List of monarchs of Mercia

The Kingdom of Mercia was a state in the English Midlands from the 6th century to the 10th. For some two hundred years from the mid-7th century onwards it was the dominant member of the Heptarchy and consequently the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. During this period its rulers became the first English monarchs to assume such wide ranging titles as King of Britain and King of the English.

Spellings varied widely in this period, even within a single document, and a number of variants exist for the names given below. For example, the sound th was usually represented with the Old English letters ð or þ.

For the Continental predecessors of the Mercians in Angeln, see List of kings of the Angles. For their successors see List of English monarchs.

Kings of the Mercians

The traditional rulers of Mercia were known as the Iclingas, descendants of the kings of the Angles. When the Iclingas became extinct in the male line, a number of other families, labelled B, C and W by historians, competed for the throne.^[1]

  Iclingas

  B-dynasty (so-called – a conjectural grouping based on names alone)

  C-dynasty (traditionally a branch of the Iclingas, probably instead descended from the West Saxon king Cenwalh and his Iclinga wife)

  W-dynasty (Wiglaf and his descendants, later intermarried with C)

  Unknown dynastic affiliation

  Mercia under external occupation

  Æthelred II and family (recognising West Saxon overlordship)

All the following are kings, unless specified. Those in italics are probably legendary, are of dubious authenticity, or may not have reigned.

Ruler	Reign	Biographical notes	Died
Icel	c. 527 (or c. 515)–?	Son of Eomer, last King of the Angles in Angeln. Led his people across the North Sea to Britain.	?
Cnebba	?	Son of Icel.	?
Cynewald	?	Son of Cnebba.	?
Creoda	c. 584–c. 593	Son of Cynewald. Probable founder of the Mercian royal fortress at Tamworth.	c. 593
Pybba	c. 593–c. 606	Son of Creoda. Extended Mercian control into the western Midlands.	c. 606
Cearl	c. 606–c. 626	Named as king by Bede, not included in later regnal lists.	c. 626
Penda	c. 626–655	Son of Pybba. Raised Mercia to dominant status amongst the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Last pagan ruler of Mercia. Killed in battle by Oswiu of Northumbria.	15 Nov 655
Eowa	c. 635–642	Son of Pybba. Co-ruler. Killed in battle.	5 Aug 642
Peada	c. 653–656	Son of Penda. Co-ruler in the south-east Midlands. Murdered.	17 Apr 656
Oswiu of Northumbria	655–658	Briefly took direct control of Mercia after the death of Penda. Also King of Northumbria (655–670).	15 Feb 670
Wulfhere	658–675	Son of Penda. Restored Mercian dominance in England. First Christian king of all Mercia.	675
Æthelred I	675–704	Son of Penda. Abdicated and retired to a monastery at Bardney.	716
Cœnred	704–709	Son of Wulfhere. Abdicated and retired to Rome.	?
Ceolred	709–716	Son of Æthelred I. Probably poisoned.	716
Ceolwald	716	Presumed son of Æthelred I (may not have existed).	716
Æthelbald	716–757	Grandson of Eowa. Proclaimed himself King of Britain in 736. Murdered by his bodyguards.	757
Beornred	757	No known relation to his predecessors. Deposed by Offa.	?
Offa	757–796	Great-great-grandson of Eowa. The greatest and most powerful of all Mercian kings, he proclaimed himself King of the English in 774, built Offa's Dyke, and introduced the silver penny.	29 Jul 796
Ecgfrith	787–796	Son of Offa. Co-ruler, died suddenly a few months after his father.	17 Dec 796
Cœnwulf	796–821	Seventh generation descendant of Pybba, probably through a sister of Penda. Assumed the title of 'emperor'.	821
Cynehelm	c. 798–812	Son of Cœnwulf. Although he existed, his status as co-ruler and his murder are legendary. Canonised (St Kenelm).	812
Ceolwulf I	821–823	Brother of Cœnwulf. Deposed by Beornwulf.	?
Beornwulf	823–826	Conjectured kinsman of Beornred. Killed in battle against the East Anglians.	826
Ludeca	826–827	No known relation to his predecessors. Killed in battle against the East Anglians.	827
Wiglaf (1st reign)	827–829	No known relation to his predecessors. Deposed by Ecgberht of Wessex.	839
Ecgberht of Wessex	829–830	Briefly took direct control of Mercia after the deposition of Wiglaf. Also King of Wessex (802–839).	4 Feb 839
Wiglaf (2nd reign)	830–839	Restored. Although Mercia regained its independence, its dominance in England was lost.	839
Wigmund	c. 839–c. 840	Son of Wiglaf and son-in-law of Ceolwulf I. Probably co-ruler.	c. 840
Wigstan	840	Son of Wigmund. Declined the kingship and was later murdered by Beorhtwulf. Canonised (St Wystan).	849
Ælfflæd (Queen)	840	Daughter of Ceolwulf I, wife of Wigmund and mother of Wigstan. Appointed regent by Wigstan.	?
Beorhtwulf	840–852	Claimed to be a cousin of Wigstan. Usurped the kingship and forced Ælfflæd to marry his son, Beorhtfrith.	852
Burgred	852–874	Conjectured kinsman of Beorhtwulf. Fled to Rome in the face of a Danish invasion.	?
Ceolwulf II	874–879 or c. 883	Possibly a descendant of the C-dynasty, of which Ceolwulf I was a member, perhaps via intermarriage with W-dynasty. Lost eastern Mercia to the Danes in 877.	879
Æthelred II (Lord)	c. 883–911	Recognised Alfred of Wessex as his overlord. Regarded as an 'ealdorman' by West Saxon sources.	911
Æthelflæd (Lady)	911–918	Wife of Æthelred and daughter of Alfred of Wessex. Possibly descended from earlier Mercian kings via her mother. With her brother, Edward the Elder, reconquered eastern Mercia.	12 Jun 918
Ælfwynn (Lady)	918	Daughter of Æthelred II and Æthelflæd. Deposed by her uncle, Edward the Elder, Dec 918, who annexed Mercia to Wessex.	?

