Heptarchy: Difference between revisions

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{History of England}}

{{short description|Seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England}}

[[Image:Britain peoples circa 600.png|thumb|A map showing the general locations of the Anglo-Saxon peoples around the year [[600]]]]

{{hatnote|See [[History of Anglo-Saxon England]] for an historical discussion.}}

[[Image:British isles 802.jpg|thumb|Britain and Ireland around the year [[802]]]]

[[Image:Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy.jpg|488x488px|thumb|The penultimate set of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms was fivefold. The map annotates the names of the peoples of [[Kingdom of Essex|Essex]] and [[Kingdom of Sussex|Sussex]] taken into the [[Kingdom of Wessex]], which later took in the [[Kingdom of Kent]] and became the senior dynasty, and the outlier kingdoms. From Bartholomew's ''A literary & historical atlas of Europe'' (1914)]]

The '''Heptarchy''' was the division of [[Anglo-Saxon England]] between the sixth and eighth centuries into [[petty kingdom]]s, conventionally the seven kingdoms of [[Kingdom of the East Angles|East Anglia]], [[Kingdom of Essex|Essex]], [[Kingdom of Kent |Kent]], [[Mercia]], [[Northumbria]], [[Kingdom of Sussex|Sussex]], and [[Wessex]]. The term originated with the twelfth-century historian [[Henry of Huntingdon]] and has been widely used ever since, but it has been questioned by historians as the number of kingdoms fluctuated, and there was never a time when the territory of the Anglo-Saxons was divided into seven kingdoms each ruled by one king. The period of petty kingdoms came to an end in the eighth century, when England was divided into the four dominant kingdoms of [[Kingdom of East Anglia|East Anglia]], [[Mercia]], [[Northumbria]], and [[Wessex]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kirby |first=D. H. |pages=4–7, 19|authorlink= |title=The Earliest English Kings |publisher= Routledge|___location =London, UK |year=2000|edition=Revised|isbn=978-0-415-24211-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last= Keynes |first=Simon |title=Heptarchy |page=238|year=2014|editor1-first= Michael|editor1-last= Lapidge|editor2-first= John|editor2-last= Blair|editor3-first= Simon|editor3-last= Keynes |editor4-first= Donald|editor4-last= Scragg |encyclopedia=The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England|edition=2nd| publisher= Wiley Blackwell |___location=Chichester, West Sussex |isbn=978-0-470-65632-7}}</ref>

'''''Heptarchy''''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: {{polytonic|ἑπτά + ἀρχή}} ''seven'' + ''realm'') is a collective name applied to the [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] kingdoms of the south and east of [[Great Britain]] during [[Late antiquity|late antiquity]] and the [[Early Middle Ages|early Middle Ages]] which eventually unified into [[England|Angleland (England)]] (at this time the areas now known as [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]] were also divided into several smaller political units). The first recorded use of the term dates from [[12th century]] in the English [[historian]] [[Henry of Huntingdon]], and it has been in common use since the [[16th century]].

==History==

By convention the label is considered to cover the period from AD [[500]] to AD [[850]], approximately representing the period following the departure of Roman legions from Britain until the unification of the kingdoms under [[Egbert of Wessex]].

[[File:British kingdoms c 800.svg|514x514px|thumb|The main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms' names are written in red]]

Although ''heptarchy'' suggests the existence of seven kingdoms, the term is just used as a label of convenience and does not imply the existence of a clear-cut or stable group of seven kingdoms. The number of kingdoms and sub-kingdoms fluctuated rapidly during this period as competing kings contended for supremacy.<ref>Norman F. Cantor, ''The Civilization of the Middle Ages''1993:163f.<!--a more specific citation might be substituted--></ref>

In the late 6th century, the [[kings of Kent|king of Kent]] was a prominent lord in the south. In the 7th century, the rulers of [[Northumbria]] and [[Wessex]] were powerful. In the 8th century, [[Mercia]] achieved hegemony over the other surviving kingdoms, particularly during the reign of [[Offa]] the Great.

The word ''heptarchy'' refers to the existence (as was thought) of seven kingdoms, which eventually merged to become the basis for the [[Kingdom of England]]; these were [[Northumbria]], [[Mercia]], [[East Anglia]], [[Kingdom of Essex|Essex]], [[Kingdom of Kent|Kent]], [[Kingdom of Sussex|Sussex]] and [[Wessex]]. The period supposedly lasted until the seven kingdoms began to consolidate into larger units, but the actual events marking this transition are debatable. At various times within the conventional period, certain rulers of Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex (such as [[Penda]] of Mercia) claimed hegemony over larger areas of England; yet as late as [[Edwy of England|Edwy]] and [[Edgar of England|Edgar]], it was still possible to speak of separate kingdoms within the English population.

Recent research has revealed that some ofAlongside the Heptarchyseven kingdoms (notably Essex and Sussex) did not achieve the same status as the others. Conversely, there also existed alongside the seven kingdoms a number of other political divisions whichalso playedexisted, asuch more significant role than previously thought. Such wereas the kingdoms (or sub-kingdoms) of: [[Bernicia]] and [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]] within Northumbria; [[Kingdom of Lindsey|Lindsey]] in present-day [[Lincolnshire]]; the [[Hwicce]] in the southwest Midlands; the [[Magonsaete|Magonsæte]] or Magonset, a sub-kingdom of Mercia in what is now [[Herefordshire]]; the [[Wihtwara]], a Jutish kingdom on the [[Isle of Wight]], originally as important as the [[Cantwara]] of [[Kent]]; the [[Middle Angles]], a group of tribes based around modern [[Leicestershire]], later conquered by the Mercians; the [[Hæstingas]] (around the town of [[Hastings]] in [[Sussex]]); and the [[Gewissæ]], a Saxon tribe in southern [[Hampshire]] later developing into the kingdom of [[WessexGewisse]].

