Ceol (also known as Ceola or Ceolric) was King of
Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
from 592 to 597.
Ceol was the son of Cutha (or Cuthwulf), the son of
Cynric of Wessex. He reigned from either 591 or 592 to 597. According to 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 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of A ...
'', he began his reign in 591, but it was only in the following year that he drove out his uncle
Ceawlin in a
battle at Woden's Barrow in
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershir ...
, thus denying the throne to the rightful heir, Ceawlin's son
Cuthwine. Upon his death the throne passed to his brother
Ceolwulf. Because his son
Cynegils was presumably too young to inherit the throne, it was given to the brother, as was probably the custom among the Saxons. In 1967 Wright and Jackson found a stone at Wroxeter in a Sub-Roman context (dating to c. 460 – 475 AD
with the inscription CUNORIX MACUS MAQVI COLINE, which translates as "Cunorix ('Hound-king' =
Cynric) son of Maqui-Coline ('Son-of-Holly'), both of which are regarded as Irish personal names.
[Wright, R.P. and Jackson, K.H. (1968) "A Late Inscription from Wroxeter", ''The Antiquaries Journal'' 48, part 2: 296–300.]
The Ceolian line
Ceol was the founding member of a sub-house of the House of Wessex which would rule Wessex from 591 – 645, 648 – 674 and from 676 – 685, comprising Ceol, Ceolwulf, Cynegils,
Cenwalh,
Seaxburh and
Centwine.
Coenwulf and
Ceolwulf I of Mercia are also believed to be descendants of Ceol, meaning that the Ceolian line flourished for at least three centuries after its founder's death, and possibly longer. (See
House of Wessex family tree.)
Notes
External links
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West Saxon monarchs
6th-century English monarchs
House of Wessex
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