Oswiu: Difference between revisions

Oswiu
Oswiu
King of Northumbria
Reign	642–670
Predecessor	Oswald
Successor	Ecgfrith
King of Mercia
Reign	655 or 656–658
Predecessor	Peada
Successor	Wulfhere of Mercia
Born	c. 612
Died	15 February 670 (aged 57–58)
Burial	Whitby Abbey
Spouse	Eanflæd; Fín; Rieinmelth
Issue	Ealhfrith; Ecgfrith; Ælfwine; Aldfrith; Ealhflæd; Ælfflæd; Osthryth
Father	Æthelfrith
Mother	Acha of Deira
Religion	Christianity

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Oswiu, also known as Oswy or Oswig (Old English: Ōswīg; c. 612 – 15 February 670), was King of Bernicia from 642 and of Northumbria from 654 until his death. He is notable for his role at the Synod of Whitby in 664, which ultimately brought the church in Northumbria into conformity with the wider Catholic Church.

One of the sons of Æthelfrith of Bernicia, Oswiu became king following the death of his brother Oswald in 642. Unlike Oswald, Oswiu struggled to exert authority over Deira, the other constituent kingdom of medieval Northumbria, for much of his reign.

Oswiu and his brothers were raised in exile in the Irish kingdom of Dál Riata in present-day Scotland after their father's death at the hands of Edwin of Deira, only returning after Edwin's death in 633. Oswiu rose to the kingship when his brother Oswald was killed in battle against Penda of Mercia. The early part of his reign was defined by struggles to assert control over Deira and his contentious relationship with Penda, his overlord.^[1] In 655, Oswiu's forces killed Penda in a decisive victory at the Battle of the Winwaed, establishing Oswiu as one of the most powerful rulers in Britain. He secured control of Deira, with his son Alhfrith serving as a sub-king,^[2] and for three years, Oswiu's power extended over Mercia, earning him recognition as bretwalda over much of Great Britain.^[3]

Oswiu was a devoted Christian, promoting the faith among his subjects and establishing a number of monasteries, including Gilling Abbey and Whitby Abbey.^[4] He was raised in the Celtic Christian tradition of much of the Irish world, rather than the Roman tradition practiced by the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as well as some members of the Deiran nobility, including Oswiu's queen Eanflæd. In 664, Oswiu presided over the Synod of Whitby, where clerics debated over the two traditions, and helped resolve tension between the parties by decreeing that Northumbria would follow the Roman style.^[5] Oswiu died in 670 and was succeeded by his son, Ecgfrith.^[6] His feast is 15 February in the East and in the West.^[7]

Background and early life

Oswiu was born circa 612, as he was 58 at his death in 670, according to Bede. He was the third child of Æthelfrith, then King of Bernicia; his siblings included older brothers Eanfrith and Oswald and sister Æbbe.^[8]^[9] Oswiu's mother was likely Æthelfrith's only recorded wife, Acha, a princess of Deira's royal line who is known to have been Oswald's mother.^[10] Regardless, his heritage did nothing to endear him to the Deiran nobility; while they accepted Oswald as king apparently on account of his mother, they resisted Oswiu throughout his reign.^[11]

At the time of Oswiu's birth, Æthelfrith was at the height of his power. In 604 he had taken control of Deira, evidently by conquest; he killed the previous king (apparently Æthelric), married Acha, a member of the kingly line, and exiled Acha's brother Edwin. His authority ran from the lands of the Picts and the Dál Riata in modern Scotland to Wales and the Midlands in the south.^[12] Æthelfrith's power rested on his military success, and this success came to an end in 616, when the exiled Edwin of Deira, with the support of King Rædwald, defeated and killed him in battle of the River Idle.^[13]

On Æthelfrith's death, his sons and their supporters fled Northumbria, finding sanctuary among the Gaels and Picts of northern Britain and Ireland. Here they would remain until Edwin's death at the Battle of Hatfield Chase in 633.^[14]^[15]

In exile, the sons of Æthelfrith were converted to Christianity, or raised as Christians.^[14] In Oswiu's case, he became an exile at the age of four, and cannot have returned to Northumbria until aged twenty-one, spending childhood and adolescence in a Gaelic milieu. Bede writes that Oswiu was fluent in the Old Irish language and Irish in his faith.^[16]

As well as learning the Irish language and being thoroughly Christianised, Oswiu may have fought for his Gaelic hosts, perhaps receiving his arms—a significant event—from a King of Dál Riata, such as Eochaid Buide, son of that Áedán mac Gabráin whom his father had defeated at the Battle of Degsastan.^[17] The Irish annals name one Oisiric mac Albruit, rigdomna Saxan—ætheling Osric—among the dead, alongside Connad Cerr, King of Dál Riata, and others of the Cenél nGabráin, at the Battle of Fid Eóin.^[18] Whether Oswiu's marriage with the Uí Néill princess Fín of the Cenél nEógain, and the birth of Aldfrith, should be placed in the context of his exile, or took place at a later date is uncertain.^[19]

Equally uncertain is the date of Oswiu's return to Northumbria. He may have returned with his brother Eanfrith on Edwin's death in 633, as Bede appears to write.^[14] Eanfrith apostatised and was killed by Cadwallon ap Cadfan, who was defeated and killed in turn by another brother, Oswald, who became king of Bernicia and probably succeeded to his father's old dominance of northern and central Britain.^[20]

Eanflæd and Oswine

Oswald died in battle against Penda of Mercia at the Battle of Maserfield, dated by Bede to 5 August 642.^[21] Oswald's son Œthelwald may have been his preferred successor, but Œthelwald cannot have been an adult in 642. So, the kingship came to Oswiu. Unlike Eanfrith and Osric, Oswiu held to the Christian faith in spite of his brother's defeat by the pagan Penda. This may have been due to his more thoroughly Christian upbringing, but the influence of Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne, by then a major figure in Bernicia, could also have been significant.^[22]

Bede summarises Oswiu's reign in this way:

Oswald being translated to the heavenly kingdom, his brother Oswy, a young man of about thirty years of age, succeeded him on the throne of his earthly kingdom, and held it twenty-eight years with much trouble, being harassed by the pagan king, Penda, and by the pagan nation of the Mercians, that had slain his brother, as also by his son Alfred [i.e. Ealhfrith], and by his cousin-german Ethelwald [i.e. Œthelwald of Deira], the son of his brother who reigned before him.^[23]

