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Birth:          ABT  670 
Death:          23 Apr  725 

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wihtred_of_Kent
Wihtred (c. 670 – 23 April 725) was king of Kent from about 690 or 691 until his death. 
He was a son of Ecgberht I and a brother of Eadric. Wihtred acceded to the throne 
after a confused period in the 680s, which included a brief conquest of Kent by 
Cædwalla of Wessex and subsequent dynastic conflicts. His immediate predecessor 
was Oswine of Kent, who was probably descended from Eadbald of Kent, though not 
through the same line as Wihtred. Shortly after the start of his reign, Wihtred issued a 
code of laws—the Law of Wihtred—that has been preserved in a manuscript known as 
the Textus Roffensis. The laws pay a great deal of attention to the rights of the 
Church, including punishment for irregular marriages and for pagan worship. Wihtred's 
long reign had few incidents recorded in the annals of the day. He was succeeded in 
725 by his sons, Æthelberht II, Eadberht I, and Ælfric.
Kent in the late seventh century[edit]

The dominant force in late-seventh-century politics south of the River Humber was 
Wulfhere of Mercia, who reigned from the late 650s to 675. The king of Kent for much 
of this time was Ecgberht, who died in 673. Ecgberht's sons, Eadric and Wihtred, were 
probably no more than infants of two or three years old when their father died, and 
Wulfhere was their uncle by virtue of his marriage to Eormenhild, Ecgberht's sister. 
Hlothhere, Ecgberht's brother, became king of Kent, but not until about a year later, in 
674, and it may be that Wulfhere opposed the accession of Hlothhere and was the 
effective ruler of Kent during this year-long interregnum.[1]

Eadric raised an army against his uncle and Hlothhere died of wounds sustained in 
battle in February 685 or possibly 686.[2] Eadric died the following year, and 
according to Bede, whose Ecclesiastical History of the English People is one of the 
primary sources for this period, the kingdom fell apart into disorder.[3] Cædwalla of 
Wessex invaded in 686 and established his brother Mul as king there; Cædwalla may 
have ruled Kent directly for a period when Mul was killed in 687.[4] When Cædwalla 
departed for Rome in 688, Oswine, who was probably supported by Æthelred of 
Mercia, took the throne for a time. Oswine lost power in 690, but Swæfheard (son of 
Sebbi, the king of Essex), who had been a king in Kent for a year or two, remained.[5] 
There is clear evidence that both Swæfheard and Oswine were kings at the same 
time, as each witnessed the other's charters. It seems that Oswine was king of east 
Kent, which was usually the position of the dominant king, while Swæfheard was king 
of west Kent.[6]
Accession and reign[edit]
Wihtred emerged from this disarray and became king in the early 690s.[5] Bede 
describes his accession by saying that he was the "rightful" king, and that he "freed 
the nation from foreign invasion by his devotion and diligence".[3] Oswine was also of 
the royal family, and arguably had a claim to the throne; hence it has been suggested 
that Bede's comments here are strongly partisan. Bede's correspondent on Kentish 
affairs was Albinus, abbot of the monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul (subsequently 
renamed St. Augustine's) in Canterbury, and these views can almost certainly be 
ascribed to the Church establishment there.[7][8][9]

Two charters provide evidence of Wihtred's date of accession. One, dated April 697, 
indicates Wihtred was then in the sixth year of his rule,[10] so his accession can be 
dated to some time between April 691 and April 692. Another, dated 17 July 694, is in 
his fourth regnal year, giving a possible range of July 690 to July 691.[11] The overlap 
in date ranges gives April to July 691 as the likely date of his accession.[12] Another 
estimate of the date of Wihtred's accession can be made from the duration of his 
reign, given by Bede as thirty four and a half years. He died on 23 April 725, which 
would imply an accession date in late 690.[13]

Initially Wihtred ruled alongside Swæfheard.[5] Bede's report of the election of 
Beorhtwald as Archbishop of Canterbury in July 692 mentions that Swæfheard and 
Wihtred were the kings of Kent, but Swæfheard is not heard of after this date. It 
appears that by 694 Wihtred was the sole ruler of Kent,[5] though it may also be that 
his son Æthelberht was a junior king in west Kent during Wihtred's reign.[14] Wihtred 
is thought to have had three wives. His first was called Cynegyth, but a charter of 696 
names Æthelburh as the royal consort and co-donor of an estate: the former spouse 
must have died or been dismissed after a short time. Near the end of his reign, a new 
wife, Wærburh, attested with her husband and son, Alric.[15]