In reality the end of the Heptarchy was a gradual process. The [[9th century]] [[Vikings|Viking]] raids that led to the establishment of a Danish-controlled enclave at [[York]], and ultimately to the [[Danelaw]], gained considerable advantage from the petty rivalries between the old kingdoms. The need to unite against the common enemy was recognised, such that by the time [[Alfred the Great|Alfred]] of Wessex resisted the Danes in the early [[10th century]], he did so essentially as the leader of an Anglo-Saxon nation. Successive kings of Wessex (and especially [[Athelstan]]) progressively reinforced the English unitary state, until the old constituent kingdoms in effect became irrelevant.

==List of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms==

Recent research has revealed that some of the Heptarchy kingdoms (notably Essex and Sussex) did not achieve the same status as the others. Conversely, there also existed alongside the seven kingdoms a number of other political divisions which played a more significant role than previously thought. Such were the kingdoms (or sub-kingdoms) of: [[Bernicia]] and [[Deira]] within Northumbria; [[Kingdom of Lindsey|Lindsey]] in present-day [[Lincolnshire]]; the [[Hwicce]] in the southwest Midlands; the [[Magonsaete|Magonsæte]] or Magonset, a sub-kingdom of Mercia in what is now [[Herefordshire]]; the [[Wihtwara]], a Jutish kingdom on the [[Isle of Wight]], originally as important as the [[Cantwara]] of [[Kent]]; the [[Middle Angles]], a group of tribes based around modern [[Leicestershire]], later conquered by the Mercians; the [[Hæstingas]] (around the town of [[Hastings]] in [[Sussex]]); and the [[Gewissæ]], a Saxon tribe in southern [[Hampshire]] later developing into the kingdom of [[Wessex]].

{{see|Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies}}

The supposedfour separatemain [[monarchy|kingdoms]] which made upin Anglo-Saxon [[England]] were:

* [[Kingdom of EssexEast Anglia|EssexEast Anglia]]

Certainly the term Heptarchy has been considered unsatisfactory since the early [[20th century]], and many professional historians no longer use it, feeling that it does not accurately describe the period to which it refers. However, it is still sometimes used as a label of convenience for a phase in the development of England.

* [[Mercia]]

* [[Northumbria]], including subkingdomssub-kingdoms [[Bernicia]] and [[Deira]]

* [[Wessex]]

The other main kingdoms, which were conquered and absorbed by others entirely at some point in their history, before the unification of England, are:

* [[Kingdom of Essex|Essex]]

==Anglo-Saxon England heptarchy==

The supposed separate [[monarchy|kingdoms]] which made up Anglo-Saxon [[England]] were:

* [[Kingdom of Kent|Kent]]

* [[Kingdom of Sussex|Sussex]]

* [[Wessex]]

* [[Kingdom of Essex|Essex]]

* [[East Anglia]]

* [[Mercia]]

* [[Northumbria]], including subkingdoms [[Bernicia]] and [[Deira]]

===Other minor kingdoms and territories===:

* [[Kingdom of Ynys Weith|Isle of Wight]], also known as the [[Wihtwara]]

* [[Meonwara|the MeonwaraBernicia]]

* [[Deira]]

* [[Surrey#The_Saxon_tribes_and_the_sub-kingdom|Surrey]]

* [[Dumnonia]] (only annexed to Wessex at a later date, and a Cornish kingdom)

* [[Haestingas]]

* [[Hwicce|The Hwicce]]

* [[Kingdom of the Iclingas]], a precursor state to Mercia

* [[Kingdom of Lindsey|Lindsey]]

* [[Hwicce|the HwicceMagonsæte]]

* [[Meonwara|The Meonwara]], a Jutish tribe in Hampshire

* [[Middle Angles]]

==Sources and references==

* [[Middle Saxons]] ([[Middlesex]], subsequently absorbed by the Kingdom of Essex)

* [http://www.britannia.com/history/h6f.html Monarchs of Britain], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''

* [[Pecsæte]]

*''Westermann Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte''

* [[Surrey#The_Saxon_tribes_and_the_subThe Saxon tribes and the sub-kingdom|Surrey]]

* [[Tomsæte]]

* [[Wreocensæte]]

* [[Wihtwara]]

== See also ==

=={{Portal|Anglo-Saxon England heptarchy==}}

*[[History of Anglo-Saxon England]]

*[[Cornovii (Cornish)]]

*Related terms : [[Bretwalda]], [[High King]] for hegemons among Kingskings

*Compare : [[Tetrarchy]]

*[[Five Burghs]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==

{{UK-hist-stub}}

*''[[Westermann Verlag|Westermann]] Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte''

* Campbell, J. et al. ''The Anglo-Saxons'' (Penguin, 1991).

* Sawyer, Peter Hayes. ''From Roman Britain to Norman England'' (Routledge, 2002).

* Stenton, F. M. ''Anglo-Saxon England'' (3rd edition. Oxford U. P. 1971).

==External links==

{{start succession box}}

{{succession box | before=[[Roman Britain|Britannia]] | after=[[Kingdom of England]] | title=The Heptarchy | years=''circa'' [[500]]–[[927]] }}

{{end box}}

* [httphttps://wwwweb.archive.org/web/20170915081950/http://britannia.com/history/h6f.html Monarchs of Britain], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''

{{heptarchy}}

* [http://www.ogdoad.force9.co.uk/alfred/alfhidage.htm ogdoad.force9.co.uk]: The [[Burghal Hidage]] – [[Wessex]]'s fortified burhs

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