- 784: King of Kent
- Se Æþeling Ealhmund cyning of Cantwarena folc
- "(The noble Ealhmund, King of the people of Kent)"
Ealhmund of Kent was born in England to Eafa of Wessex and died 784 England of unspecified causes.
Biography[]
There is general concensus amount the Anglo-Saxon Chroniclers that Ealhmund of Kent ruled as King of Kent at least in the year 784, when he issued a royal charter and that Egbert of Wessex (c769-839) would become the King of Wessex and the descent of English Royalty traces thru him.
It has been speculated that his father married a Kentish princess (name unknown) because Ealhmund was given a Kentish name, Ealhmund, and is usually identified with the Ealhmund who occurs in Kent in the next generation.
Asser's The Life of King Alfred identifies him as the son of Eafa.[1]
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.
Reign of Ealhmund[]
The kingdom of Kent was overrun by the King of Mercia during this time period.
In 784 a new king of Kent, Ealhmund, appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. According to a note in the margin, "this king Ealhmund was Egbert's father (i.e. Egbert of Wessex), Egbert was Æthelwulf's father." This is supported by the genealogical preface from the A text of the Chronicle, which gives Egbert's father's name as Ealhmund without further details. The preface probably dates from the late ninth century; the marginal note is on the F manuscript of the Chronicle, which is a Kentish version dating from about 1100.
Ealhmund does not appear to have long survived in power: there is no record of his activities after 784. There is, however, extensive evidence of Offa's domination of Kent during the late 780s, with his goals apparently going beyond overlordship to outright annexation of the kingdom, and he has been described as "the rival, not the overlord, of the Kentish kings". It is possible that the young Egbert fled to Wessex in 785 or so; it is suggestive that the Chronicle mentions in a later entry that Beorhtric, Cynewulf's successor, helped Offa to exile Egbert.
See also: House of Wessex Family Tree Chart
Marriage & Family[]
- Egbert of Wessex (c769-839) - Successor as King of Kent
- Æthelburh of Wilton (c770-), wife of Wulfstan, ealdorman of Wiltshire
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Egbert of Wessex (c769-839) | 769 | 839 | |
| Æthelburh of Wilton (c770-) | |||
Siblings[]
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Ealhmund of Kent (c740-784) | England | 784 England | |
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[]
- wikipedia:en:Ealhmund of Kent
- Ealhmund of Kent at thePeerage
- Ealhmund of Kent - Geni.com
- Ealhmund of Kent at Find A Grave
- Anglo-Saxon and Danish Kings of England - Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
- Ealhmund 4 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Year 784 Mention of his reign.
Ancestry Trees[]
- Alfred the Great Family Ancestry
- House of Wessex
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which gives a genealogy for Æthelwulf of Wessex (c795-858).
Contemporary Sources[]
Unfortunately, very little is known about the life of King Ealhmund of Kent. In fact, many details about his reign and even his existence are subject to debate and speculation among historians. That being said, there are a few contemporary sources that mention Ealhmund, although they provide only limited information about him.
- One such source 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 Ealhmund in its entry for the year 784, stating that he was the father of King Egbert of Wessex.
- Another contemporary source that mentions Ealhmund is the Historia Brittonum, a historical text that was probably written in Wales in the 9th century. The Historia Brittonum also briefly mentions Ealhmund as the father of King Egbert.
- Many historians rely on later sources, such as the writings of Bede, for information about the political and cultural climate of Kent during the 8th century.
Early Citations[]
784 Anglo Saxon Chronicle[]
Here is the entry from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 784, which mentions Ealhmund of Kent: Original Old English:
"Her wæs Ealhmund Cantware cyning ofslægen fram Sigeberhte cyninge."
Translation: "In this year, King Ealhmund of Kent was killed by King Sigeberht." It should be noted that the entry is very brief and provides no additional information about Ealhmund or his reign.
Royal Succession Chart[]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ecgberht II |
King of Kent 784 |
Succeeded by Eadberht III Præn |
References[]
- ^ The Life of King Alfred, John Asser, page 1, https://archive.org/details/asserslifeofking00asseiala/page/1/mode/1up