Wp/nth/Northumbria

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Northumbria aroond 700 AD

Northumbria (Auld English: Norþanhymbra rīċe; Latin: Regnum Northanhymbrorum) wes an early medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom i the region at is noo Northren England and sooth-east Scotland.

The name derives frae the Auld Inglish 'Norþanhymbre' meanin "the folk or province north o the Humber", isteed o the folk sooth o the Humber Estuary. Northumbria started te consolidate intiv ane kingdom i the early seventh century, when the twe earlier core territories o Deira and Bernicia entered intiv a dynastic union. At its height, the kingdom extended frae the Humber, Peak District and the River Mersey i the sooth te the Firth of Forth i the north. Northumbria ceased te be an independent kingdom i the mid-tenth century when Deira wes conquered bi the Danes and formed inte the Kingdom of York. The rump Earldom of Bamburgh maintained control o Bernicia for a period o time; hooiver, the area north o the Tweed wes eventually incorporated inte the medieval Kingdom of Scotland while the pairt sooth o the Tweed wes incorporated inte the Kingdom ov England as the coonty o Northumberland and Coonty Palatine o Durham.

Kingdom (654–954)[edit]

Communities and divisions[edit]

Possible Celtic British origins[edit]

The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria was originally twe kingdoms divided approximately aroond the River Tees: Bernicia wes te the north o the river and Deira te the sooth.[1] It is possible that baith regions originated as native Celtic British kingdoms, at the Germanic sattlers later conquered, though there is varry little information aboot the infrastructur and cultur of the British kingdoms themsels.[2] Mickle o the evidence for em comes frae regional names at's British isteed ov Anglo-Saxon iv origin. The names Deira and Bernicia is likely o British origin, for example, indicatin at some British place names remained i use efter the Anglo-Saxon migrations te Northumbria. There is some archeological evidence te support British origins for the polities o Bernicia and Deira an aa. I the area at wad hae been soothren Bernicia, i the Cheviot Hills, a hill fort at Yeavering Bell contains evidence that it wes an important centre for first the British and later the Anglo-Saxons. The fort is originally pre-Roman, datin back te the Iron Age aroond the first century. Alangside signs o Roman occupation, the site contains evidence o timber biggins at pre-dates Germanic sattlement i the area at's aiblins signs o British sattlement. Mairower, Brian Hope-Taylor hes traced the origins o the name Yeavering, at leuks deceptively Inglish, back te the Cumbric *gafr frae Bede's mention ov a toonship caad Gefrin i the same area.[3][4] Yeavering continued te be an important political centre efter the Anglo-Saxons began sattlin i the north, as King Edwin hed a royal palace at Yeavering.

Oweraa, Inglish place-names dominates the Northumbrian landscape, suggestin the prevalence ov an Anglo-Saxon elite cultur bi the time that Bede – Anglo-Saxon Ingland's maist prominent historian – wes writin i the eighth century.[5][6] Accordin te Bede, the Angles wes the predominant Germanic immigrants, at sattled north o the Humber and gained political prominence durin this time period.[7] While the British natives might hae pairtially assimilated inte the Northumbrian political structur, relatively contemporary textual sources sic as Bede's Ecclesiastical History o the Inglish Folk depicts relations atween Northumbrians and the British as hostile.[8]

Unification of Bernicia and Deira[edit]

The Anglo-Saxon polities o Bernicia and Deira wes offen at war afore their eventual semi-parmanent unification i 654. Political pooer i Deira wes concentrated i the East Riding o Yorkshire, at included York, the North York Moors, and the Vale o York.[9] The political heartlands o Bernicia wes the areas aroond Bamburgh and Lindisfarne, Monkwearmooth and Jarra, and i Cumbria, west o the Pennines i the area aroond Carlisle.[10] The name at these twe states wes eventually united under, Northumbria, might hae been thowt up bi Bede and made popular throo his Ecclesiastical History o the Inglish Folk.[11]

