The Genealogy of the Kingdoms of Deira, Bernia and Northumbria

 

The Family Tree of the Kings of Deira and Bernicia and their merger into the Kingdom of Northumbria

 

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The Farndale Story

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The story of one family’s journey through two thousand years of British History

The Farndale Lineages

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The 83 family lines into which the family is divided. Meet the whole family and how the wider family is related

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Members of the historical family ordered by date of birth

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Links to other pages with historical research and related material

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The story of the Bakers of Highfields, the Chapmans, and other related families

 

 

 

Headlines are in brown.

Dates are in red.

Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.

References and citations are in turquoise.

Context and local history are in purple.

Geographical context is in green.

 

 

This page is accompanied by a History of the Deira, Bernia and Northumbrian Kingdoms.

 

 

 

 

Deira

 

 

 

 

 

Bernicia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yffa or Yffi

 

First known King of Deira

 

 

 

 

 

Ida

 

First known King of Bernicia, c 559 to 571 CE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ælfric

 

589 CE to 604 CE

 

King of Deira 589 CE to 604 CE

 

He fled into exile when Deira was conquered by Æthelfrith

 

Ælla Yffing

 

c 560 to 589 CE

 

King of Deira 569 to 589 CE

 

When Pope Gregory the Great encountered two pale-skinned Deirans at a slave market in Rome he is said to have remarked that they were "not Angles, but angels, if they were Christian” and when he heard that the King of Deira was Ælla he said "Alleluia should be sung in that land"

 

 

 

 

Aethelric Iding

 

King of Bernicia c 580 to 584 CE

Glappa

 

King of Bernicia in 571 CE

 

Adda

 

King of Bernicia c 572 to 580;

 

Theodoric

 

King of Bernicia. c 584 to 591

 

 

Ocg

 

 

Eadric

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Osric

 

King of Deira, Late 633 to summer 634 CE

 

Edwin was succeeded by Osric, son of Edwin's paternal uncle Ælfric, in Deira

 

He reverted to paganism, but was killed by Cadwallon

 

 

Æthelric

 

King of Deira 589 CE to 593 CE

 

Edwin (or Eadwine) Yffing

 

586 to 633 CE

 

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King of Deira and Bernicia from after 12 April 616 to 12 October 633 CE

 

Married Cwenburh of Mercia

 

Married Æthelburh, a Christian Princess from Kent in 625 CE

 

Edwin converted to the Christian religion, along with his nobles and many of his subjects in 627 CE and was baptised at Eoforwic where he built the first wooden church

 

Edwin was killed at the Battle of Hatfield Chase, near Doncaster, on 12 October 633 CE by Cadwallon of Gwynedd and Penda of Mercia

 

After the Battle of Hatfield Chase, Northumbria was split into its constituent kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira

 

 

Acha Yffing

 

Married Æthelfrith who reigned over Bernicia and then Northumbria from 592 to 616 CE

Æthelfrith Iding

 

King of Bernicia 592 to 616 CE

 

King of Bernicia and Deira 604 to 616 CE

 

Married Bebba of Alt Clut

 

Married Acha Yffing

 

It may have been Æthelfrith who destroyed an army of Britons at the Battle of Catraeth (Catterick) in about 600 CE

 

He was killed at the Battle of the River Idle in 616 CE by Rædwald, King of East Anglia (under whose protection Edwin the Exile remained)

 

 

Ælfred,  Theobald, Ecgulf

 

 

 

 

With Cwenburh of Mercia

 

 

With Æthelburh of Kent

 

With Acha

With Acha

With Bebba

 

Oswine

 

King of Deira 644 to 651 CE

 

Oswy and Oswine came into conflict in 651 CE

 

Hereric

 

Died c 617

 

Married Breguswith of Kent

Osfrich

 

Died 632

 

Had a son, Yffi who died in infancy in Francia

 

Eadfrich

 

Died 634

Æthelthryth, Æthelbun (twins) and Uscfrea all died in infancy

Eanflæd

 

Married Oswiu

Oswiu or Oswy

 

King of Bernicia and later also Deira from after 15 November 642 CE to 15 February 670 CE

 