Oswiu's first recorded action as king of Bernicia was to strengthen his position, and perhaps his claims to Deira, by marrying Edwin's daughter Eanflæd, then in exile in the Kingdom of Kent.^[24] This marriage took place between 642 and 644.^[25]

Oswiu is known to have been married three times. Eanflæd, his Queen, bore him two sons and two daughters. The sons were Ecgfrith (644/645–685) and Ælfwine (c. 660–679), the daughters Osthryth (died 697) and Ælfflæd (c. 654–714). The Irish princess Fín was the mother of Aldfrith (died 705). Finally, the British princess Rieinmelth of Rheged is named as a wife of Oswiu in the Historia Brittonum.^[26] It is thought that Ealhfrith was her son,^[27] and Eahlflæd may have been her daughter.^[28]

The first half of Oswiu's reign was spent in the shadow of Penda, who dominated much of Britain from 642 until 655, seemingly making and breaking kings as it suited him.^[29] The future kingdom of Northumbria was still composed of two distinct kingdoms in Oswiu's lifetime. The northerly kingdom of Bernicia, which extended from the River Tees to the Firth of Forth, was ruled by Oswiu. The kingdom of Deira, lying between the North York Moors and the Humber, was ruled by a series of Oswiu's kinsmen, initially as a separate kingdom, later as a form of appanage for Oswiu's sons.^[30]

For the first decade of Oswiu's reign, Deira was ruled by an independent king, Oswine, son of the apostate Osric, who belonged to the rival Deiran royal family.^[31] Oswine and Oswiu came into conflict circa 651. Bede blames Oswiu for the troubles and writes:

For when they had raised armies against one another, Oswin perceived that he could not maintain a war against one who had more auxiliaries than himself, and he thought it better at that time to lay aside all thoughts of engaging, and to preserve himself for better times. He therefore dismissed the army which he had assembled, and ordered all his men to return to their own homes, from the place that is called Wilfaresdun, that is, Wilfar's Hill, which is almost ten miles distant from the village called Cataract [i.e. Catterick], towards the north-west. He himself, with only one trusty soldier, whose name was Tonhere, withdrew and lay concealed in the house of Earl [comes] Hunwald, whom he imagined to be his most assured friend. But, alas! it was otherwise; for the earl betrayed him, and Oswy, in a detestable manner, by the hands of his commander [praefectus], Ethilwin, slew him...^[23]

In order to expiate the killing of Oswine, who was later reckoned a saint, Oswiu established Gilling Abbey at Gilling, where prayers were said for Oswine and for Oswiu.^[23] Oswine was followed as king of the Deirans by Oswald's son Œthelwald.

Penda

Oswiu's relations with Penda were not entirely peaceful between 642 and 655. Bede appears to place a major assault on Bernicia by Penda, which reached the gates of Bamburgh, at some time before 651 and the death of Bishop Aidan of Lindisfarne.^[32] An entry in the Irish annals recording "[t]he battle of Oswy against Penda" circa 650 may refer to this campaign.^[33]

D.P. Kirby suggests that the killing of Oswine may have led to an improvement in relations between Penda and Oswiu in the early 650s. Oswiu's son Ealhfrith married Penda's daughter Cyneburh, while his daughter Ealhflæd married Penda's son Peada. Peada was baptised at Ad Murum—in the region of Hadrian's Wall—by Aidan's successor Finan. Peada and Ealhflæd took a missionary group, including Cedd and Diuma, to establish a church in their lands.^[34]

In 655 Bede reports that Penda invaded Bernicia at the head of a large army. Bede states that Oswiu offered "an incalculable quantity of regalia and presents as the price of peace", but that Penda refused. Oswiu vowed to give his daughter Ælfflæd to the church, and to found a dozen monasteries if he was granted the victory, and assisted by Ealhfrith he engaged Penda with a small army in the Battle of the Winwæd, which took place in the region of Loidis, which is to say Leeds. He was successful, and Penda was killed, along with many of his allies, including King Æthelhere of the East Angles. Œthelwald had assisted Penda, but stood aside from the fighting.^[35]

The Historia Brittonum gives a somewhat different account. Here, Oswiu's offer of treasure is accepted, and is associated with the siege of a place named Iudeu. It is assumed that Ecgfrith was given over as a hostage, into the keeping of Penda's queen Cynewise, at this time.^[36] The Historia suggests that many of Penda's allies were British kings, and notes that Cadafael ap Cynfeddw joined Œthelwald in avoiding the battle, so gaining the epithet Cadomedd (the Battle-Shirker). The decisive battle is located at "Gaius's field".^[37]

Overlord of Britain

The surprising defeat of the hitherto dominant Penda, and the death of the East Anglian king Æthelhere left Oswiu as the dominant figure in Britain. Œthelwald's ambivalent stance during the campaign which led to the Winwæd appears to have led to his removal as he disappears from the record at this time. Oswiu installed his adult son Ealhfrith as king of Deirans in Œthelwald's place. Penda's son Peada was installed as king of southern Mercia, while Oswiu took the north of the kingdom. Other subject rulers seem to have been established elsewhere in Mercia.

Further south, Æthelhere's brother Æthelwold may have been established with Oswiu's assistance, as well as that of his kinsman by marriage King Eorcenberht of Kent. Cenwalh of Wessex, who had been driven out of his lands by Penda for putting aside his marriage to Penda's sister, may also have returned to power in this period, again with Oswiu's assistance. King Sigeberht the Good of the East Saxons was Oswiu's ally.^[38] Oswiu's nephew, Eanfrith's son Talorcan, may have also been established as a leading king among the Picts at this time.^[39]

Oswiu's total domination lasted only a short time, around three years. The proximate cause was the death of Peada, supposedly poisoned by his wife, Oswiu's daughter Eahlflæd.^[40] This probably occurred at Easter 656, and Oswiu proceeded to install governors or subject kings in Mercia. Probably in late 659, but perhaps in 657, a revolt led by three Mercian noblemen—Immin, Eata, and Eadberht—installed Penda's son Wulfhere as ruler of the Mercians and drove out Oswiu's supporters.^[41] Oswiu remained a force to be reckoned with, and political settlement rather than open warfare appears to have resolved the crisis. Oswiu's kinsman Trumhere was named to be Wulfhere's bishop.^[42] While Wulfhere extended Mercian influence and authority in southern Britain, he apparently continued to recognise Oswiu's primacy.^[43]