Information aboot the early royal genealogies o Bernicia and Deira comes frae Bede's Ecclesiastical History o the Inglish Folk and Welsh chronicler Nennius' Historia Brittonum. Accordin te Nennius, the Bernician royal line begins wiv Ida, son ov Eoppa.[12] Ida reigned for twelve years (beginnin i 547) and managed te annex Bamburgh te Bernicia.[13] I Nennius' genealogy o Deira, a king caad Soemil wes the first te separate Bernicia and Deira, at could mean that he teuk the kingdom o Deira frae the native British.[14] The date o this supposed separation is unkawn. The first Deiran king te kythe i Bede's Template:Lang is Ælle, the feyther o the first Christian Northumbrian king Edwin.[15]

A king o Bernicia, Ida's grandson Æthelfrith, was the first ruler te unite the twe polities under his rule. He exiled the Deiran Edwin te the coort o King Rædwald o the East Angles for te claim baith kingdoms, but Edwin cam back ower aboot 616 AD te conquer Northumbria wi Rædwald's help.[16][17] Edwin, at ruled frev aboot 616 te 633, was ane o the last kings o the Deiran line te rule ower aa o Northumbria; it wes Oswald o Bernicia (Template:Circa–642) at finally succeeded in makin the merger mair parmanent.[18] Oswald's brother Oswiu eventually succeeded him te the Northumbrian throne even wi Deira initially attemptin te pull away frae Northumbria.[17] Tho the Bernician line ultimately becam the royal line o Northumbria, a series o Deiran under-kings continued efter Oswald, includin Oswine (a relation pv Edwin murdered biv Oswiu i 651), Œthelwald (killed i battle 655), and Aldfrith (son o Oswiu, at disappeared efter 664).[17] Tho baith Œthelwald and Aldfrith wes Oswiu's relations at might hae received their subordinate status frev him, baith used Deira separatist sentiments te try te snatch independent rule o Deira.[14] I the end, nowther wes successfu and Oswiu's son Ecgfrith succeeded him te maintain the integrated Northumbrian line.[17]

While violent conflicts atween Bernicia and Deira played a significant pairt in determinin whilk line ultimately gained supremacy i Northumbria, marriage alliances helped bind these twe territories thegither an aa. Æthelfrith married Edwin's sister Acha, tho this marriage didn't de mickle te prevent futur squabbles atween the brothers-i-law and their descendants. The second intermarriage wes mair successfu, wi Oswiu marryin Edwin's dowter and his awn cousin Eanflæd te produce Ecgfrith, the beginning o the Northumbrian line. Hooiver, Oswiu hed another relationship wiv an Irish woman caad Fina at produced the problematic Aldfrith.[17] In his Life and Miracles of St. Cuthbert, Bede declares that Aldfrith, knawn as Fland amang the Irish, wes illegitimate and therefore unfit te rule.[19]

Northumbria and Norse settlement[edit]

England in 878. The independent rump o the former Kingdom o Northumbria (yella) wes te the north o the Danelaw (pink).

The Viking invasions o the ninth century and the establishment o the Danelaw divided Northumbria ance mair. Tho primarily recorded i the soothren provinces ov Ingland, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles (particularly the D and E recensions) provides some information aboot Northumbria's conflicts wi Vikings i the late eighth and early ninth centuries. Accordinteo these chronicles, Viking raids began te affect Northumbria when a band attacked Lindisfarne i 793.[20] Efter this initial catastrophic blaw, Viking raids i Northumbria wes owther sporadic for mickle o the early ninth century or evidence on em wes lost.[21] Hooiver, i 865 the se-caad Greet Heathen Army landed iv East Anglia and began a sustained campaign o conquest.[22][23] The Greet Army fowt i Northumbria in 866–867, strikin York twe times i less nor ane year. Efter the initial attack the Norse left te gan north, leavin the Kings Ælle and Osberht te recapture the city. The E recension o the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle suggests at Northumbria wes particularly vulnerable at this time acause the Northumbrians wes fightin amang themsels again, deposin Osberht in favour o Ælle.[24] I the second raid the Vikings killed kings Ælle and Osberht while recapturin the city.[22]