Married Fina (daughter of Colmán Rimid) and then Rhieinmelth (daughter of Rhun of Rheged) and then in about 642 CE, Oswiu married Eanflæd, Edwin’s daughter, Abbess of Whitby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oswald Iding

 

Lamnguin, Whiteblade

 

c 604 to 5 August  642 CE

 

 

After his father’s defeat in 616 CE, he fled northwards to the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata. He converted to Christianity

 

Married Cyniburh

 

King of Bernicia and Deira after 12 October 633 to 5 August 642 CE

 

Oswald defeated and killed Cadwallon and united Northumbria once more

 

He spread the new Christian religion through Northumbria and was later venerated as a saint

 

A raid by Wessex and Mercia in 909 CE took Oswald’s bones from Bardney Abbey in the Kingdom of Lindsey and buried them in the new St Oswald’s Priory in Gloucester

 

Earnfrith

 

King of Bernicia 633 to 634 CE

Son was Talorcan King of the Picts

 

 

 

Aebbe

 

Abbess of Coldingham

 

 

 

 

With Rhieinmelth

 

With Eanflæd

 

With Eanflæd

 

With Fina

 

 

 

 

Hild

 

Abbess of Hartlepool and Whitby

Hereswith

 

Nun of Chelles

 

Married Æthelric of East Anglia, nephew of Rædwald of Kent

 

This may have been Edwin of Northumbria gaining influence over East Anglia (even though Rædwald who died in 624 CE had been his protégé) so that Northumbria became the more dominant Bretwalda kingdom, particularly since at the same time Edwin himself married the Kentish queen Æthelburh

 

Alhfrith

 

Alhfrith was sub King of Deira under his father Oswiu, from 656 until c 664

 

Married Cyneburh, daughter of Penda of Mercia

 

Alhfrith apparently clashed with his father over religious policy, which came to a head at the Synod of Whitby in 664 CE

 

Ealhflæd

 

Married Paeda of Mercia

 

Ecgfrith

 

d 20 May 685 CE

 

Deira Sub-King 664 to 670 CE, then King of Northumbria from 1 to 17 September 670 until his death in 20 May 685

 

Married Æthelthryth, Abbess of Ely and later Iurminburh

Ælfwine

 

Deira sub-king 670 CE to 679 CE

 

Killed in battle against the Mercians at the Battle of the Trent in 679.

 

Ælfflæd

 

Sent to Hartlepool Abbey under Hild after Oswiu’s victory over Penda

 

Later Abbess of Whitby

 

Osthryth

 

Married Æthelrd of Mercia

 

Aldfrith

 

King of Northumbria from after 14 December 685 to 704 CE or 14 December 705

 

Known to the Irish as Flann Fina

 

Married Cuthburh

 

A man of learning. Some of his works and some letters written to him survive. His reign was relatively peaceful, marred by disputes with Bishop Wilfrid

Œthelwald

 

King of Deira  651 to 654 CE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ælfwyn

Ealdwulf

 

King of East Anglia 655 to 663 CE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eadwulf I

 

d 717 CE

 

King of Northumbria 704 to 705 CE

 

Aldfrith’s son Osred was a child when his father died, and it is assumed that Eadwulf I usurped the throne.

 

His ancestry is not known

 

He seems to have been exiled to either Dál Riata or Pictland.

Aldfrith’s line possibly had Deiran affinities

 

 

Osred I

 

c 697 to 716 CE

 

King of Northumbria 14 December 705 to 716 CE

 

The son of Aldfrith, Osred did not directly succeed his father as Eadwulf I seized the throne, but held it for only a few months.

