Earl of Mercia was a title in the late Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Danish, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. During this period the earldom covered the lands of the old

Kingdom of Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

in the

English Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefordshi ...

. First governed by

ealdormen Ealdorman ( , )"ealdorman"
''

Wessex The Kingdom of the West Saxons, also known as the Kingdom of Wessex, was an Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, 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-Sa ...

in the 10th century, it became an earldom in the Anglo-Danish period. During the time of King

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

the earldom was held by Leofric and his family, who were political rivals to the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

of Godwine. Following the

Conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

in 1066 Edwin was confirmed as earl by

King William King William may refer to: People Bimbia * William I of Bimbia * William II of Bimbia () Britain and Ireland * William of England (disambiguation), multiple kings * William I, King of Scots (–1214), also known as William the Lion German Empir ...

. However he was implicated in the rebellion of 1071 and was dispossessed. Following the death of Edwin the earldom was broken up, the power and regional jurisdiction of the earl passing to the newly formed earldoms of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

and later

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

Earldormen and Earls of Mercia

Ealdormen

* Ælfhere (950s–983) *

Ælfric Cild Ælfric Cild ()Williams, "Ælfhere (''d''. 983)" was a wealthy Anglo-Saxon nobleman from the east Midlands, Ealdorman of Mercia between 983 and 985, and possibly brother-in-law to his predecessor Ælfhere. He was also associated with the monastic ...

(983–985) *

Eadric Streona Eadric Streona (died 1017) was Ealdorman of Mercia from 1007 until he was killed by King Cnut. Eadric was given the epithet "Streona" (translated as "The Acquisitive”) in '' Hemming's Cartulary'' because he appropriated church land and funds ...

(1007–1017)''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', 1007: "In this year also was Edric appointed alderman over all the kingdom of the Mercians.", 1017: "This year also was Alderman Edric slain at London".

Earls

* Leofric (c. 1030–1057) *

Ælfgar Ælfgar is an Anglo-Saxon masculine personal name, from ''ælf'' "elf" and ''gar'' "spear", that may refer to: *Ælfgar of Lichfield (died c. 947), bishop of Lichfield *Ælfgar of Elmham (died 1021), bishop of Elmham *Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia (103 ...

(1057–c. 1062) *

Edwin The name Edwin means "wealth-friend". It comes from (wealth, good fortune) and (friend). Thus the Old English form is Ēadwine, a name widely attested in early medieval England. Edwina is the feminine form of the name. Notable people and char ...

(c. 1062–1071)

Notes

References

* Stephen Baxter, ''The Earls of Mercia: Lordship and Power in Late Anglo-Saxon England'' (2007) * David Crouch, ''The Normans'' (2002) * Emma Mason, ''The House of Godwine'' (2004) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mercia Earldoms in England before 1066

Earldormen and Earls of Mercia

Ealdormen

Earls

See also

Notes

References