Polity Kingdom of Mercia (Wessex)

This article is about the specific polity Kingdom of Mercia (Wessex) and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here: All Statistics

After the Viking invasion the part of Mercia not occupied by the Norsemen fell in the sphere of influence of Wessex and was later integrated into the Kingdom of England.

Establishment

  • January 830: Wiglaf of Mercia ruled for less than two years before Egbert of Wessex drove him out of Mercia.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Conquests of Ecgberth of Wessex

Were the conquests by king Ecgberth of Wessex in England.

  • January 830: Wiglaf of Mercia ruled for less than two years before Egbert of Wessex drove him out of Mercia.
  • January 831: In 830 Wiglaf regained independence for Mercia, but by this time Wessex had clearly become the dominant power in England.

2. Viking invasion of the British isles

Was the Viking invasion of the British Isles that started with the arrival of the Great Heathen Army in 865 and resulted in the establishment of the Danelaw, the part of England dominated by the Danes.

  • January 904: Æthelwald incited the East Anglian Danes into breaking the peace. They ravaged Mercia before winning a pyrrhic victory that saw the death of Æthelwald and the Danish King Eohric.
  • February 904: Æthelwald incited the East Anglian Danes into breaking the peace. They ravaged Mercia before winning a pyrrhic victory that saw the death of Æthelwald and the Danish King Eohric.
  • July 918: In return for peace and protection, the Kingdoms of Essex and East Anglia accept Edward the Elder of Wessex as their suzerain overlord.

3. Further events (Unrelated to Any War)

  • January 880: Ceolwulf, the last king of Mercia, left with the western half, reigned until 879. From about 883 until his death in 911 Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians, ruled Mercia under the overlordship of Wessex.

Disestablishment

  • January 919: When Æthelflæd died in 918, Ælfwynn, her daughter by Æthelred, succeeded as 'Second Lady of the Mercians'. However within six months Edward had deprived her of all authority in Mercia and taken her into Wessex. Ælfwynn was the ruler of Mercia for a few months, from 12 June 918 to December 918.