The House of Wessex, also known as the House of Cerdic, the House of the West Saxons, the House of the Gewisse, the Cerdicings and the West Saxon dynasty, refers to the family, traditionally founded by

Cerdic Cerdic ( ; ) is described in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' as a leader of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, being the founder and first king of Wessex, reigning from around 519 to 534 AD. Subsequent kings of Wessex were each claimed by the ...

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 ...

, that ruled

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 ...

Southern England Southern England, also known as the South of England or the South, is a sub-national part of England. Officially, it is made up of the southern, south-western and part of the eastern parts of England, consisting of the statistical regions of ...

from the early 6th century. The house became dominant in southern England after the accession of King Ecgberht in 802.

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

saved England from Viking conquest in the late ninth century and his grandson

Æthelstan Æthelstan or Athelstan (; ; ; ; – 27 October 939) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to his death in 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder and his first wife, Ecgwynn. Modern histori ...

became first king of England in 927. The disastrous reign of

Æthelred the Unready Æthelred II (,Different spellings of this king's name most commonly found in modern texts are "Ethelred" and "Æthelred" (or "Aethelred"), the latter being closer to the original Old English form . Compare the modern dialect word . ; ; 966 � ...

ended in Danish conquest in 1014. Æthelred and his son

Edmund Ironside Edmund Ironside (30 November 1016; , , ; sometimes also known as Edmund II) was King of the English from 23 April to 30 November 1016. He was the son of King Æthelred the Unready and his first wife, Ælfgifu of York. Edmund's reign was marre ...

attempted to resist the Vikings in 1016, but after their deaths the Danish

Cnut the Great Cnut ( ; ; – 12 November 1035), also known as Canute and with the epithet the Great, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway from 1028 until his death in 1035. The three kingdoms united under Cnut's rul ...

and his sons ruled until 1042. The House of Wessex then briefly regained power under Æthelred's son

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

, but lost it after the Confessor's reign, with 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 Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

in 1066. All monarchs of England (and subsequently Great Britain) since William II have been descended from the House of Wessex through

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

's wife

Matilda of Flanders Matilda of Flanders (; ; German: ''Mechtild)'' ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was the mother of ni ...

, who was a descendant of Alfred the Great through his daughter Ælfthryth. Additionally, all English/British monarchs since Henry II have been descended from English kings from the House of Wessex through Henry I's wife

Matilda of Scotland Matilda of Scotland (originally christened Edith, 1080 – 1 May 1118), also known as Good Queen Maud, was Queen consort of England and Duchess of Normandy as the first wife of King Henry I. She acted as regent of England on several occasions ...

, who was a great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside.

History

The House of Wessex began to dominate English politics after many years of Mercian hegemony with the reign of

Egbert Egbert is a name that derives from old Germanic words meaning "bright edge", such as that of a blade. Anglo-Saxon variant spellings include Ecgberht () and Ecgbert. German variant spellings include Eckbert and Ekbert. People with the first name Mi ...

. Egbert's grandson

ruled as King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 onward. Alfred's son

Edward the Elder Edward the Elder (870s?17 July 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death in 924. He was the elder son of Alfred the Great and his wife Ealhswith. When Edward succeeded to the throne, he had to defeat a challenge from his cousi ...

united southern England under his rule by conquering the Viking occupied areas 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 ...

and

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

. His son,

, extended the kingdom into the northern lands of

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

, which lies above the

Mersey The River Mersey () is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it ...

and

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

, but this was not fully consolidated until after his nephew

Edgar Edgar is a commonly used masculine English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Edgar'' (composed of ''wikt:en:ead, ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''Gar (spear), gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the Late Midd ...

succeeded to the throne. Their rule was often contested, notably by the Danish king

Sweyn Forkbeard Sweyn Forkbeard ( ; ; 17 April 963 – 3 February 1014) was King of Denmark from 986 until his death, King of England for five weeks from December 1013 until his death, and King of Norway from 999/1000 until 1014. He was the father of King Ha ...

who invaded in 995 and occupied the united English throne from 1013 to 1014, during the reign of

and his son

. Sweyn, his son

Canute Cnut ( ; ; – 12 November 1035), also known as Canute and with the epithet the Great, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway from 1028 until his death in 1035. The three kingdoms united under Cnut's rul ...

and his successors ruled until 1042. After

Harthacanute Harthacnut (; "Tough-knot"; – 8 June 1042), traditionally Hardicanute, sometimes referred to as Canute III, was King of Denmark from 1035 to 1042 and King of England from 1040 to 1042. Harthacnut was the son of King Cnut the Great (wh ...

, there was a brief Anglo-Saxon restoration between 1042 and 1066 under

, who was a son of Æthelred, who was later succeeded by

Harold Godwinson Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, the decisive battle of the Norman ...

, a member of the

House of Godwin The House of Godwin (Old English: ''Godƿine'') was the house consisting of the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon family who were one of the leading noble families in England during the last fifty years before the Norman conquest of England, Norman Con ...