 

Osred reached his majority in 715 or 716, and within a very short period he was killed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Osric

 

d 9 May 729

 

King of Northumbria from after 23 April 718 to 9 May 729

 

Bede reports little of Osric's reign, but records that comets were seen at his death, a sign of ill omen

 

 

 

 

 

Offa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lioualdings

(The descendants of Leodwald)

 

A branch descended from Ida of Bernicia

 

Probably had Bernician affinities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cudwine

 

Obscure father of Coenred (Annals of Ulster)

 

 

 

Eata

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coenred

 

d 718 CE

 

King Northumbria 716 to 718

 

He descended from Ida of Bernicia, and was the first of his branch of the family to rule Northumbria

Ceolwulf Cudwining

 

d 765 CE

 

King of Northumbria from on or after 9 May 729 to 737 (but in 731 or 732 he was briefly deposed and then restored to power)

 

Ceolwulf abdicated and entered the monastery at Lindisfarne

 

Bede described him as the most glorious king

 

Eadberht of Northumbria

 

d 768 CE

 

King of Northumbria 738 to 758 CE

 

Eadberht son of Eata was a descendant of Ida of Bernicia. His brother was Ecgbert, who became Archbishop of York, teacher of Alcuin

 

His reign was a return to the imperial ambitions of seventh-century Northumbria and a period of economic prosperity

 

He faced internal opposition from rival dynasties and at least two of his rivals were killed during his reign

 

In 758 CE he abdicated in favour of his son Oswulf and became a monk at York

Ecgbert

 

Archbishop of York

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Osgifu

 

Daughter of Eadberht

 

Married Alhred

Oswulf

 

d 24 July 759

 

King of Northumbria 758 to 759 CE

 

Oswulf was murdered the year after he became King by his bodyguards at Market Weighton on 24 July 759

 

 

Challengers to the Lioualdings (Æthelwald Moll’s ascendancy is not recorded; his power centre seems to have been in Deira – he may have been a descendant of Oswine of Deira)

 

 

Æthelwald Moll

 

King of Northumbria 759 to 765 CE

 

Æthelwald Moll seized the throne after Oswald’s murder

 

Married Ædeldryd at Catræth in 761 CE

 

He was King for seven years until he was deposed by Alhred. After his removal from the throne Æthelwald became a monk, perhaps involuntarily

 

Not of the Lioualding line and probably not of the Ida lineage, but probably a Berncian with a power base in the lower Tyne (his son Osred was carried to Tynemouth to be buried there)

 

 

Alhred

 

King of Northumbria 765 to 774 CE

 

Æthelwald Moll was deposed in 765 and Alhred became king.

 

Married Osgifu in 768 CE who may have been a daughter of Oswulf to strenghtn a possible dynastic alliance with the Lioualdings

 

Little is said of his reign in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle other than that he became king, and was then deposed and exiled in 774 CE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Osred II

 

King of Northumbria 789 to 790

Ælfwald I

 

c 767 to 788

 

King of Northumbria 779 to 788 CE

 

Ælfwald was probably the son of Oswulf, and grandson of Eadberht

 

 

His sons, Oelf and Oelwine were seized at York and killed in 791 CE by Æthelred

 

 

 

Æthelred I

 

King of Northumbria 774 to 779 and 790 to 796

 

The son of Æthelwald Moll, he was murdered on 18 April 796 by Wada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ælfwald II

 

Possibly King of Northumbria 806 to 810 CE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eardwulf

 

c790 – c 830

 

King of Northumbria 796 to 806 (possibly a second reign from 810 until 811)

 

In 798, early in his reign, Eardwulf fought a battle at Billington Moor against a nobleman called Wada, who had killed King Æthelred. Wada was defeated and driven into exile

 

In 801, Eardwulf led an army against Coenwulf of Mercia, perhaps because of Coenwulf's support for other claimants to the Northumbrian throne

 

In 806 CE Eardwulf was deposed and went into exile

 

Osbald

 

d 799

 

King of Northumbria during 796

 

Osbald a violent man and most likely a murderer. On 9 January 780, he killed Bearn, the son of King Ælfwald by burning him to death at Selectune (possibly Silton, North Yorkshire)

 

He was a friend of Alcuin who often sent him letters of advice, urging him to give up his extravagant way of life. Alcuin told him, disapprovingly that Luxury in emperors means poverty for the people

 

He ruled for 27 days before being abandoned by the royal household and deserted by his people. He went into exile in Lindisfarne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eanred

 

King of Northumbria c 811 to c 840

 

Eanred's reign saw the appearance of the styca, a new style of small coin which replaced the earlier sceat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Æthelred II

 

d 862 CE

 

Son of Eanred

 

King of Northumbria c 840 to c 848 CE

 

