Edwin of Northumbria

 

Edwin was King of Northumbria and reigned between 616-633 and a powerful king he became too with Bede stating that Edwin ruled over all the Anglo Saxon kingdoms apart from Kent as well as bringing under his rule the Isle of Man and Anglesey. Throughout his reign, his kingdom of Northumbria began to convert to Christianity. Part of this was thanks to the marriage of Edwin to a woman from Kent by the name of Aethelburg.  Thanks to the arrival of Augustine in the late 6th century, Kent had become Christian, including Aethelburg. Edwin sought out Aethelburg's hand in marriage but the initial response from the king of Kent, Eadbald, was not wholly receptive. It stated that a Christian woman could not be married to a pagan.  This could have been a problem for Edwin but he showed a good combination of tact and diplomacy and replied to the message stating that Aethelburg and her attendants would be allowed to practise their Christian beliefs without interference. Whatsmore, Edwin promised to consider converting himself once he had further examined the supposed benefits.

In 626, Edwin faced a threat against his life. An assassin was sent by the king of Wessex under the pretence of delivering a message to Edwin. The would be killer was armed with a dagger which had been laced with poison in the hope that if the actual blow or blows of the dagger weren't sufficient then the poison would finish the job. In the skirmish that followed, two of Edwin's men were killed and he seriously injured. That near death experience seemed to have a profound effect on Edwin. His queen gave birth to a daughter soon after whilst Edwin was still recovering and he supposedly prayed for his recovery and had the little girl baptised.

Despite this, Edwin had still not converted fully to Christianity and he was pressed by various quarters to do so. The pope wrote to Queen Aethelburg to exert her influence over her husband and persuade him to become Christian. Edwin certainly would have put great thought into the matter. He was evidently a thoughtful man who would spend hours at a time pondering over matters of great importance whether they be political or otherwise. And, it's safe to say, that converting to Christianity was a matter that would have played on his mind significantly. Finally, in 627, Edwin adopted the new religion. He was baptised by Paulinus, the first Bishop of York.

Nortumbria, throughout the Anglo Saxon age, would be a kingdom that was frequently troubled, both before and after Edwin's reign. But Edwin seems to have been a king who cared about his subjects. Bede tells a story that Edwin would leave bowls near clear springs so that those on long journeys could stop and refresh themselves easily. In the 630s, Pope Honorious I. wrote to Edwin. In the letter, Honorious calls Edwin "a man of most sincere Christian character...which has shone out far and wide".

But whatever the content of a king's character was, these were difficult times. In 633, Edwin's kingdom was threatened by the Britons and it's king, Cadwallon, who were aided by the Pagan king of Mercia, Penda. The Northumbrians met the enemy at the battle of Hatfield Chase where Edwin was killed  as was one of his sons. Another of Edwin's sons was captured and forced to submit to Penda, only to be put to death later on. The battle was a complete disaster for  Northumbria which now fell into a period of division.

Edwin was a ponderous man and some might say indecisive. But during his reign, Northumbria was one of the most powerful of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms. And this was no mean feat. Edwin had faces threats to his life both before and during his reign and challenges were never far away as his defeat at Hatfield Chase proved. But he was a strong and capable king, now long since forgotten.