King In The Kent Kingdom example essay topic

Anglo-Saxon Kings During the Anglo-Saxon period there were many kings. Three of the more notable kings were Offa of Mercia, Alfred of Wessex, and AEthelbert of Kent. Offa also known as "King of the English" reigned in Mercia from 757 to 796. Offa had a more powerful kingdom than others such as Lindsey, the Hwicce, and Sussex. Offa had control over all of the kingdoms mentioned even the kingdoms of Kent and East Anglia. King Offa had gotten his position as king after a civil war.

He was able to succsesfuly extend his kingdom by letting the kings of Northumbria and Wessex marry his daughters. Because of all this it made Offa one of the most powerful kings in Southern England. At the end of Offa's reign he had become the most powerful and sucessful king in all of England south of the Humber river. During Offa's time as king he had done somthing that was very noticable Offa had built a dyke named after him, he called it Offa's Dyke. This ditch was up to 176 miles long and ran between the kingdoms of Mercian and Welsh.

The reason this ditch was built is because Offa had dealings with an emperor by the name of Charlemagne. No one really knows what these dealings where about but they must have been very important for him to build a 176 mile ditch. Another king and probably the most well knowen king was king Alfred of Wessex, he was also knowen as King Alfred the Great. The fame that Alfred gained was not due to fact but due to myth. The legends made him almost as popular as "King Aur ther". Alot of the most important things that he had done are not remember because of so many legends.

Alfred became king due to the fact that he was crow end by his father, AEthelwulf of Wessex. Alfred had become a king in his early some say about as early as 21 years of age When Alfred had first become a king the Vikings where trying to take over his kingdom. At this time the Vikings had allready taken over East Anglia, Northumbria, and Mercia. Alfred had allready pl and to defeat the Vikings befor they had gotten there and Alfred was succsseful on this part.

To make shure that the Vikings would not try to take over his kingdom again he had ships built to meat them at sea so that they would not have a chance to take over Wessex. During Alfred reign of 30 years he was able to make some changes to his kingdom to better the lives of the very people that he was king of. Alfred made it so that no town was more than 20 miles away so that if one where to march to another town it would only take one day. The towns which he had called burns where protected by over 26,000 men there where thirty of these towns that existed. Alot of these towns still are here today. Alfred had promoted education such as reading, writing, religion, and many other forms of education.

The main reason that he had promoted education was because he wanted people to be able to read orders and laws that he had come up with. Reading was encuredged more than any thing else so that people would know what his legal code that had been established was about. Aethelbert was the third king to rule in the kingdom of Kent. He ruled after two other kings, A elle of Sussex and Ceawlin of Wessex. Aethelbert ruled after these kings which gave him over lordship over most of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms south of the Humber river. Aethelbert had reigned for a to tle of Fifty-Six years which some people say was a long time for him to stay king.

It is said that Aethelbert did not become a king in the Kent kingdom untill about the year 590. It is also said that Aethelbert was a king from 560 to 616. Aethelbert was the first frankish king to rule the kingdom of Kent. He was also the first christian king to rule Kent. He became a Frankish king by marring a Frankish princess named Bertha. The marriage took place in the year of 580, sence Aethelbert was a christian his soon to be wife was escorted by christian pr easts and bishops.

One of the more well knowen bishops was Liudhard. King Aethelbert of Kent had already knowen about christianity befor the christian religion was the offical religion of his kingdom. He was thought to have given commitment to the christian religion even though he did not have himself baptised untill a later date which is unknown. Bertha had become a christian because she had been married under the christian religion and Aethelbert, her husband, was a christian. Some say that Aethelbert was not very succesful in converting his entire kingdom to the christian religion.

It was thought that having a kingdom that had christian religion would make one's kingdom very powerful. In the year of 601 Aethelbert had recevied a letter from Pope Gregory welcoming him to the christian community of christian rulers. Aethelbert had ruled his kingdom from 590 to 616, He died the year of 616. In conclusion all three of these kings had made good contributions to their kingdoms. These kings had been knowen for somthing in their time of ruling each and every one of their kingdoms.