Efter King Alfred reestablished his control o soothren Ingland the Norse invaders sattled what cam te be knawn as the Danelaw i the Midlands, East Anglia, and the soothren pairt o Northumbria.[22] I soothren Northumbria, the Norse establisht the Kingdom o York whese boondaries were reughly the area atween the River Tees and the Humber, mair or less the same dimensions as Deira.[25] Tho the kingdom fell te Hiberno-Norse colonisers i the 920s and wes at constant war wi the West-Saxon expansionists frae the sooth, it survived til 954 when the last Scandinavian king Eric, at is usually identified as Eric Bluidaix, wes driven oot and eventually killed.[26][27][28]

In contrast, the Greet Army wasn't that successfu at conquerin territory north o the River Tees. There wes raids that extended inte the area, but ne soorces mentions lastin Norse occupation and there isn't mony Scandinavian place names te indicate significant Norse sattlement i northren regions o Northumbria.[29] The political landscape o the area north o the Tees durin the Viking conquest o Northumbria consisted o the Community o St. Cuthbert and the remnants o the Inglish Northumbrian elites.[30] While the religious Community o St. Cuthbert "wandered" for a hundred years efter Halfdan Ragnarsson attacked their original hame Lindisfarne i 875, The History o St. Cuthbert indicates at they sattled temporarily at Chester-le-Street atween the years 875–883 on land granted te them bi the Danish King o York, Guthred.[31][32] Accordin te the twelfth-century accoont Historia Regum, Guthred granted them this land in exchange for them raisin him up as king. The land extended frae the Tees te the Tyne and onybody at fled there frev owther the north or the sooth wad receive sanctuary for thirty-siven days, indicatin that the Community o St. Cuthbert hed some juridical autonomy. Based on their positionin and this reet o sanctuary, the community mebbie acted as a buffer atween the Norse i soothren Northumbria and the Anglo-Saxons at continued te haud the north.[33][34]

North o the Tyne, Northumbrians maintained pairtial political control i Bamburgh. The rule o kings continued i the area wi Ecgberht I actin as regent aroond 867 and the kings Ricsige and Ecgberht II immediately follaïn him.[35] Accordin te twelfth-century historian Symeon o Durham, Ecgberht I wes a client-king for the Norse. The Northumbrians revolted again him i 872, deposin him in favour o Ricsige.[36] Tho the A and E recensions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that Halfdan managed eo take control o Deira and take a raiding party north o the River Tyne te impose his rule on Bernicia i 874, efter Halfdan's death (Template:Circa) the Norse hed difficulty haudin on te territory i northren Bernicia.[37][38] Ricsige and his successor Ecgberht managed te maintain an Inglish presence i Northumbria. Efter the reign of Ecgberht II, Eadwulf "King of the North Saxons" (r. 890–912) succeeded him for control o Bamburgh, but efter Eadwulf's deeth rulership o the area switched ower tiv earls at wes possible kinsmen or direct descendants o the royal Northumbrian hoose.[39]

  1. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  2. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  3. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  4. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  5. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  6. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  7. ↑ Template:Harvnb Book I, Chapter 15
  8. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  9. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  10. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  11. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  12. ↑ Template:Harvnb para 57, 59
  13. ↑ Template:Harvnb para 59
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Template:Harvnb
  15. ↑ Template:Harvnb Book II, Chapter 1
  16. ↑ Template:Harvnb Book II, Chapter 12
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Template:Harvnb
  18. ↑ Template:Harvnb Book III, Chapter 6
  19. ↑ Bede. "The Life and Miracles of St. Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne". Fordham University: The Jesuit University of New York. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved on 23 March 2023.
  20. ↑ Template:Harvnb 793
  21. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Template:Harvnb
  23. ↑ Template:Harvnb 865
  24. ↑ Template:Harvnb 866–867
  25. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  26. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  27. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  28. ↑ Template:Harvnb reconsiders the Northumbrian Viking king known as Eric and his perhaps tenuous relationship to the Eric Bloodaxe of the sagas.
  29. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  30. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  31. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  32. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  33. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  34. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  35. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  36. ↑ Template:Harvnb 867, 872
  37. ↑ Template:Harvnb 874
  38. ↑ Template:Harvnb
  39. ↑ Template:Harvnb For the epithet, see also the Annals of Ulster.
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