List of monarchs of Kent
are known only from Bede, who piously expunged apostates (Unde cunctis placuit regum tempora computantibus, ut ablata de medio regum perfidorum memoria, idem annus sequentis regis), and seems also to have deliberately suppressed details of short or joint reigns in order to produce an orderly sequence (he had no place for Æðelwald or Eormenred). Generally more than one king ruled in Kent. Some kings are known mainly from charters, of which several are forgeries, while others have been subjected to tampering in order to reconcile them with the erroneous king lists of chroniclers, baffled by blanks, and confused by concurrent reigns and kings with similar or identical names. Even modern historians are tempted to fill out the blank prehistoric period with mythological creatures, combine kings with similar names, and suppress multiple kingship, or at least reduce it down to some regular dyarchy. It is commonplace for the later kings to be referred to as subkings, but the actual rank used is always rex, never regulus (except for a late legend concerning Eormenred). The usual style was simply King of Kent (rex Cantiae) or King of the Kentish Men (rex Cantuariorum). Territorial division within Kent is not alluded to, except by Eadberht I (rex Cantuariorum terram dimidii) and Sigered (rex dimidie partis prouincie Cantuariorum).
List of kings of Kent
| Reign | Incumbent | Style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| unknown | Hengest | no charters | father of Oisc or Octa |
| unknown | Horsa | no charters | brother of Hengest |
| unknown | Oisc (Oesc, Aesc, Oeric) |
no charters | son of Hengest or Octa |
| 512/516-534/540 | Octa (Octha) |
no charters | son of Hengest |
| 534/540-c.590 | Eormenric | no charters | father of Æðelberht I |
| c.590 - 24 February 616 (Bede) | Æðelberht I | no genuine charters | first Christian King of Kent |
| February 616 to 20 January 640 (Bede) | Eadbald | no genuine charters | son of Æðelberht I |
| unknown | Æðelwald | no charters | contemporary with Pope Boniface V (619-625) |
| January 640 to 14 July 664 (Bede) | Eorcenberht | no charters | son of Eadbald |
| unknown | Eormenred | Irminredus | brother of Eorcenberht |
| July 664 to 4 July 673 (Bede) | Ecgberht I | no charters | son of Eorcenberht |
| acceded 674 or 675,
died 685 |
Hlothhere | Lotharius rex Cantuariorum
Lotharius rex Cancie Clotharius Hlotharius |
son of Eorcenberht; reigning jointly with Eadric |
| 685 to 686 (Bede) | Eadric | Eadricus rex Cantuariorum
Ædricus rex Edricus |
son of Ecgberht I; reigning jointly with Hlothhere |
| killed 687 | Mul | Mulo rege regnum Cantie | brother of Cædwalla, King of Wessex |
| acceded 687 or 688,
still reigning 692 |
Swæfheard | Suebhardus rex Cantuariorum
Sueaberdus rex Cantie |
son of Sæberht, King of Essex, reigning jointly in Kent with Oswine and Withred |
| fl. 689 | Swæfberht | Gabertus
Suebertus rex Cantuariorum |
jointly with Oswine |
| fl. 689 to 690 | Oswine | Oswynus rex Cantie
Oswinus rex Cantuariorum |
jointly with Swæfberht and Swæfheard |
| acceded c. 693, seven years after Edric's disposition (Malmesbury 1.15),
died 23 April 725 |
Wihtred | Wihtredus rex Cantie
Wythredus rex Cantuariorum Wihtredus rex Cantuariorum |
son of Ecgberht I; reigned jointly with Swæfheard |
| succeeded 725 | Alric | no charters | son of Wihtred; succeeded jointly with his brothers Æðelberht II and Eadberht I |
| 725 to 748 | Eadberht I | Eadbertus rex Cantuariorum terram dimidii
Ædbeortus rex Cantie |
son of Wihtred; reigned jointly with his brothers Æðelberht II and Ælfric |
| Subject to Mercian overlordship | |||
| 725 to 762 | Æðelberht II | Æthilberhctus rex Cantie
Athelbertus rex |
son of Wihtred; reigned jointly with his brothers Eadberht I and Ælfric, and nephew Eardwulf |
| unknown | Eardwulf | Earduulfus rex Cantuariorum
Eardulfus rex Cantiae |
son of Eadberht I; reigned jointly with Æðelberht II; contemporary with Archbishop Cuðbert (740-760) |
| fl. 762 | Eadberht II | Eadberht rex Cantiae
Ædbertus rex Eadbertus rex Cantie |
jointly with Sigered |
| fl. 762 | Sigered | Sigiraed rex Cantiae
