Earl of Northumbria or Ealdorman of Northumbria was a title in the late
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...
,
Anglo-Scandinavian
Anglo-Scandinavian is an academic term referring to the hybridisation between Norse and Anglo-Saxon cultures in Britain during the early medieval period. It remains a term and concept often used by historians and archaeologists, and in linguisti ...
and early
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
*Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
*Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...
period in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. The
ealdordom was a successor of the Norse
Kingdom of York. In the seventh century, the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of
Bernicia
Bernicia ( ang, Bernice, Bryneich, Beornice; la, Bernicia) was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England.
The Anglian territory of Bernicia was ap ...
and
Deira were united in the kingdom of
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
, but this was destroyed by the Vikings in 867. Southern Northumbria, the former Deira, then became the Viking
kingdom of York, while the
rulers of Bamburgh commanded territory roughly equivalent to the northern kingdom of Bernicia. In 1006
Uhtred the Bold, ruler of Bamburgh, by command of
Æthelred the Unready became ealdorman in the south, temporarily re-uniting much of the area of Northumbria into a single jurisdiction. Uhtred was murdered in 1016, and
Cnut
Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway ...
then appointed
Eric of Hlathir ealdorman at York, but Uhtred's dynasty held onto Bamburgh. After the
Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...
the region was divided into multiple smaller baronies, one of which was the
earldom of Northumberland, with others like the earldoms of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
and numerous autonomous liberties such as the
County Palatine of Durham
The County Palatine of Durham and Sadberge, commonly referred to as County Durham or simply Durham, is a historic county in Northern England. Until 1889, it was controlled by powers granted under the Bishopric of Durham. The county and Northum ...
and Liberty of Tynedale.
West Saxon- and Danish-Era ealdormen
Post-Conquest ealdormen
Anglo-Norman-Era baronial title
See also
*
List of monarchs of Northumbria
Northumbria, a kingdom of Angles, in what is now northern England and Lothian, south-east Scotland, was initially divided into two kingdoms: Bernicia and Deira. The two were first united by king Æthelfrith around the year 604, and except for occ ...
*
Rulers of Bamburgh
*
Earl of York
*
Earl of Northumberland
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Northumbria
Earldoms in England before 1066
Anglo-Normans
Noble titles created in 1067
Noble titles created in 1068
Noble titles created in 1070
Noble titles created in 1072
Noble titles created in 1075
Noble titles created in 1080
Noble titles created in 1086
Noble titles created in 1139
Noble titles created in 1189
Noble titles created in 1215
Lists of nobility