Welsh sources suggest that Oswiu campaigned in Wales in the late 650s, imposing tribute on the Welsh kings who had previously been Penda's allies such as Cadafael, the battle-dodging King of Gwynedd.^[44] Elsewhere in the south, Oswiu's ally Sigeberht of the East Saxons was murdered and replaced by his brother Swithhelm, who remained a Christian, but distanced himself from Oswiu and the Irish-Northumbrian church. Switthelm was probably subject to the East Angles.^[45]

Ealhfrith and the Synod of Whitby

In 664 at the synod of Whitby,^[46] Oswiu accepted the usages of the Roman Church, which led to the departure of Bishop Colmán of Lindisfarne.^[47] Bede writes that the dispute was brought to a head by Oswiu's son Ealhfrith, who had adopted Roman usages at the urging of Wilfrid.^[48] Ealhfrith had been brought up with Irish-Northumbrian usages, and his rejection of these, along with the expulsion of the future saints Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and Eata of Hexham from Ripon, is considered to have had a strong political component.^[49] Equally, 665 would be a year, as Bede writes, "that Easter was kept twice in one year, so that when the King had ended Lent and was keeping Easter, the Queen and her attendants were still fasting and keeping Palm Sunday".^[48]

Ecgfrith

In 660, Oswiu married his son Ecgfrith to Æthelthryth, daughter of the former East Anglian king Anna.^[50]

Death

Even in his final years, Oswiu remained a major figure in Britain. The newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, came north to meet him in 669. Bede writes that Oswiu had intended to undertake a pilgrimage to Rome in the company of Bishop Wilfrid. However, he fell ill and died, aged 58, on 15 February 670.^[9] His elder son by Queen Eanflæd, Ecgfrith, succeeded him as King of Bernicia, while their younger son, Ælfwine, succeeded Ecgfrith as King of Deira. He was buried at Whitby Abbey, alongside Edwin of Deira. His widow and their daughter Ælflæd were later Abbess of Whitby and were also buried there.^[35]

Alcuin, writing about a century after Oswiu's death, describes him as "very just, with equitable laws, unconquered in battle but trustworthy in peace, generous in gifts to the wretched, pious, equitable to all".^[51]

Family

Holy relics

Oswy and his wife Eanflæd were gifted relics of several saints from Pope Vitalian around 665: Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Laurentius, John the Apostle, Saint Gregory, and Saint Pancras. Eanflæd was also granted "a cross, with a gold key to it, made out of the most holy chains of the apostles, Peter and Paul". This gift is documented by Bede in Ecclesiastical History of the English People as part of a returning delegation from Rome, which had been led by Wighard.^[52]

Notes

^ Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, pp. 78–79, 105.
^ Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, p. 79.
^ Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, pp. 82, 105.
^ Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, pp. 48, 80.
^ Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, pp. 79, 82.
^ Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms p. 82.
^ "A menology of England and Wales, or, Brief memorials of the ancient British and English saints arranged according to the calendar, together with the martyrs of the 16th and 17th centuries". 1892.
^ Fryde et al., Handbook of British Chronology, p. 5.
^ ^a ^b Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book IV, Chapter 5.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 6, states that Oswald was Acha's son; Kirby, p. 89, and Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1, consider it probable that Oswiu was also her son.
^ Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, p. 78, 79.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book I, Chapter 34 & Book II, Chapter 3.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book II, Chapter 12.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 1.
^ Æthelfrith's sons were not the first Anglian exiles to seek refuge in the kingdoms of the north. Hering, son of King Hussa of Bernicia, is said by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to have fought with Áedán mac Gabráin, King of Dál Riata, against Æthelfrith, at the Battle of Degsastan; Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ms. E, s.a. 603. The choice of a northerly exile, rather than flight to one of the southerly Anglo-Saxon kingdoms is discussed by Grimmer, §3–§6.
^ "Oswy thought that nothing could be better than the Irish teaching, having been instructed and baptized by the Irish, and having a complete grasp of their language"; Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 25.
^ Grimmer, §8.
^ Annals of Tigernach, s.a. 631; Grimmer, §9.
^ Grimmer, §25; Kirby, p. 143.; Williams, p. 18.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapters 1–2; Adomnán, Life of Saint Columba, Book I, Chapter 1; Stancliffe, pp. 46–61.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 9.
^ Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 220–221.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 14.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 15.
^ Their son Ecgfrith was born no later than May 645.
^ Rieinmellt also appears, as Rægnmæld, in the Liber Vitae Ecclesiae Dunelmensis, among the Queens, immediately preceding Eanflæd; Grimmer §28.
^ Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1.
^ Eahlflæd is said to have arranged the murder of Peada, in 657 or 658, suggesting that she was not Eanflæd's daughter; Bede, H. E., Book III, chapter 24. See also Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 252–253.
^ Cenwalh of Wessex was driven from his country when he set aside Penda's sister. Anna of East Anglia, Cenwalh's host, was also driven into exile, and later defeated and killed by Penda at Bulcamp, near Blythburgh in 653 or 654, when he returned to East Anglia.
^ Deira was ruled by Oswine from 642 to 651, then by Œthelwald until 655 or later, then by Ealhfrith to after 664, and finally by Ecgfrith. See Kirby, p. 226, figure 7; Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, p. 75, table 8.
^ Oswine was Oswiu's maternal second cousin; Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, p. 76, table 9.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 16.
^ Fraser, p. 20; Annals of Ulster, s.a. 650.
^ Kirby, pp. 93–94; Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 21.
^ ^a ^b Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 24. The Winwæd is thought to be the River Went; Keynes, "Penda".
^ Kirby, pp. 90, 94–95 accepts that Iudeu, also Giudi, may have been the site of modern Stirling, and proposes that Ecgfrith became a hostage as a result of Oswiu's submission to Penda.
^ Historia Brittonum, Chapters 64–65.
^ Kirby, p. 96–97.
^ Or not, needed.
^ Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 252–253, sees Ealhfrith's hand in his sister's murder of her husband.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 24.
^ Trumhere was a relation of Queen Eanflæd and first abbot of Gilling, established to expiate the killing of Oswine of Deira; Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 24.
^ Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 245–247. Kirby notes Wulfhere's marriage to Eormenhild, daughter of the Kentish King Eorcenberht, the one ruler over whom Oswiu held no sway; Kirby, p. 114.
^ Kirby, p. 96.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 22; Higham, Convert Kings, p. 249; Kirby, p. 97.
^ The dating is discussed by Kirby, p. 101, who concludes that the synod can confidently be placed in 644.
^ Chisholm 1911.
^ ^a ^b Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 25.
^ Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 250–275. For an overview of the Easter controversy, see Stevens.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book IV, Chapter 19
^ Proposography of Anglo-Saxon England, quoting Alcuin's The Bishops, Kings and Saints of York.
^ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 29.