Sigeredus rex dimidie partis prouincie Cantuariorum |
jointly with Eadberht II |
| unknown | Eanmund | Eanmundus rex | contemporary with Archbishop Bregowine (761-764) |
| fl. 764 to 765 | Heaberht | Heaberhtus rex Cantie
Heaberhtus rex |
jointly with Ecgberht II |
| fl. 765 to 779 | Ecgberht II | Ecgberhtus rex Cantie
Egcberhtus rex Cantiae Egcberht rex Cantie Egcberth rex Cantie Egcberhtus rex |
jointly with Heaberht |
| fl. 784 | Ealhmund | Ealmundus rex Canciæ | father of Ecgberht III |
| Under the direct rule of Offa of Mercia (785–796). | |||
| 796 to 798, deposed | Eadberht III Præn | no charters; coins:
EADBEARHT REX |
Deposed and mutilated by Cœnwulf |
| acceded 797 or 798,
died 807 |
Cuðred | Cuthredus Rex Cantiae
Cuðred rex Cantiae Cuðredus rex cantwariorum |
brother of Cœnwulf and Ceolwulf |
| fl. 809 | Cœnwulf | Ceonulfus Christi gracia rex Merciorum atque provincie Cancie | brother of Cuðred and Ceolwulf; also King of Mercia (796-821) |
| fl. 822 to 823 | Ceolwulf | Ceolwulf rex Merciorum vel etiam Contwariorum
Ceolwulf rex Merciorum seu etiam Cantwariorum |
brother of Cuðred and Cœnwulf; also King of Mercia (821-823) |
| deposed in 825 | Baldred | no charters; coins:
BALDRED REX CANT |
expelled by Æðelwulf in 825 |
| 825 to 839 | Ecgberht III | Ecgberht rex occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum | son of Ealhmund; reigned in Kent jointly with his son Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (802-839) |
| 825 to 858 | Æðelwulf | Aetheluulf rex
Æðeluulf rex Cantrariorum Æthelwolf gratia Dei rex Kanciae Ætheluulf rex Cancie Aeðeluulf Rex Cancie Aetheluulf gratia Dei rex occidentalium Saxonum seu etiam Cantuuariorum Aeðeluulf gratia Dei rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non 7 Cantuariorum Eðelwulf rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non et Cantuariorum Eðeluulfus rex Occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum Æðelulf rex misericordia Dei occidentalium Saxonum ; necnon & Cantuuariorum |
jointly with his father Ecgberht III and son Æðelstan; also King of Wessex (839-856) |
| fl. 839 to 851 | Æðelstan I | Edelstan rex Kancie
Ethelstan Rex Aeðelstan rex Aedelstan rex |
jointly with his father Æðelwulf |
| fl. 855 to 866 | Æðelberht III | Aeðelberht rex
Eþelbearht rex Eðelbearht rex Æthelbertus occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum rex Aeðelbearht rex Occidentalium Saxonum seu Cantuuariorum Aeðælberht rex Occidentalium Saxonum seu Cantuariorum Eðelbearht rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non et Cantuariorum |
jointly with his father Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (860-866) |
| 866 to 871 | Æðelred I | Eðelred rex occidentalium Saxonum . non et Cantwariorum
Aeðered rex Occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum |
son of Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (866-871) |
See also
- List of English monarchs
- Kentish Royal Legend
- Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies
- On the Resting-Places of the Saints (list of Anglo-Saxon saints - Secgan)
Sources
- Campbell, A. 1973. Charters of Rochester. Anglo-Saxon Charters 1.
- Fryde, E. B., Greenway, D. E., Porter, S., & Roy, I. 1986. Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd ed. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks 2.
- Garmonsway, G. N. 1954. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 2nd edition.
- Kelly, S. E. 1995. Charters of St. Augustine’s Abbey Canterbury and Minster-in-Thanet. Anglo-Saxon Charters 4.
- King, J. E. 1930. Baedae Opera Historica. Loeb Classical Library 246 & 248.
- Kirby, D. P. 1991. The Earliest English Kings.
- Sawyer, P. H. 1968. Anglo-Saxon Charters: An Annotated List and Bibliography. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks 8.
- Searle, W. G. 1899. Anglo-Saxon Bishops, Kings and Nobles.
- Sweet, H. 1896. The Student’s Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon.
- Yorke, B. 1990. Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England.
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