, possibly a side branch of the Cerdicings (see

Ancestry of the Godwins Very little is known for certain of the ancestry of the Godwins, the family of the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, Harold Godwinson, Harold II. When King Edward the Confessor died in January 1066 his closest relative was his great-nephew, ...

). After the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...

, the victorious Duke of Normandy became

William I of England William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was ...

. Anglo-Saxon attempts to restore native rule in the person of

Edgar the Ætheling Edgar is a commonly used masculine English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Edgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and '' gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the Late Middle Ages; it was, howeve ...

, a grandson of

who had originally been passed over in favour of Harold, were unsuccessful and William's descendants secured their rule. Chroniclers describe conflicting stories about Edgar's later years, including a supposed involvement in the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

; he is presumed to have died around 1126. A Northumberland pipe roll mentions an "Edgar Adeling" in 1158, and 1167, by which time Edgar would have been over 100 years old. Beyond this, there is no existing evidence that the male line of the Cerdicings continued beyond Edgar Ætheling. Edgar's niece

later married William's son

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

to consolidate his claim to the throne, since his father, William the Conqueror already had a tenuous claim to the English throne, and he had an even more tenuous one, forming a link between the two dynasties.

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

was a descendant of the House of Wessex in the female line, something that contemporary English commentators noted with approval.Harper-Hill, C. and Vincent, N. (2007) ''Henry II: New Interpretations'', Boydell Press, p. 382.

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1300 height:auto barincrement:12 PlotArea = top:0 bottom:30 right:150 left:20 AlignBars = justify DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:519 till:1066 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:50 start:550 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:10 start:520 Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(1,1,1) id:w value:purple id:m value:green id:d value:yellow id:eon value:black Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Rulers bar:eon PlotData = align:center textcolor:black fontsize:8 mark:(line,black) width:6 shift:(0,5) bar:eon color:eon from:519 till:645 color:w text:Wessex from:645 till:648 color:m text: Iclingas (Mercia) from:648 till:1013 color:w from:1013 till:1014 color:d text: Knýtlinga (Denmark) from:1014 till:1016 color:w from:1016 till:1042 color:d from:1042 till:1066 color:w from:1066 till:1066 color:eon text:

from:1066 till:1066 color:w width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till barset:Rulers from:519 till:534 color:w text:"

" from:534 till:560 color:w text:"

Cynric Cynric () was King of Wessex from 534 to 560. Everything known about him comes from the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle''. There, he is stated to have been the son of Cerdic, who is considered the founder of the kingdom of Wessex. However, the Anglian ...

" from:560 till:591 color:w text:"

Ceawlin Ceawlin ( ; also spelled Ceaulin, Caelin, Celin, died ''ca.'' 593) was a King of Wessex. He may have been the son of Cynric of Wessex and the grandson of Cerdic of Wessex, whom the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' represents as the leader of the fi ...

" from:591 till:597 color:w text:"

Ceol Ceol ( ; also known as Ceola or Ceolric) is portrayed by the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' and West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List as King of Wessex for five to six years around 592 to 597 (the ''Chronicle'') or 588 to 594 (the List). Historicit ...

" from:597 till:611 color:w text:" Ceolwulf" from:611 till:643 color:w text:"

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 ...

" from:626 till:636 color:w text:"

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 ...

from:643 till:645 color:w text:"

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 ...

" "(first reign)" from:645 till:648 color:m text:"

Penda Penda (died 15 November 655)Manuscript A of the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' gives the year as 655. Bede also gives the year as 655 and specifies a date, 15 November. R. L. Poole (''Studies in Chronology and History'', 1934) put forward the theor ...

from:648 till:674 color:w text:"

" "(second reign)" from:672 till:674 color:w text:" Seaxburh from:674 till:674 color:w text:" Cenfus" (disputed)" from:674 till:676 color:w text:" Æscwine" from:676 till:685 color:w text:"

Centwine Centwine (died after 685) was King of Wessex from c. 676 to 685 or 686, although he was perhaps not the only king of the West Saxons at the time. The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' reports that Centwine became king c. 676, succeeding Æscwine of We ...

" from:685 till:688 color:w text:"

Cædwalla Cædwalla (; 659 – 20 April 689) was the King of Wessex from approximately 685 until he abdicated in 688. His name is derived from the Welsh Cadwallon. He was exiled from Wessex as a youth and during this period gathered forces and attac ...

" (abdicated)" from:688 till:726 color:w text:" Ine" from:726 till:740 color:w text:" Æthelheard" from:740 till:756 color:w text:"

Cuthred Cuthred is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Cuthred of Kent, ninth-century monarch *Cuthred of Wessex, eighth-century monarch *Cuthred son of Cwichelm of Wessex Cwichelm ( ; died 636) was an Anglo-Saxon king of the Gewisse, ...