References

"The Annals of Tigernach" (in Middle Irish). CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
"The Annals of Ulster, volume 1". CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Translated by Leo Sherley-Price, revised R.E. Latham, ed. D.H. Farmer. London: Penguin, 1990. ISBN 0-14-044565-X
Blair, Peter Hunter, The World of Bede. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, reprinted 1990. ISBN 0-521-39138-5
Charles-Edwards, T.M., Early Christian Ireland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-521-36395-0
Eddius, "Life of Wilfrid" in D.H. Farmer (ed.) & J.H. Webb (trans.), The Age of Bede. London: Penguin, 1998. ISBN 0-140-44727-X
Fraser, James, The Pictish Conquest: The Battle of Dunnichen 685 & the birth of Scotland. Stroud: Tempus, 2006. ISBN 0-7524-3962-6
Grimmer, Martin (October 2006). "The Exogamous Marriages of Oswiu of Northumbria". The Heroic Age, issue 9. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
Higham, N.J., The Convert Kings: Power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-7190-4828-1
Higham, N.J., The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350–1100. Stroud: Sutton, 1993. ISBN 0-86299-730-5
Holdsworth, Philip, "Oswiu" in M. Lapidge, et al., (eds), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. ISBN 0-631-22492-0
Keynes, Simon, "Penda" in M. Lapidge, et al., (eds), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. ISBN 0-631-22492-0
Kirby, D.P., The Earliest English Kings. London: Unwin Hyman, 1991. ISBN 0-04-445691-3
Stenton, Sir Frank, Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1971. ISBN 0-19-280139-2
Stevens, Wesley M., "Easter Controversy" in M. Lapidge, et al., (eds), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. ISBN 0-631-22492-0
Veith, Kenneth (1997). "The Columban Church in northern Britain, 664–717: a reassessment" (PDF). Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume 127. Retrieved 6 April 2007.
Williams, Ann, Kingship and Government in Pre-Conquest England, c. 500–1066. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1999. ISBN 0-333-56798-6
Yorke, Barbara, Kings and Kingdoms in Early Anglo-Saxon England. London: Seaby, 1990. ISBN 1-85264-027-8
Yorke, Barbara, The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain c. 600–800. London: Longman, 2006. ISBN 0-582-77292-3
Zaluckyj, Sarah, Mercia: The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Central England. Logaston: Logaston Press, 2001. ISBN 978-1-873827-62-8.
Ziegler, Michelle (Winter 2001). "Oswald and the Irish". The Heroic Age, issue 4. Retrieved 22 April 2007.

External links

Oswiu 1 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Oswio" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 365.

[1] Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, pp. 78–79, 105.

[2] Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, p. 79.

[3] Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, pp. 82, 105.

[4] Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, pp. 48, 80.

[5] Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, pp. 79, 82.

[6] Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms p. 82.

[7] "A menology of England and Wales, or, Brief memorials of the ancient British and English saints arranged according to the calendar, together with the martyrs of the 16th and 17th centuries". 1892.

[8] Fryde et al., Handbook of British Chronology, p. 5.

[HE_IV_5-9] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book IV, Chapter 5.

[10] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 6, states that Oswald was Acha's son; Kirby, p. 89, and Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1, consider it probable that Oswiu was also her son.

[11] Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, p. 78, 79.

[12] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book I, Chapter 34 & Book II, Chapter 3.

[13] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book II, Chapter 12.

[HE_III_1-14] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 1.

[15] Æthelfrith's sons were not the first Anglian exiles to seek refuge in the kingdoms of the north. Hering, son of King Hussa of Bernicia, is said by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to have fought with Áedán mac Gabráin, King of Dál Riata, against Æthelfrith, at the Battle of Degsastan; Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Ms. E, s.a. 603. The choice of a northerly exile, rather than flight to one of the southerly Anglo-Saxon kingdoms is discussed by Grimmer, §3–§6.

[16] "Oswy thought that nothing could be better than the Irish teaching, having been instructed and baptized by the Irish, and having a complete grasp of their language"; Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 25.

[17] Grimmer, §8.

[18] Annals of Tigernach, s.a. 631; Grimmer, §9.

[19] Grimmer, §25; Kirby, p. 143.; Williams, p. 18.

[20] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapters 1–2; Adomnán, Life of Saint Columba, Book I, Chapter 1; Stancliffe, pp. 46–61.

[21] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 9.

[22] Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 220–221.

[HE_III_14-23] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 14.

[24] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 15.

[25] Their son Ecgfrith was born no later than May 645.

[26] Rieinmellt also appears, as Rægnmæld, in the Liber Vitae Ecclesiae Dunelmensis, among the Queens, immediately preceding Eanflæd; Grimmer §28.

[27] Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1.

[28] Eahlflæd is said to have arranged the murder of Peada, in 657 or 658, suggesting that she was not Eanflæd's daughter; Bede, H. E., Book III, chapter 24. See also Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 252–253.

[29] Cenwalh of Wessex was driven from his country when he set aside Penda's sister. Anna of East Anglia, Cenwalh's host, was also driven into exile, and later defeated and killed by Penda at Bulcamp, near Blythburgh in 653 or 654, when he returned to East Anglia.

[30] Deira was ruled by Oswine from 642 to 651, then by Œthelwald until 655 or later, then by Ealhfrith to after 664, and finally by Ecgfrith. See Kirby, p. 226, figure 7; Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, p. 75, table 8.