There was an interruption in 844 CE when Rædwulf usurped the throne, but was killed the same year fighting against the Vikings

 

Æthelred was assassinated, but nothing more is known of his murder

 

 

 

 

Osberht

 

d 21 March 867

 

King of Northumbria c 848 to 862 CE

 

Osberht became king after Æthelred son of Eanred was murdered

Ælla

 

King of Northumbria 862 to 866 CE

 

Osberht was replaced as king by Ælla. While Ælla is described in most sources as a tyrant, and not a rightful king, one source records that he was Osberht's brother

 

The Great Heathen Army marched on Northumbria in the late summer of 866 CE, seizing York on 21 November 866

 

Ragnarssona þáttr (The Tale of Ragnar's sons) provides legendary accounts of the Viking conquest of York. This associates the semi-legendary king of Sweden Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons, Hvitserk, Björn Ironside, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, Ivar the Boneless, and Ubbe. According to the stories, Ragnar was killed by Ælla, and the army which seized York in 866 was led by Ragnar's sons who avenged his death by subjecting Ælla to the blood eagle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ivar the Boneless

Halfdan Ragnarsson

 

Viking overlord of Northumbria 866 to 867 CE

 

Halfdan Ragnarsson and his brother Ivar the Boneless were the Viking leaders of the Great Heathen Army which invaded England in 865

 

They sought revenge against Northumbria for the death of their father, who was supposedly killed by Ælla of Northumbria

 

While Halfdan only ruled Northumbria directly for about a year in 876, he placed Ecgberht on the throne as a client-king

 

 

Ecgberht I

 

Client King of Northumbria 867 to 872 CE

 

Symeon of Durham recorded that After these events, the pagans appointed Egbert king under their own dominion; Egbert reigned for six years, over the Northumbrians beyond the Tyne

 

He was probably the Great Heathen Army's tax collector and likely belonged to one of the several competing royal families in Northumbria

 

In 872, Symeon of Durham wrote The Northumbrians expelled their king Egbert, and their Archbishop Wulfhere. That year Northumbria rebelled against the Great Heathen Army and their collaborators and expelled Ecgberht I and Wulfhere of York

 

 

Ricsige

 

Client King of Northumbria 873 to 876

 

The Great Heathen Army came north against the Northumbrians in 873 CE. There was a destruction of monasteries

 

Ecgberht II

 

Bamburgh and northern Northumberland 876 CE to an unknown date

 

Ecgberht probably only reigned over the northern parts of Northumbria as Symeon recorded Ricsige, king of the Northumbrians, died, and Egbert the second reigned over the Northumbrians beyond the river Tyne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interregnum

 

Halfdan was killed in Ireland in 877 CE whilst trying to regain control over Dublin, a land he had ruled since 875 CE

 

There was an interregnum after Halfdan died until Guthred became king in 883

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guthred Hardacnutsson

 

c 844 to 24 August 895 CE

 

Norse king of Northumbria c 883 to 895 CE

 

Guthred was probably the first Christian Viking King of York

 

He seems to have defeated a large invasion by the Scots

 

 

Siefredus or Sigfrith

 

Norse King of Northumbria c 895 to 900 CE

 

A number of silver coins bearing the inscription Siefredus Rex were found as part of a Northumbrian hoard

 

He may have pirated the coast of Wessex from the land of the Northumbrians with a large fleet, ravaged twice and afterwards sailed back to his own homeland

 

 

Cnut

 

Norse King of Northumbria c 900 to 905 CE

 

About 3,000 silver coins bearing the inscription CNVT REX were found as part of the Cuerdale Hoard in Cuerdale, Lancashire.

 

Cnut of Northumbria is not the same person as the future King Cnut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Æthelwold

 

Æthelwold was the son of Æthelred, the king of Wessex from 865 to 871. Following his father's death, in 871, his uncle Alfred the Great became king. When Alfred died in 899. Alfred's son Edward the Elder ascended the throne of Wessex. However, Æthelwold made a bid for power, seizing his father’s old estate in Wimbourne. Edward's forces besieged Æthelwold's position, forcing him to flee. He went to York, where the locals accepted him as king, in 901.

