Cynric () was King of Wessex from 534 to 560. Everything known about him comes from 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 ...

''. There, he is stated to have been the son of Cerdic, who is considered the founder of the kingdom of Wessex. However, the Anglian King-list and parts of the West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List (which may partly derive from the Anglian King-list and was a source for the ''Chronicle''), instead says that Cynric was the son of Cerdic's son Creoda. Similarly, the paternal genealogy of Alfred the Great given in Asser's ''The Life of King Alfred'', includes the name Creoda, while the account of the king's maternal ancestry in the same work calls Cynric son of Cerdic.

Name

The name ''Cynric'' has an ostensibly straightforward

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

etymology meaning "Kin-ruler". However, this name's normal Old English form is ''Cyneric''. As some scholars have proposed that both his predecessor, Cerdic, and successor, Ceawlin, had Celtic names, an alternative etymology has been postulated, deriving the name from Brittonic "Cunorix", meaning "Hound-king" (which developed into ''Cinir'' in

Old Welsh Old Welsh () is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic around 550, ha ...

, ''Kynyr'' in Middle Welsh).

Conquest

The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' describes Cerdic and Cynric with five ships landing in the area around

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

in 495.A theory specifically identifies the site of the landing, at Cerdicesora, as Christchurch Harbour so that the axis of penetration was along the Avon. According to the chronicle, the two are described as aristocratic " aldormen" but only assumed rule over the Gewissae (as the West Saxons were known before the late 7th century) in 519. This implies that Cynric was not a royal leader. He and his father were only elevated to kingship when they allegedly conquered the heartlands of the future Wessex.

Rule

During his reign, as described in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', the Saxons expanded into

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

against strong resistance and captured ''Searobyrig'', or Old Sarum, near

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, in 552. In 556, he and his son Ceawlin won a battle against the Britons at ''Beranburh'', now identified as Barbury Castle. If these dates are accurate, then it is unlikely that the earlier entries in the ''Chronicle'', starting with his arrival in Britain with his father Cerdic in 495, are correct. David Dumville has suggested that his true regnal dates are 554–581.Barbara Yorke: ''Kings and Kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England'', Routledge, London-New York 2002, , p. 133. Some note that Ceawlin's origin and relationship with Cynric are obscure. Chroniclers merely suggested that they were relatives or that he was Cynric's son to legitimize the later Wessex lineage.

In popular culture

In the 2004 film ''

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

'', Cerdic and Cynric were depicted as Saxon invaders and were killed, respectively, by

and

Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), alternatively written as Launcelot and other variants, is a popular character in the Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend's chivalric romance tradition. He is typically depicted as King Arthu ...

at the Battle of Badon Hill (Mons Badonicus). Cynric was portrayed by

Til Schweiger Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor and filmmaker. He became known in the 1990s for films such as '' Manta, Manta'', '' Der bewegte Mann'' and '' Knockin' on Heaven's Door''. He went on to star in international ...

Notes

References

* Laing, L.R. (1975), ''The archaeology of late Celtic Britain and Ireland, c. 400-1200 AD,'' Taylor & Francis. * * Sims-Williams, P. (1983), ''The settlement of England in Bede and the "Chronicle"'' from ''Anglo-Saxon England, Vol. 12'', pp. 1–41, Cambridge University Press. * Whittock, M.J. (1986), ''The Origins of England 410-600'' Croom Helm.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cynric Of Wessex 560 deaths Arthurian characters English heroic legends Anglo-Saxon warriors Sub-Roman monarchs West Saxon monarchs 6th-century English monarchs Year of birth unknown House of Wessex