[31] Oswine was Oswiu's maternal second cousin; Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms, p. 76, table 9.

[32] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 16.

[33] Fraser, p. 20; Annals of Ulster, s.a. 650.

[34] Kirby, pp. 93–94; Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 21.

[HE_III_24-35] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 24. The Winwæd is thought to be the River Went; Keynes, "Penda".

[36] Kirby, pp. 90, 94–95 accepts that Iudeu, also Giudi, may have been the site of modern Stirling, and proposes that Ecgfrith became a hostage as a result of Oswiu's submission to Penda.

[37] Historia Brittonum, Chapters 64–65.

[38] Kirby, p. 96–97.

[39] Or not, needed.

[40] Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 252–253, sees Ealhfrith's hand in his sister's murder of her husband.

[41] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 24.

[42] Trumhere was a relation of Queen Eanflæd and first abbot of Gilling, established to expiate the killing of Oswine of Deira; Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 24.

[43] Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 245–247. Kirby notes Wulfhere's marriage to Eormenhild, daughter of the Kentish King Eorcenberht, the one ruler over whom Oswiu held no sway; Kirby, p. 114.

[44] Kirby, p. 96.

[45] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 22; Higham, Convert Kings, p. 249; Kirby, p. 97.

[46] The dating is discussed by Kirby, p. 101, who concludes that the synod can confidently be placed in 644.

[FOOTNOTEChisholm1911-47] Chisholm 1911.

[HE_III_25-48] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 25.

[49] Higham, Convert Kings, pp. 250–275. For an overview of the Easter controversy, see Stevens.

[50] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book IV, Chapter 19

[51] Proposography of Anglo-Saxon England, quoting Alcuin's The Bishops, Kings and Saints of York.

