Title : King of Essex
Reign : 660-663
Born :
Died : 663
Spouse :
Parents :
Swithelm ruled in Essex as king between 660-664. With his brother it is believed they killed the previous King Sigeberht II the Good.
The accused Sigeberht of being too friendly towards Christians, but was persuaded to convert to Christianity by Aethelwald, King of East Anglia.
Title : King of Essex
Reign : c 653 – c 660
Born :
Died :
Spouse :
Parents : Sigeferth, younger cousin of Sæberht
Sigeberht II was sometimes called the Good or the Blessed. He ruled between c 653 and c 660. Was converted to Christianity during a trip to Northumbria. The re-Christianity of Essex took place during his reign.
He could have been murdered by his successor Swithelm in a power struggle with in the East Saxon elite.
Title : King of Essex
Reign : c 616 – c 617
Born :
Died : c.617
Spouse :
Parents : Sæberht, King of Essex
Sæward was King of Essex between c 616 and c 617. He ruled jointly with his brother Sexred.
The brothers were killed in battle with the West Saxons led by Ceawlin and Cwichelm.
Title : King of Essex
Reign : c 616 – c 617
Born :
Died : c.617
Spouse :
Parents : Sæberht, King of Essex
Sexred was King of Essex between c 616 and c 617. He ruled jointly with his brother Sæward. There is also possibly a third brother, Seaxbald who may also have ruled.
The brothers were killed in battle with the West Saxons led by Ceawlin and Cwichelm.
Title : King of Essex
Reign : c.600 – c.616
Born :
Died :
Spouse : Ethelgoda
Parents : Sledd, King of Essex and Ricula, sister of King Æthelberht of Kent
Succeeded his father Sledd as King of Essex in c.604 and is known as the first East Saxon king to convert to Christianity. More and likely he was persuaded by his uncle King Æthelberht of Kent, to whom he was more and likely a vassal to. He converted in 604 as per Bede and was baptised by Mellitus, Bishop of London.
Later medieval legend states that Sæberht and his wife Ethelgoda built the original chapel on the site of Westminster Abbey and were later buried there.
Sæberht is more and likely the occupier of the Prittlewell tomb ‘by the Prittle stream’ near Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The tomb was filled with vast amounts of impressive grave goods. These came not only from England but also from the continent. The only part left of the body was a few teeth. The discovery of golden foil crosses shows that the grave was an early Christian.
After his death his sons converted back to paganism.
Sledd (or Sledda) of Essex
Title : King of Essex
Reign : c 587 – c 604
Born :
Died : c.604
Spouse : Ricula, sister to King Æthelberht of Kent
Parents : Æscwine, King of Essex
Sledd was the son of Æscwine and the second king of the East Saxons and succeeded to the throne on the death of his father about c.587
Stedd married Ricula, sister to King Æthelberht of Kent and he was father to Sæberht whise rule began in c.604. Another son is named as Seaxbald.
It could be said that due to the marriage of his sister, Æthelberht had allowed Essex to be slightly more self governing and the forming of the kingdom was finally rubber stamped. z
During his reign he governed a large kingdom for Essex, which incorporated lands west of London and south of the Thames.
Title : King of Essex
Reign : c.560-587
Born :
Died :
Spouse :
Parents : Offa
Imaginary depiction of Æscwine from John Speed’s 1611 “Saxon Heptarchy”.
Precious little is known regarding Æscwine and is listed as the first king of the East Saxons (Essex) in the Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies presumably from the ninth century. It is stated that he is the father of Sledd, and then the son of Offa, son of Bedca, son of Sigefugi, son of Swæppa, son of Gesecg, son of Seaxnet the legendary founder of the Saxons.
More information is then given in later chronicles from the 12th and 13th Centuries, including, Henry of Huntingdon’s Historia Anglorum, Roger of Wendover’s Flores Historiarum and Matthew Paris’ Chronica Majora.
It is possible that Æscwine was not a Saxon from Essex but a Jute from Kent. Æscwine name is more Jutish in origin. Essex was originally formed into a kingdom by the more aggressive Kent. Firstly by Eormenric and secondly by his son Æthelbert I. Bede places Eormenric’s death at 560. It is possible that Æthelbert ruled in Essex while his father ruled in Kent and then on the death of his father another person of importance in Kent then ruled on in Essex, Æscwine.
So for some time now I have always wondered how I could link through all the different kings and queens I come across throughout time and space. Well I am going to try something different for now. This post will be a list of all the different kings of Sussex. I have filled in some information about each regarding their reigns and parents where I have quickly found it and will continue to fill this in as I go along. I also hope that this will be a starting point as such that will then grow into small posts giving brief outlines of each of the kings. If this works well I may begin to do it for more different dynasties and families. So here it goes….
| Name | Reign | Spouse | Father | Mother | Notes |
| Æscwine | c.560 – c.587 | Offa | |||
| Sledda | c 587 – 604 | Ricula, sister of King Æthelberht of Kent | Æscwine | ||
| Sæberht | c 600 – c 616 | Ethelgoda | Sledd | Ricula, sister of King Æthelberht of Kent | |
| Sexred | c 616 – c 617 | Sæberht | Joint king with Sæward, killed in battle against the West Saxons | ||
| Sæward | c 616 – c 617 | Sæberht | Joint king with Sexred, killed in battle against the West Saxons | ||
| Sigeberht I the Little | c 617 – 653 | Sæward | |||
| Sigeberht II the Good | c 653 – 660 | Sigeferth | |||
| Swithelm | 660 – 663 | murdered Sigeberht II | |||
| Sighere | 663 – 683 | Osyth, daughter of Firthwold, sub-king in Mercia | Sigeberht I | Joint king with Sebbi | |
| Sebbi | 663 – c 694 | Joint king with Sighere, abdicated in favour of his sons Sigeheard and Swaefred | |||
| Sigeheard | c 694 – c 709 | Sebbi | Joint king with his brother Swaefred | ||
| Swaefred | c 695 – c 709 | Sebbi | Joint king with his brother Sigeheard | ||
| Offa | 709 | Sigehere | Osyth | Abdicated, travelled to Rome with King Cenred of Mercia | |
| Saelred | c 709 – 746 | Probably joint king with Swaefbert, claimed descent from Sigeberht II the Good | |||
| Swaefbert | 715 – 738 | Probably joint king with Saelred, possibly ruled sub-kingdom of Middlesex | |||
| Swithred | 746 – 758 | Sigemund | cousin of Saelred | ||
| Sigeric | 758 – 798 | Saelred | Abdicated to go pilgramage to Rome | ||
| Sigered | 798 – 825 | Sigeric | Rank reduced from King to Duke in 812 by Mercian Overlords |
Kings and Queens 