Centwine (died after 685) was

King of Wessex This is a list of monarchs of the Kingdom of the West Saxons (Wessex) until 886 AD. While the details of the later monarchs are confirmed by a number of sources, the earlier ones are in many cases obscure. The names are given in modern English f ...

from c. 676 to 685 or 686, although he was perhaps not the only king of the

West Saxons The Kingdom of the West Saxons, also known as the Kingdom of Wessex, was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of Great Britain, from around 519 until Alfred the Great declared himself as King of the Anglo-Saxons in 886. The Anglo-Saxons beli ...

at the time. The ''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...

'' reports that Centwine became king c. 676, succeeding

Æscwine Aescwine or Escwine or Æscwine is an Anglo-Saxon name, whose modern descendant is ''Ashwin''. It translates literally as "ash-tree friend", but can mean a number of things, including "strong/manly friend", or "friendly man." Notable persons with ...

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

states that after the death of King

Cenwalh Cenwalh, also Cenwealh or Coenwalh, was King of Wessex from c. 642 to c. 645 and from c. 648 until his death, according to the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', in c. 672. Penda and Anna Bede states that Cenwalh was the son of the King Cynegils ba ...

: "his under-rulers took upon them the kingdom of the people, and dividing it among themselves, held it ten years". Bede's dismissal of Æscwine and Centwine as merely sub-kings may represent the views of the supporters of the King Ine, whose family ruled Wessex in Bede's time. However, if the West Saxon kingdom did fragment following Cenwalh's death, it appears that it was reunited during Centwine's reign. An entry under 682 in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' records that "Centwine drove the Britons to the sea". This is the only event recorded in his reign. The ''Carmina Ecclesiastica'' of

Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne Aldhelm (, ; 25 May 709), Abbot of Malmesbury Abbey, Bishop of Sherborne, and a writer and scholar of Latin poetry, was born before the middle of the 7th century. He is said to have been the son of Kenten, who was of the royal house of Wessex. ...

(died 709), written a generation after Centwine's reign, records that he won three great battles. In addition, it states that he was a

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

for part of his reign, adopting

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and becoming a patron of the church. The ''Chronicle's'' version of his ancestry makes Centwine a son of King

Cynegils Cynegils () was King of Wessex from c. 611 to c. 642. Cynegils is traditionally considered to have been King of Wessex, even though the kingdoms of the Heptarchy had not yet formed from the patchwork of smaller kingdoms in his lifetime. The l ...

, and thus a brother of King Cenwalh and maybe of

Cwichelm Cwichelm is a masculine English given name. Notable people with the name include: * Cwichelm of Wessex (died 636), Prince of Wessex * Cwichhelm (bishop) (died after 678), Bishop of Rochester {{given name English masculine given names Masculine ...

, King of the

Gewisse The Gewisse ( ; ) were a tribe or ruling clan of the Anglo-Saxons. Their first location, mentioned in early medieval sources, was the upper Thames region, around Dorchester on Thames. However, some scholars suggest that the Gewisse had origins am ...

, but Aldhelm does not record any such relationship. Chapter 40 of

Eddius Stephanus Stephen of Ripon was the author of the eighth-century hagiographic text ''Vita Sancti Wilfrithi'' ("Life of Saint Wilfrid"). Other names once traditionally attributed to him are Eddius Stephanus or Æddi Stephanus, but these names are no longer ...

's '' Life of Wilfrid'' records that Centwine was married to a sister of Queen

Eormenburg Eormenburg or Iurminburg (fl. 672–685) was an Anglo-Saxon queen of Northumbria as consort to Ecgfrith of Northumbria. She later became an abbess. Biography Eormenburg's parentage is unknown. She was the second wife of Ecgfrith of Northumb ...

, second wife of King

Ecgfrith of Northumbria Ecgfrith (; ; 64520 May 685) was the King of Northumbria from 670 until his death on 20 May 685. He ruled over Northumbria when it was at the height of its power, but his reign ended with a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Nechtansmere agai ...

. Her name is not reliably recorded, and the suggestion that she is to be identified with Dunna, Abbess of

Withington Withington is a suburb of Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it lies from Manchester city centre, south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Withington had a population at the 2011 ce ...

, is broadly rejected. Their daughter Bugga was certainly a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

when Aldhelm dedicated verses to her, and was probably an Abbess. Centwine is reported to have abdicated and become a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

. Aldhelm writes that he "gave up riches and the reins of government and left his own kingdom in the name of Christ".. Retrieved 2007-02-10 The date of his death is unknown. He was succeeded by Caedwalla.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Centwine of Wessex Converts to Christianity from Anglo-Saxon paganism 7th-century English monarchs 7th-century Christian saints Anglo-Saxon warriors West Saxon monarchs West Saxon saints Monarchs who abdicated House of Wessex Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown

See also

References

External links