[HE_III_29-52] Bede, Ecclesiastical History, Book III, Chapter 29.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|King of Bernicia (r. 642–670) and of Northumbria (r. 654–670)}}
-{{Infobox monarch
+{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
-| name = Oswiu
+{{Infobox royalty
-| image =
-| imagesize =
+| name         = Oswiu
-| caption =
+| image        =
+| imagesize    =
-| succession = [[King of Northumbria]]
+| caption      =
-| reign = 642–670
-| predecessor = [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]]
+| succession   = [[King of Northumbria]]
+| reign        = 642–670
-| successor = [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]]
+| predecessor  = [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]]
-| spouse = [[Eanflæd]]<br>[[Fín]]<br>[[Rhiainfellt|Rieinmelth]]
+| successor    = [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]]
-| issue = [[Ealhfrith of Deira|Ealhfrith]]<br>[[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]]<br>[[Ælfwine of Deira|Ælfwine]]<br>[[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]]<br>Ealhflæd<br>[[Ælfflæd of Whitby|Ælfflæd]]<br>[[Osthryth]]
-| father = [[Æthelfrith of Northumbria|Æthelfrith]]
+| succession1  = [[List of monarchs of Mercia|King of Mercia]]
+| reign1       = 655 or 656–658
-| mother =
+| predecessor1 = [[Peada of Mercia|Peada]]
-| birth_date = c. 612
+| successor1   = [[Wulfhere of Mercia]]
-| birth_place =
+| spouse       = [[Eanflæd]]<br>[[Fín]]<br>[[Rhiainfellt|Rieinmelth]]
-| death_date = 15 February 670
+| issue        = [[Alhfrith|Ealhfrith]]<br>[[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]]<br>[[Ælfwine of Deira|Ælfwine]]<br>[[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]]<br>[[Alhflæd|Ealhflæd]]<br>[[Ælfflæd of Whitby|Ælfflæd]]<br>[[Osthryth]]
-| death_place =
+| father       = [[Æthelfrith of Northumbria|Æthelfrith]]
+| mother       = [[Acha of Deira]]
+| birth_date   = c. 612
+| birth_place  =
+| death_date   = 15 February {{death year and age|670|612}}
+| death_place  =
 | place of burial = [[Whitby Abbey]]
-| religion = [[Christianity]]
+| religion     = [[Christianity]]
 }}
-'''Oswiu''', also known as '''Oswy''' or '''Oswig''' ({{lang-ang|Ōswīg}}) (c. 612 – 15 February 670), was [[King of Bernicia]] from 642 and of [[Kingdom of Northumbria|Northumbria]] from 654 until his death. He is notable for his role at the [[Synod of Whitby]] in 664, which ultimately brought the church in Northumbria into conformity with the wider [[Catholic Church]].
+'''Oswiu''', also known as '''Oswy''' or '''Oswig''' ({{lang-ang|Ōswīg}}; c. 612 – 15 February 670), was [[King of Bernicia]] from 642 and of [[Kingdom of Northumbria|Northumbria]] from 654 until his death. He is notable for his role at the [[Synod of Whitby]] in 664, which ultimately brought the church in Northumbria into conformity with the wider [[Catholic Church]].
 One of the sons of [[Æthelfrith]] of Bernicia, Oswiu became king following the death of his brother [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]] in 642. Unlike Oswald, Oswiu struggled to exert authority over [[Deira]], the other constituent kingdom of medieval [[Northumbria]], for much of his reign.
@@ Line 25: / Line 31: @@
 Oswiu and his brothers were raised in exile in the Irish kingdom of [[Dál Riata]] in present-day Scotland after their father's death at the hands of [[Edwin of Deira]], only returning after Edwin's death in 633. Oswiu rose to the kingship when his brother Oswald was killed in battle against [[Penda of Mercia]]. The early part of his reign was defined by struggles to assert control over Deira and his contentious relationship with Penda, his overlord.<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 78–79, 105.</ref> In 655, Oswiu's forces killed Penda in a decisive victory at the [[Battle of the Winwaed]], establishing Oswiu as one of the most powerful rulers in Britain. He secured control of Deira, with his son [[Alhfrith]] serving as a sub-king,<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 79.</ref> and for three years, Oswiu's power extended over Mercia, earning him recognition as ''[[bretwalda]]'' over much of Great Britain.<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 82, 105.</ref>
-Oswiu was a devoted Christian, promoting the faith among his subjects and establishing a number of monasteries, including [[Gilling Abbey]] and [[Whitby Abbey]].<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 48, 80.</ref> He was raised in the [[Celtic Christian]] tradition of much of the Irish world, rather than the Roman tradition practiced by the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as well as some members of the Deiran nobility, including Oswiu's queen [[Eanflæd]]. In 664, Oswiu presided over the [[Synod of Whitby]], where clerics debated over the two traditions, and helped resolve tension between the parties by decreeing that Northumbria would follow the Roman style.<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 79, 82.</ref> Oswiu died in 670 and was succeeded by his son, [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]].<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'' p. 82.</ref> His feast is 15 February in the East and in the West.<ref>https://archive.org/details/menologyofenglan00stanrich/page/68</ref>
+Oswiu was a devoted Christian, promoting the faith among his subjects and establishing a number of monasteries, including [[Gilling Abbey]] and [[Whitby Abbey]].<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 48, 80.</ref> He was raised in the [[Celtic Christianity|Celtic Christian]] tradition of much of the Irish world, rather than the [[Roman Rite|Roman]] tradition practiced by the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as well as some members of the Deiran nobility, including Oswiu's queen [[Eanflæd]]. In 664, Oswiu presided over the [[Synod of Whitby]], where clerics debated over the two traditions, and helped resolve tension between the parties by decreeing that Northumbria would follow the Roman style.<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 79, 82.</ref> Oswiu died in 670 and was succeeded by his son, [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]].<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'' p. 82.</ref> His feast is 15 February in the East and in the West.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/menologyofenglan00stanrich/page/68|title = A menology of England and Wales, or, Brief memorials of the ancient British and English saints arranged according to the calendar, together with the martyrs of the 16th and 17th centuries|year = 1892}}</ref>
 ==Background and early life==
@@ Line 31: / Line 37: @@
 Oswiu was born circa 612, as he was 58 at his death in 670, according to [[Bede]]. He was the third child of [[Æthelfrith]], then King of Bernicia; his siblings included older brothers [[Eanfrith of Bernicia|Eanfrith]] and [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]] and sister [[Æbbe of Coldingham|Æbbe]].<ref>Fryde et al., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 5.</ref><ref name="HE IV 5">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book IV, Chapter 5.</ref> Oswiu's mother was likely Æthelfrith's only recorded wife, [[Acha of Deira|Acha]], a princess of Deira's royal line who is known to have been Oswald's mother.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 6, states that Oswald was Acha's son; Kirby, p. 89, and Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1, consider it probable that Oswiu was also her son.</ref> Regardless, his heritage did nothing to endear him to the Deiran nobility; while they accepted Oswald as king apparently on account of his mother, they resisted Oswiu throughout his reign.<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 78, 79.</ref>