" from:756 till:757 color:w text:" Sigeberht" from:757 till:786 color:w text:"

Cynewulf Cynewulf (, ; also spelled Cynwulf or Kynewulf) is one of twelve Old English poets known by name, and one of four whose work is known to survive today. He presumably flourished in the 9th century, with possible dates extending into the late 8th ...

" from:786 till:802 color:w text:" Beorhtric" from:802 till:839 color:w text:"

" from:839 till:858 color:w text:" Æthelwulf" from:858 till:860 color:w text:" Æthelbald" from:860 till:866 color:w text:" Ætheberht" from:866 till:871 color:w text:"

Æthelred I Æthelred (; ) or Ethelred () is an Old English personal name (a compound of '' æþele'' and '' ræd'', meaning "noble counsel" or "well-advised") and may refer to: Anglo-Saxon England * Æthelred and Æthelberht, legendary princes of Kent * Æ ...

" from:871 till:899 color:w text:"

" from:899 till:924 color:w text:"

" from:924 till:924 color:w text:"

Ælfweard Ælfweard is the name of: *Ælfweard of Wessex Ælfweard (; – ) was the second son of Edward the Elder, the eldest born to his second wife Ælfflæd. Kingship and death The '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' simply states that Ælfweard die ...

" (disputed)" from:924 till:939 color:w text:"

" from:939 till:946 color:w text:"

Edmund I Edmund I or Eadmund I (920/921 – 26 May 946) was King of the English from 27 October 939 until his death in 946. He was the elder son of King Edward the Elder and his third wife, Queen Eadgifu, and a grandson of King Alfred the Great. Af ...

" from:946 till:955 color:w text:"

Eadred Eadred (also Edred, – 23 November 955) was King of the English from 26 May 946 until his death in 955. He was the younger son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu of Kent, Eadgifu, and a grandson of Alfred the Great. His elder b ...

" from:955 till:959 color:w text:"

Eadwig Eadwig (also Edwy or Eadwig All-Fair, 1 October 959) was King of England from 23 November 955 until his death in 959. He was the elder son of Edmund I and his first wife Ælfgifu, who died in 944. Eadwig and his brother Edgar were you ...

" from:959 till:975 color:w text:"

Edgar the Peaceful Edgar (or Eadgar; 8 July 975), known sometimes as Edgar the Peacemaker or the Peaceable, was King of the English from 959 until his death in 975. He became king of all England on his brother Eadwig's death. He was the younger son of King Edm ...

" from:975 till:978 color:w text:"

Edward the Martyr Edward the Martyr ( – 18 March 978) was King of the English from 8 July 975 until he was killed in 978. He was the eldest son of King Edgar (r. 959–975). On Edgar's death, the succession to the throne was contested between Edward's sup ...

" from:978 till:1013 color:w text:"

Æthelred II Æthelred (; ) or Ethelred () is an Old English personal name (a compound of ''wiktionary:æþele, æþele'' and ''wiktionary:ræd, ræd'', meaning "noble counsel" or "well-advised") and may refer to: Anglo-Saxon England * Æthelred and Æthelbe ...

(first reign)" from:1013 till:1014 color:w text:"

from:1014 till:1016 color:w text:"

(second reign)" from:1016 till:1016 color:w text:" Edmund II Ironside" from:1016 till:1035 color:d text:"

" from:1035 till:1040 color:d text:"

Harold Harefoot Harold Harefoot or Harold I (died 17 March 1040) was regent of Kingdom of England, England from 1035 to 1037 and King of the English from 1037 to 1040. Harold's nickname "Harefoot" is first recorded as "Harefoh" or "Harefah" in the twelfth cen ...

" from:1040 till:1042 color:d text:"

Harthacnut Harthacnut (; "Tough-knot"; – 8 June 1042), traditionally Hardicanute, sometimes referred to as Canute III, was King of Denmark from 1035 to 1042 and King of England from 1040 to 1042. Harthacnut was the son of King Cnut the Great (wh ...

" from:1042 till:1066 color:w text:"

" from:1066 till:1066 color:eon text:"

from:1066 till:1066 color:w text:"

Edgar Ætheling Edgar Ætheling or Edgar II ( – 1125 or after) was the last male member of the royal house of Cerdic of Wessex. He was elected King of England by the Witan in 1066 but never crowned. Family and early life Edgar was probably born in Hu ...

" (disputed)" barset:skip

Genealogy

For a family tree of the House of Wessex from

down to the children of King Alfred the Great, see: * ''

House of Wessex family tree 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 ...

'' A continuation into the 10th and 11th centuries can be found at * ''

English monarchs family tree This is the family tree for monarchs of England (and Wales after 1282) from Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 89 ...

References

Sources

* Stephen Friar and John Ferguson (1993)
Basic Heraldry
W. W. Norton & Company, * , - {{Kingdom of England

History

Timeline

Genealogy

See also

References

Sources