 

He was killed in 902, which ended the challenge to Edward’s rule

 

 

Ragnall I

 

Jorvik (York) 914 to 921 CE

 

The folk of York were unhappy with Ragnall. They therefore promised obedience to Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians in early 918, but the negotiations were ended prematurely by her death in June of that year. Later in his reign, Ragnall submitted to Edward as overlord, but was allowed to keep his kingdom.

Sitric Cáech (Sihtric)

 

Scandinavian Northumbria 921 to 927 CE

 

Sitric was a kinsman of Ragnall, and another Scandinavian leader expelled from the Kingdom of Dublin, in 902. Sitric, however had returned to Ireland to retake Dublin and become their king. Then in 920 he travelled to York and joined Ragnall where in 921 Ragnall died and Sitric replaced him as king.

 

Sitric raided Davenport, Cheshire, in violation of the terms of submission agreed between Ragnall and Edward the Elder.

 

Edward was replaced by his son Æthelstan, and although the annals indicated that Sitric was reluctant to submit to Edward, he submitted to Æthelstan at Tamworth in January 926. Part of the agreement was that Sitric should marry Æthelstan's sister Eadgyth and that he should be baptised. He seems to have repudiated Christianity and rejected his bride shortly afterwards.

 

Gofraid ua Ímair

 

Scandinavian Northumbria 927 CE

 

Sitric Cáech died in 927 and Gofraid left for Northumbria, delegating authority in Dublin to his sons. This upset the sons of Sitric, who allied with a "son of Helgi" and seized Limerick. This act began a period of conflict between the Hiberno-Scandinavian of Dublin and Limerick which would last until 937. Gofraid's attempt to rule in Northumbria was unsuccessful and he was driven out by Æthelstan of England within six months

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Æthelstan

 

King of the Anglo Saxons 927 to 939 CE

 

Æthelstan was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927 and King of the English from 927 to 939

 

The new title reflects that in 927 CE, Æthelstan conquered the Scandinavian Kingdom of York, previously part of the Northumbrian Kingdom

 

Æthelstan is widely considered one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon kings for his efforts to consolidate the English kingdom and the prosperity his reign brought

 

His reign was prosperous and legal and economic reform, but there were frequent clashes with the Scots and the Vikings

 

In 934 Æthelstan travelled to York to give them a large area of land in modern Cumbria, probably a bribe for the continued loyalty of Northumbria

 

In the ‘great war’ at the Battle of Brunanburh in 937, Aethestand routed a coalition of the King of Dublin and York (Olaf Guthfrithsson, Scotland (Constantine) and Strayhclyde (Oswain)

 

Æthelstan died in 939, and soon afterwards the Vikings' retook of York

 

Rex Anglorum

 

After the death of Sihtric, Aethelstan, whose sister was Sihtric’s widow, seized the opportunity to invade the Scandinavian York. He thereby united the Kingdoms of Mercia, Wessex and Northumbria

 

There followed an important meeting at Eamont Bridge near Penrith, near ancient earthworks of King Arthur’s round table and Mayburgh Henge, between the rivers Lowther and Eamont, where roads converged from all directions. The Anglo Saxon Chronicle records that kings from across Britain converged here on 27 July 927 CE at a meeting which is generally taken to be the founding of the Kingdom of England

Scandinavian Rule 939 to 944 CE

 

When Æthelstan died in 939, the Scandinavian leader Olaf Guthfrithson arrived from Dublin and took over Northumbria with minimal opposition. Coins minted at York during his reign show the Raven motif

 

In 940, his cousin Olaf Cuaran joined him in York. It is probable that Olaf Guthfrithson died in 942 and was replaced by Olaf Cuaran. Then in 943 the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says that Olaf Cuaran was baptised, with Edmund as sponsor, and that same year, another king of Northumbria, was named as Ragnall Guthfrithson and he was confirmed also with Edmund as sponsor. Both Olaf and Ragnall were called king, but it is uncertain whether they were co-rulers or rival kings

 

English rule 944 to 947 CE

 

In 944 CE Edmund was able to expel the Scandinavian leaders from Northumbria

 

Eadred was the half-brother of Æthelstan and full brother of Edmund, all of whom were sons of King Edward the Elder. Eadred inherited Northumbria, but like Edmund lost it soon afterwards