-At the time of Oswiu's birth, Æthelfrith was at the height of his power. In 604 he had taken control of Deira, evidently by conquest; he killed the previous king (apparently [[Æthelric of Deira|Æthelric]]), married Acha, a member of the kingly line, and exiled Acha's brother [[Edwin of Northumbria|Edwin]]. His authority ran from the lands of the [[Picts]] and the [[Dál Riata]] in modern [[Scotland]] to [[Wales]] and the [[English Midlands|Midlands]] in the south.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book I, Chapter 34 & Book II, Chapter 3.</ref> Æthelfrith's power rested on his military success, and this success came to an end in 616, when the exiled Edwin of Deira, with the support of King [[Rædwald]], defeated and killed him in battle by the [[River Idle]].<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book II, Chapter 12.</ref>
+At the time of Oswiu's birth, Æthelfrith was at the height of his power. In 604 he had taken control of Deira, evidently by conquest; he killed the previous king (apparently [[Æthelric of Deira|Æthelric]]), married Acha, a member of the kingly line, and exiled Acha's brother [[Edwin of Northumbria|Edwin]]. His authority ran from the lands of the [[Picts]] and the [[Dál Riata]] in modern [[Scotland]] to [[Wales]] and the [[English Midlands|Midlands]] in the south.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book I, Chapter 34 & Book II, Chapter 3.</ref> Æthelfrith's power rested on his military success, and this success came to an end in 616, when the exiled Edwin of Deira, with the support of King [[Rædwald]], defeated and killed him in [[battle of the River Idle]].<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book II, Chapter 12.</ref>
 On Æthelfrith's death, his sons and their supporters fled [[Northumbria]], finding sanctuary among the [[Gaels]] and [[Picts]] of northern Britain and [[Ireland]]. Here they would remain until Edwin's death at the [[Battle of Hatfield Chase]] in 633.<ref name="HE III 1">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 1.</ref><ref>Æthelfrith's sons were not the first Anglian exiles to seek refuge in the kingdoms of the north. [[Hering son of Hussa|Hering]], son of King [[Hussa of Bernicia]], is said by the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' to have fought with [[Áedán mac Gabráin]], [[King of Dál Riata]], against Æthelfrith, at the [[Battle of Degsastan]]; ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', Ms. E, s.a. 603. The choice of a northerly exile, rather than flight to one of the southerly Anglo-Saxon kingdoms is discussed by Grimmer, §3–§6.</ref>
-In exile, the sons of Æthelfrith were converted to Christianity, or raised as Christians.<ref name="HE III 1"/> In Oswiu's case, he became an exile at the age of four, and cannot have returned to Northumbria until aged twenty-one, spending childhood and adolescence in a Gaelic milieu. Bede writes that Oswiu was fluent in the [[Old Irish language]] and Irish in his faith.<ref>"Oswy thought that nothing could be better than the Irish teaching, having been instructed and baptized by the Irish, and having a complete grasp of their language"; Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 5.</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2020}}
+In exile, the sons of Æthelfrith were [[Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England|converted to Christianity]], or raised as Christians.<ref name="HE III 1"/> In Oswiu's case, he became an exile at the age of four, and cannot have returned to Northumbria until aged twenty-one, spending childhood and adolescence in a Gaelic milieu. Bede writes that Oswiu was fluent in the [[Old Irish language]] and Irish in his faith.<ref>"Oswy thought that nothing could be better than the Irish teaching, having been instructed and baptized by the Irish, and having a complete grasp of their language"; Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 25.</ref>
-As well as learning the Irish language and being thoroughly Christianised, Oswiu may have fought for his Gaelic hosts, perhaps receiving his arms—a significant event—from a [[King of Dál Riata]], such as [[Eochaid Buide]], son of that [[Áedán mac Gabráin]] whom his father had defeated at the [[Battle of Degsastan]].<ref>Grimmer, §8.</ref> The [[Irish annals]] name one ''Oisiric mac Albruit, rigdomna Saxan''—[[ætheling]] Osric—among the dead, alongside [[Connad Cerr]], King of Dál Riata, and others of the [[Cenél nGabráin]], at the Battle of Fid Eóin.<ref>''[[Annals of Tigernach]]'', s.a. 631; Grimmer, §9.</ref> Whether Oswiu's marriage with the [[Uí Néill]] princess [[Fín]] of the [[Cenél nEógain]], and the birth of [[Aldfrith]], should be placed in the context of his exile, or took place at a later date is uncertain.<ref>Grimmer, §25; Kirby, p. 143.; Williams, p. 18.</ref>
+As well as learning the Irish language and being thoroughly Christianised, Oswiu may have fought for his Gaelic hosts, perhaps receiving his arms—a significant event—from a [[King of Dál Riata]], such as [[Eochaid Buide]], son of that [[Áedán mac Gabráin]] whom his father had defeated at the [[Battle of Degsastan]].<ref>Grimmer, §8.</ref> The [[Irish annals]] name one ''Oisiric mac Albruit, rigdomna Saxan''—[[ætheling]] Osric—among the dead, alongside [[Connad Cerr]], King of Dál Riata, and others of the [[Gabrán mac Domangairt|Cenél nGabráin]], at the [[Battle of Fid Eoin|Battle of Fid Eóin]].<ref>''[[Annals of Tigernach]]'', s.a. 631; Grimmer, §9.</ref> Whether Oswiu's marriage with the [[Uí Néill]] princess [[Fín]] of the [[Branches of the Cenél nEógain|Cenél nEógain]], and the birth of [[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]], should be placed in the context of his exile, or took place at a later date is uncertain.<ref>Grimmer, §25; Kirby, p. 143.; Williams, p. 18.</ref>
-Equally uncertain is the date of Oswiu's return to Northumbria. He may have returned with his brother [[Eanfrith of Bernicia|Eanfrith]] on Edwin's death in 633, as Bede appears to write.<ref name="HE III 1"/> Eanfrith [[apostasy|apostatised]] and was killed by [[Cadwallon ap Cadfan]], who was defeated and killed in turn by another brother, [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]], who became king of Bernicia and probably succeeded to his father's old dominance of northern and central Britain.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapters 1–2; Adomnán, ''Life of Saint Columba'', Book I, Chapter 1; Stancliffe, pp. 46–61.</ref>
+Equally uncertain is the date of Oswiu's return to Northumbria. He may have returned with his brother [[Eanfrith of Bernicia|Eanfrith]] on Edwin's death in 633, as Bede appears to write.<ref name="HE III 1"/> Eanfrith [[Apostasy in Christianity|apostatised]] and was killed by [[Cadwallon ap Cadfan]], who was defeated and killed in turn by another brother, [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]], who became king of Bernicia and probably succeeded to his father's old dominance of northern and central Britain.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapters 1–2; Adomnán, ''Life of Saint Columba'', Book I, Chapter 1; Stancliffe, pp. 46–61.</ref>
 ==Eanflæd and Oswine==
-Oswald died in battle against Penda of Mercia at the [[Battle of Maserfield]], dated by Bede to 5 August 642.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 9.</ref> Oswald's son Œthelwald may have been his preferred successor, but Œthelwald cannot have been an adult in 642. So, the kingship came to Oswiu. Unlike Eanfrith and Osric, Oswiu held to the Christian faith in spite of his brother's defeat by the pagan Penda. This may have been due to his more thoroughly Christian upbringing, but the influence of Bishop [[Aidan of Lindisfarne]], by then a major figure in Bernicia, could also have been significant.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 220–221.</ref>
+Oswald died in battle against Penda of Mercia at the [[Battle of Maserfield]], dated by Bede to 5 August 642.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 9.</ref> Oswald's son [[Œthelwald of Deira|Œthelwald]] may have been his preferred successor, but Œthelwald cannot have been an adult in 642. So, the kingship came to Oswiu. Unlike Eanfrith and Osric, Oswiu held to the Christian faith in spite of his brother's defeat by the pagan Penda. This may have been due to his more thoroughly Christian upbringing, but the influence of Bishop [[Aidan of Lindisfarne]], by then a major figure in Bernicia, could also have been significant.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 220–221.</ref>
