Ecgberht I of Northumbria
Ecgberht (died 873) was king of Northumbria in the middle of the 9th century. This period of Northumbrian history is poorly recorded, and very little is known of Ecgberht.
| Ecgberht | |
|---|---|
| King of Northumbria | |
| Reign | 867–872 AD |
| Predecessor | Ælla |
| Successor | Ricsige |
| Died | 873 |
| House | Northumbria |
He first appears following the death of kings Ælla and Osberht in battle against the Vikings of the Great Heathen Army at York on 21 March 867. Symeon of Durham records:
Nearly all the Northumbrians were routed and destroyed, the two kings being slain; the survivors made peace with the pagans. After these events, the pagans appointed Egbert king under their own dominion; Egbert reigned for six years, over the Northumbrians beyond the Tyne.[1]
Historians presume that Ecgberht ruled as the Great Army's tax collector and that he belonged to one of the several competing royal families in Northumbria.[2]
The next report of Ecgberht is in 872: "The Northumbrians expelled their king Egbert, and their Archbishop Wulfhere".[3] Finally, Ecgberht's death is reported in 873, and it is said that Ricsige succeeded him.[3]
References
- Kirby, D.P., The Earliest English Kings. London: Unwin, 1991. ISBN 0-04-445692-1
- Higham, N.J., The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350–1100. Stroud: Sutton, 1993. ISBN 0-86299-730-5
- Symeon of Durham (1855). "The Historical Works of Simeon of Durham". Church Historians of England, volume III, part II. J. Stevenson, translator. Seeley's. Retrieved 27 January 2007.