 

Eric of York (possibly Eric Bloodaxe)

 

King of Northumbria 947–948 CE, 952–954 CE

 

Eric expelled Anglo- Scandinavian rulers of Northumbria in 947 CE, who then regained the land in 948 or 949. Eric took back the throne in 952, only to be deposed again in 954

 

Eric was the last Scandinavian king of Northumbria and his authority only extended to the southern kingdom of York

 

Scandinavian domination came to an end when Eadred's forces killed Eric Bloodaxe at the Battle of Stainmore in 954

 

The whole area was then governed by earls, from the local nobility, who were appointed by the kings of England.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oswulf I of Bamburgh

 

Earl of Northumbria 954 to c 963 CE

 

When Eadred finally regained control in 954, he appointed Oswulf earl of the whole of Northumbria. By the twelfth century Oswulf was held responsible for the death of Northumbria's last Norse king, Eric of York

 

 

Eadwulf II “Evil Child” of Bamburgh

 

Earl of Northumbria c 963 CE

St Brice’s Day Massacre 1002

 

In 975 CE Edgar, son of Edmund and King of England died suddenly. The succession was contested between his two sons Edward and Æthelred. Edward became king but was killed under suspicious circumstances in 978 CE

 

Æthelred replaced him as ruler and in 1002 he was told that the Danish men in his territory "would faithlessly take his life, and then all his councillors, and possess his kingdom afterwards". In response, he ordered the deaths of all Danes living in England. The orders were carried out on 13 November 1002 (now known as the St Brice's Day massacre)

 

This provoked the King of Denmark, Sweyn Forkbeard, to invade England in 1003. The onslaught continued until 1014 when Æthelred and his family were driven into exile and Sweyn was installed as king of England. However he only reigned for five weeks before he died

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ealdred

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waltheof of Bamburgh

 

Earl of Northumbria c 994 to 1006

 

Waltheof was high-reeve or ealdorman of Bamburgh, son of Ealdred, and the grandson of Oswulf I

 

He was father of Uhtred the Bold, Ealdorman of Northumbria

 

The name Waltheof remained in his family when Earl Siward married his great-granddaughter and named his son Waltheof

 

In 1006 Malcolm II of Scotland invaded Northumbria and besieged the episcopal city of Durham. The Danes were raiding southern England and King Æthelred was unable to send help to the Northumbrians

 

Ealdorman Waltheof was too old to fight and remained in his castle at Bamburgh. Ealdorman Ælfhelm of York also took no action. Waltheof's son Uhtred, acting for his father, called together an army from Bernicia and Yorkshire and led it against the Scots. The result was a decisive victory for Uhtred. Local women washed the severed heads of the Scots, receiving a payment of a cow for each, and the heads were fixed on stakes to Durham's walls. Uhtred was rewarded by King Æthelred II with the ealdormanry of Bamburgh even though his father was still alive

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

King Cnut

 

King of England 1016 to 1035

 

After Sweyn's death, his son Cnut became the leader of the Danish army. Æthelred returned to England and drove Cnut out of England and back to Denmark. Then in 1015, Cnut relaunched his campaign against the English

 

In 1016 Æthelred died and was succeeded by his son, Edmund Ironside. Edmund and his forces were decisively beaten by Cnut at the Battle of Ashingdon. After the battle, Cnut made a treaty with Edmund whereby Edmund would be King of Wessex and Cnut would rule the rest of England

 

Edmund Ironside died a few weeks later. Cnut then became king of all England. He divided England into four semi-independent earldoms using a system of governance based on the Scandinavian system of the time. Northumbria was not well integrated into the rest of the country

 

 

 

Uhtred of Bamburgh, “the Bold”

 

Earl of Northumbria 1006 to 1016

 

Uhtred was the son of Waltheof I, ruler of Bamburgh (Bebbanburg), whose family the Eadwulfings had ruled for over a century

 

Uhtred was murdered, probably on Cnut's orders. His death by assassination was described in De obsessione Dunelmi and has been interpreted as the beginning of a blood feud

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erik of Hlathir

 

Earl of Northumberland 1016 to 1033

 