It was also in 694 that Wihtred made peace with the West Saxon king Ine. Ine's 
predecessor, Cædwalla, had invaded Kent and installed his brother Mul as king, but 
the Kentishmen had subsequently revolted and burned Mul. Wihtred agreed 
compensation for the killing, but the amount paid to Ine is uncertain. Most manuscripts 
of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle record "thirty thousand", and some specify thirty 
thousand pounds. If the pounds are equal to sceattas, then this amount is the equal of 
a king's wergild—that is, the legal valuation of a man's life, according to his rank.[16]
[17] It seems likely that Wihtred ceded some border territory to Ine as part of this 
settlement.[18]

Laws[edit]
The earliest Anglo-Saxon law code to survive, which may date from 602 or 603, is that 
of Æthelberht of Kent, whose reign ended in 616.[19] In the 670s or 680s, a code was 
issued in the names of Hlothhere and Eadric of Kent. The next kings to issue laws 
were Ine of Wessex and Wihtred.[20]

The dating of Wihtred’s and Ine’s laws is somewhat uncertain, but there is reason to 
believe that Wihtred’s laws were issued on 6 September 695,[21] while Ine’s laws 
were written in 694 or shortly before.[22] Ine had recently agreed peaceful terms with 
Wihtred over compensation for the death of Mul, and there are indications that the 
two rulers collaborated to some degree in producing their laws. In addition to the 
coincidence of timing, there is one clause that appears in almost identical form in both 
codes.[23] Another sign of collaboration is that Wihtred’s laws use gesith, a West 
Saxon term for noble, in place of the Kentish term eorlcund. It is possible that Ine and 
Wihtred issued the law codes as an act of prestige, to re-establish authority after 
periods of disruption in both kingdoms.[24]

Wihtred's laws were issued at "Berghamstyde"; it is not known for certain where this 
was, but the best candidate is Bearsted, near Maidstone. The laws are primarily 
concerned with religious affairs; only the last four of its twenty-eight chapters do not 
deal with ecclesiastical affairs. The first clause of the code gives the Church freedom 
from taxation. Subsequent clauses specify penalties for irregular marriages, heathen 
worship, work on the sabbath, and breaking fasts, among other things; and also define 
how members of each class of society—such as the king, bishops, priests, ceorls, and 
esnes—can clear themselves by giving an oath.[25] In addition to the focus of the laws 
themselves, the introduction makes clear the importance of the Church in the 
legislative process. Bertwald, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was present at the 
assembly which devised the decrees, and so was Gefmund, the Bishop of Rochester; 
and "every order of the Church of that nation spoke in unanimity with the loyal 
people".[25][26]

The privileges given to the Church are notable: in addition to the freedom from 
taxation, the oath of a bishop is "incontrovertible", which places it at the same level 
as the oath of a king, and the Church receives the same level of compensation for 
violence done to dependents as does the king. This has led one historian to describe 
the Church's power, less than a century after the original Roman mission landed in 
Kent, as "all but co-ordinate with the king himself in the Kentish state",[27] and it has 
also been described as presupposing "a frightening degree of royal power".[28] 
However, the presence of clauses that provide penalties for any of Wihtred's subjects 
who "sacrifice to devils" makes it clear that although Christianity was dominant, the 
older pagan beliefs of the population had by no means died out completely.[25][29]

Clause 21 of the code specifies that a ceorl must find three men of his own class to be 
his "oath-helpers". An oath-helper would swear an oath on behalf of an accused man, 
to clear him from the suspicion of the crime. The laws of Ine were more stringent than 
this, requiring that a high-ranking person must be found to be an oath-helper for 
everyone, no matter what class they were from. The two laws taken together imply a 
significant weakening of an earlier state in which a man's kin were legally responsible 
for him.[30]

Death and succession[edit]

On his death, Wihtred left Kent to his three sons: Æthelberht II, Eadberht I, and Alric.
[13] The chronology of the reigns following Wihtred is unclear, although there is 
evidence of both an Æthelbert and at least one Eadbert in the following years.[31] 
After Wihtred's death, and the departure of Ine of Wessex for Rome the following 
year, Æthelbald of Mercia became the dominant power in the south of England.[32]

Parents
____ Egbert I (ABT  650 - 4 Jul  673)
----- ----- ()

Siblings
____ Wihtred (ABT  670 - 23 Apr  725)

Marriage To ____ Cynegyth ()
    m.  

Notes


Children by ____ Cynegyth 
____ Ethelbert II (ABT  715 -  762)

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