- Se Æþeling Eafa, West Seaxna cyning
- "The noble Eafa, King of the West Saxons"
Eafa of Wessex was born on an unknown date to Eoppa of Wessex (c706-781) and died 784 England of unspecified causes.
His father was Eoppa of Wessex. It has been speculated that he married a Kentish princess (name unknown) because his son was given a Kentish name, Ealhmund, and is usually identified with the Ealhmund who occurs in Kent in the next generation. Eafa's son Ealhmund went on to be the father of Egbert, King of Wessex.
Eafa of Wessex was a member of the House of Wessex. Although recorded as a member of the direct male line from Cynric to Egbert. Eafa was never king due to usurpations by junior branches of the family (see House of Wessex family tree). . He was born c. 730 and his death date is unknown.
House of Wessex
He was of the royal English dynasty called House of Wessex, a family originating in the southwest corner of England and gradually increased in power and prestiege. The House became rulers of all the country with the reign of Alfred the Great in 871 and lasting until Edmund Ironside in 1016. This period of the English monarchy is known as the Saxon period.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Ealhmund of Kent (c740-784) | England | 784 England | |
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Eafa of Wessex | 784 England | ||
Family Ancestry
Royal Lineage Family of Kent
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles compiled at the time of Alfred the Great generally agree as to the royal lineage of the early English kings through the House of Wessex. They show that lineage as follows:
- Cenred of Wessex, King of Wessex and son of Ceolwald of Wessex, a desendant of Cerdic of Wessex, the first Wessex King.
- Ingild of Wessex, royal prince and son of Cenred of Wessex
- Eoppa of Wessex, son of Ingild of Wessex.
- Ealhmund of Kent (c740-784), son of Eoppa.
- Ealhmund of Kent, son of Eafa, ruled briefly as King of Kent in the year 784.
- Egbert, King of Wessex (c769-839) son of Ealhmund of Kent, he was able to wrest control of both Wessex and Kent from the King of Mercia (c 790-839) and back to the royal family of Wessex.
- Æthelwulf, King of Wessex (c795-858), helped his father conquer the Kingdom of Kent in 825 and inherited his fathers throne in 839. While king he repelled several Viking invasions and undertook a pilgrimage to Rome in 855. Several of his sons succeeded to his thone in turn until the youngest, thru which the royal line continued.
- Alfred the Great, King of Anglo-Saxons (ruled 871-899), son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex and Osburga.
See Also
Bibliography
- Asser, John, The Life of King Alfred, https://archive.org/details/asserslifeofking00asseiala/page/1/mode/1up
- Bierbrier, M.L., "Genealogical Flights of Fancy. Old Assumptions, New Sources", Foundations: Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, 2:379–87.
- Edwards, Heather (2004). "Ecgberht [Egbert (d. 839), king of the West Saxons"]. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8581. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8581?docPos=3. Retrieved 14 May 2014. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- Garmonsway, G.N. ed., The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, London: J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd.
- Grierson, Philip; Blackburn, Mark (2006). Medieval European Coinage, With A Catalogue of the Coins in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge: 1: The Early Middle Ages (5th–10th Centuries). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-03177-X.
- Kelley, David H., "The House of Aethelred", in Brooks, Lindsay L., ed., Studies in Genealogy and Family History in Tribute to Charles Evans. Salt Lake City: The Association for the Promotion of Scholarship in Genealogy, Occasional Publication, No. 2, pp. 63–93.
External Links
- Eafa of Wessex at thePeerage
- Eafa of Wessex - Geni.com
- Anglo-Saxon and Danish Kings of England - Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
Contemporary Sources
Very few original sources exist for Eafa of Wessex:
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The earliest source that mentions Eafa is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals that was compiled in the late 9th century and provides a year-by-year account of English history from the 5th century until the 12th century. The Chronicle briefly mentions Eafa in its entry for the year 784, stating that he was the brother of King Beorhtric of Wessex and was killed by the men of King Cynewulf of Wessex.
Here is the entry from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 784, which briefly mentions Eafa of Wessex: Original Old English:
"Her wæs Ealhmund Cantware cyning ofslægen fram Sigeberhte cyninge, and Æðelberht, Beorhtrices broðor, wearð ofslægen fram Cynewylfe."
Translation: "In this year, King Ealhmund of Kent was killed by King Sigeberht, and Æthelberht, Beorhtric's brother, was killed by Cynwulf." Note that in this entry, the name "Æðelberht" is used instead of "Eafa". The identity of this Æthelberht is unclear, and it is possible that he is the same person as Eafa, or a different person altogether.
Ancestry Trees
- Alfred the Great Family Ancestry
- House of Wessex
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which gives a genealogy for Æthelwulf of Wessex (c795-858).
References