Cnut appointed his most trusted followers as earls, with the Norwegian Erik of Hlathir appointed to the Earldom of Northumbria

 

 

Siward

 

d 1055

 

Earl of Northumbria 1033 to 1055

 

Siward became the last Scandinavian Earl of Northumbria when he succeeded Erik in about 1033. He governed for 22 years without too much difficulty

 

Siward strengthened his position in northern England by marrying Ælfflæd, the daughter of Ealdred, Earl of Bamburgh. After killing Ealdred's successor Eadulf in 1041, Siward gained control of all Northumbria

 

He supported Cnut's successors Harthacnut and Edward with military aid and counsel, and probably gained control of the middle shires of Northampton and Huntingdon by the 1050s. There is some evidence that he spread Northumbrian control into Cumberland

 

In the early 1050s, Siward turned against the Scottish King Mac Bethad mac Findlaích ("Macbeth"). Despite the death of his son Osbjorn, Siward defeated Mac Bethad in battle in 1054. This was later immortalised in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

 

Siward died in 1055, leaving one son, Waltheof

 

Tostig Godwinson

 

Earl of Northumbria 1055 to 1065

 

On Siward's death in 1055, Edward the Confessor, chose a West Saxon to govern Yorkshire, in place of Siward's son, Waltheof. Edward's choice, Tostig Godwinson, was unpopular with locals

 

Tostig was the third son of the Anglo-Saxon nobleman Godwin, Earl of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir, the daughter of Danish chieftain Thorgil Sprakling

 

In 1051, Earl Godwin's opposition to Edward's policies had brought England to the brink of civil war. The Godwins' opposition convinced Edward to banish them in 1051

 

The banished Godwin family, including Gytha and Tostig, together with Sweyn and Gyrth, sought refuge with his brother-in-law the Count of Flanders. They returned to England the following year with an armed force. They gained support and demanded that Edward restore Tostig's earldom

 

Three years later in 1055, Tostig became the Earl of Northumbria on the death of Earl Siward

 

He was on intimate terms with his brother-in-law, Edward the Confessor, and in 1061 he visited Pope Nicholas II at Rome in the company of Ealdred, archbishop of York

 

Tostig was not popular with the Northumbrian ruling class, who descended from Danish invaders and Anglo-Saxon survivors. He was heavy handed with those who resisted his rule, and murdered several members of leading Northumbrian families

 

In late 1063 or early 1064, Tostig had Gamal son of Orm and Ulf son of Dolfin assassinated when Gamal visited him under safe conduct

 

The Vita Edwardi, otherwise sympathetic to Tostig, records that he had 'repressed the Northumbrians with the heavy yoke of his rule'

 

He was often absent and may have shown a lack of leadership against the raiding Scots. Their king was a personal friend of Tostig, and Tostig's unpopularity made it difficult to raise local levies to combat them. He resorted to using a strong force of Danish mercenaries (housecarls) as his main force, an expensive and resented policy. The housecarls' leaders were later slaughtered by rebels

 

On 3 October 1065, the thegns of York and the local nobility descended on York and occupied the city. They killed Tostig's officials and supporters, then declared Tostig outlawed for his unlawful actions. They replaced him with Morcar, brother of Edwin of Mercia

 

 

Morcar

 

Earl of Northumberland 1065 to 1066

 

The northerners choice of new earl was accepted by Edward

 

After Edward the Confessor's death in 1066, Tostig’s brother, Harold Godwinson became King of England. He visited York early in his reign and according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle returned to Westminster at Easter 1066

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Norman Rule

 

In September 1066 Tostig returned with his ally, Harald Hardrada of Norway. On the 20 September 1066 the allies defeated the northern earls, Morcar and Edwin at the Battle of Fulford. The people of York submitted to Tostig and Hardrada who did not occupy the city

 

Five days later Tostig and Hardrada were defeated and killed, by Harold Godwinson, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge

 

Shortly after William of Normandy landed at Pevensey on 28 September and on 13 October Harold of England fought his last battle on the Sussex coast at Hastings

 

It took several years for the Normans to consolidate their rule over England. It is likely that the Conqueror exercised little authority north of the Humber during 1067