Titular kings following Mercia's annexation

Ruler	Reign	Biographical notes	Died
Æthelstan	924	Son of Edward the Elder and nephew of Æthelflæd. Became King of Mercia on Edward's death (Jul 924), and King of Wessex about 16 days later.	27 Oct 939
Eadgar	957–959	Nephew of Æthelstan. Seized control of Mercia and Northumbria in May 957, before succeeding to the reunited English throne in Oct 959.	8 Jul 975

Ealdormen and Earls of the Mercians

The chief magnate of Mercia as an English province held the title of ealdorman until 1023/32, and earl thereafter. Both offices were royal appointments, but the latter in effect became hereditary.

  Ealdormen of the Mercians (non-dynastic)

  Earls of the Mercians (descendants of Leofwine)

Ruler	Reign	Biographical notes	Died
Ælfhere	957–983	Appointed ealdorman of Mercia in 957 by Eadgar, when the English kingdom was disunited.	983
Ælfric Cild	983–985	Brother-in-law of Ælfhere. Deposed by Æthelred the Unready in 985.	?
Wulfric Spot	?–1004	Possibly ealdorman of Mercia after the deposition of Ælfric Cild.	22 Oct 1004
Eadric Streona	1007–1017	Appointed by Æthelred. A notorious turncoat, he was later murdered by Cnut for his treachery.	25 Dec 1017
Leofwine	1017–1023/32	Possibly appointed by Cnut as ealdorman of Mercia, he was also ealdorman of the Hwicce.	1023/32
Leofric	1023/32–1057	Son of Leofwine, appointed by Cnut as earl. Chiefly remembered for his famous wife, Godgifu (Lady Godiva).	31 Aug or 30 Sep 1057
Ælfgar	1057–1062	Son of Leofric. Had previously been Earl of East Anglia until succeeding his father to Mercia.	1062
Eadwine	1062–1071	Son of Ælfgar. Submitted to William the Conqueror in 1066, but later rebelled, and was betrayed by his own men. Mercia was then broken up into smaller earldoms.	1071

Earls of March

The title Earl of March (etymologically identical to 'Earl of Mercia') was created in the western Midlands for Roger Mortimer in 1328. It has fallen extinct, and been recreated, three times since then, and exists today as a subsidiary title of the Duke of Richmond and Lennox.

Kings of Mercia family tree

References

1. Zaluckyj, Sarah & Feryok, Marge. Mercia: The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Central England (2001) ISBN 1-873827-62-8