849–99, king of Wessex (871–99), sometimes called Alfred the Great, b. Wantage, Berkshire.

Early Life

The youngest son of King Æthelwulf, he was sent in 853 to Rome, where the pope gave him the title of Roman consul.
..... Click the link for more information. of Wessex. Thereafter Mercia had no independent history, although it had one more distinguished ruler in Æthelflæd Æthelflæd (ĕ`thəlflĕd, ă`thĕlflăd) or Ethelfleda
..... Click the link for more information. , Lady of the Mercians.

Bibliography

See F. M. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England (2d ed. 1947).

Mercia

Ancient kingdom, central England. One of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the Heptarchy, it comprised the border areas, corresponding to modern Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and northern West Midlands and Warwickshire. Offa, who ruled from 757 to 796, created a single state from the River Humber to the English Channel. After Offa's death, Mercia declined, overshadowed by Wessex. In 877 the Danes divided Mercia into English and Danish sections. After the reconquest of the Danish lands in the early 10th century, it came under the rule of Wessex.

Mercia

a kingdom and earldom of central and S England during the Anglo-Saxon period that reached its height under King Offa (757--96)

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Early Life

Bibliography

Mercia

Mercia