-Bede summarises Oswiu's reign in this way:<blockquote>Oswald being translated to the heavenly kingdom, his brother Oswy, a young man of about thirty years of age, succeeded him on the throne of his earthly kingdom, and held it twenty-eight years with much trouble, being harassed by the pagan king, Penda, and by the pagan nation of the Mercians, that had slain his brother, as also by his son Alfred [i.e. [[Ealhfrith of Deira|Ealhfrith]]], and by his [[wikt:cousin-german|cousin-german]] Ethelwald [i.e. [[Œthelwald of Deira]]], the son of his brother who reigned before him.<ref name="HE III 14">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 14.</ref></blockquote>
+Bede summarises Oswiu's reign in this way:<blockquote>Oswald being translated to the heavenly kingdom, his brother Oswy, a young man of about thirty years of age, succeeded him on the throne of his earthly kingdom, and held it twenty-eight years with much trouble, being harassed by the pagan king, Penda, and by the pagan nation of the Mercians, that had slain his brother, as also by his son Alfred [i.e. [[Ealhfrith of Deira|Ealhfrith]]], and by his [[wikt:cousin-german|cousin-german]] Ethelwald [i.e. Œthelwald of Deira], the son of his brother who reigned before him.<ref name="HE III 14">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 14.</ref></blockquote>
 Oswiu's first recorded action as king of Bernicia was to strengthen his position, and perhaps his claims to Deira, by marrying Edwin's daughter [[Eanflæd of Deira|Eanflæd]], then in exile in the [[Kingdom of Kent]].<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 15.</ref> This marriage took place between 642 and 644.<ref>Their son Ecgfrith was born no later than May 645.</ref>
-Oswiu is known to have been married three times. Eanflæd, his Queen, bore him two sons and two daughters. The sons were [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]] (644/645–685) and [[Ælfwine of Deira|Ælfwine]] (c. 660–679), the daughters [[Osthryth]] (died 697) and [[Ælfflæd of Whitby|Ælfflæd]] (c. 654–714). The Irish princess [[Fín]] was the mother of [[Aldfrith]] (died 705). Finally, the [[Brythons|British]] princess [[Rhiainfellt|Rieinmelth]] of [[Rheged]] is named as a wife of Oswiu in the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]''.<ref>Rieinmellt also appears, as Rægnmæld, in the ''Liber Vitae Ecclesiae Dunelmensis'', among the Queens, immediately preceding Eanflæd; Grimmer §28.</ref> It is thought that Eahlfrith was her son,<ref>Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1.</ref> and Eahlflæd may have been her daughter.<ref>Eahlflæd is said to have arranged the murder of Peada, in 657 or 658, suggesting that she was not Eanflæd's daughter; Bede, ''H. E.'', Book III, chapter 24. See also Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 252–253.</ref>
+Oswiu is known to have been married three times. Eanflæd, his Queen, bore him two sons and two daughters. The sons were [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]] (644/645–685) and [[Ælfwine of Deira|Ælfwine]] (c. 660–679), the daughters [[Osthryth]] (died 697) and [[Ælfflæd of Whitby|Ælfflæd]] (c. 654–714). The Irish princess [[Fín]] was the mother of [[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]] (died 705). Finally, the [[Celtic Britons|British]] princess [[Rhiainfellt|Rieinmelth]] of [[Rheged]] is named as a wife of Oswiu in the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]''.<ref>Rieinmellt also appears, as Rægnmæld, in the ''[[Durham Liber Vitae|Liber Vitae Ecclesiae Dunelmensis]]'', among the Queens, immediately preceding Eanflæd; Grimmer §28.</ref> It is thought that Ealhfrith was her son,<ref>Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1.</ref> and Eahlflæd may have been her daughter.<ref>Eahlflæd is said to have arranged the murder of Peada, in 657 or 658, suggesting that she was not Eanflæd's daughter; Bede, ''H. E.'', Book III, chapter 24. See also Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 252–253.</ref>
-The first half of Oswiu's reign was spent in the shadow of Penda, who dominated much of Britain from 642 until 655, seemingly making and breaking kings as it suited him.<ref>[[Cenwalh of Wessex]] was driven from his country when he set aside Penda's sister. [[Anna of East Anglia]], Cenwalh's host, was also driven into exile, and later defeated and killed by Penda at Bulcamp, near [[Blythburgh]] in 653 or 654, when he returned to [[Kingdom of the East Angles|East Anglia]].</ref> The future kingdom of Northumbria was still composed of two distinct kingdoms in Oswiu's lifetime. The northerly kingdom of [[Bernicia]], which extended from the [[River Tees]] to the [[Firth of Forth]], was ruled by Oswiu. The kingdom of [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]], lying between the [[North York Moors]] and the [[Humber]], was ruled by a series of Oswiu's kinsmen, initially as a separate kingdom, later as a form of [[appanage]] for Oswiu's sons.<ref>Deira was ruled by Oswine from 642 to 651, then by Œthelwald until 655 or later, then by Eahlfrith to after 664, and finally by Ecgfrith. See Kirby, p. 226, figure 7; Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 75, table 8.</ref>
+The first half of Oswiu's reign was spent in the shadow of Penda, who dominated much of Britain from 642 until 655, seemingly making and breaking kings as it suited him.<ref>[[Cenwalh of Wessex]] was driven from his country when he set aside Penda's sister. [[Anna of East Anglia]], Cenwalh's host, was also driven into exile, and later defeated and killed by Penda at Bulcamp, near [[Blythburgh]] in 653 or 654, when he returned to [[Kingdom of the East Angles|East Anglia]].</ref> The future kingdom of Northumbria was still composed of two distinct kingdoms in Oswiu's lifetime. The northerly kingdom of [[Bernicia]], which extended from the [[River Tees]] to the [[Firth of Forth]], was ruled by Oswiu. The kingdom of [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]], lying between the [[North York Moors]] and the [[Humber]], was ruled by a series of Oswiu's kinsmen, initially as a separate kingdom, later as a form of [[appanage]] for Oswiu's sons.<ref>Deira was ruled by Oswine from 642 to 651, then by Œthelwald until 655 or later, then by Ealhfrith   to after 664, and finally by Ecgfrith. See Kirby, p. 226, figure 7; Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 75, table 8.</ref>
 For the first decade of Oswiu's reign, Deira was ruled by an independent king, [[Oswine of Deira|Oswine]], son of the apostate [[Osric of Deira|Osric]], who belonged to the rival Deiran royal family.<ref>Oswine was Oswiu's maternal second cousin; Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 76, table 9.</ref> Oswine and Oswiu came into conflict circa 651. Bede blames Oswiu for the troubles and writes:<blockquote>For when they had raised armies against one another, Oswin perceived that he could not maintain a war against one who had more auxiliaries than himself, and he thought it better at that time to lay aside all thoughts of engaging, and to preserve himself for better times. He therefore dismissed the army which he had assembled, and ordered all his men to return to their own homes, from the place that is called Wilfaresdun, that is, Wilfar's Hill, which is almost ten miles distant from the village called Cataract [i.e. [[Catterick, North Yorkshire|Catterick]]], towards the north-west. He himself, with only one trusty soldier, whose name was Tonhere, withdrew and lay concealed in the house of Earl [''comes''] Hunwald, whom he imagined to be his most assured friend. But, alas! it was otherwise; for the earl betrayed him, and Oswy, in a detestable manner, by the hands of his commander [''praefectus''], Ethilwin, slew him...<ref name="HE III 14"/></blockquote>
-In order to expiate the killing of Oswine, who was later reckoned a saint, Oswiu established [[Gilling Abbey]] at [[Gilling East|Gilling]], where prayers were said for Oswine and for Oswiu.<ref name="HE III 14"/> Oswine was followed as king of the Deirans by Oswald's son Œthelwald.
+In order to expiate the killing of Oswine, who was later reckoned a [[saint]], Oswiu established [[Gilling Abbey]] at [[Gilling East|Gilling]], where prayers were said for Oswine and for Oswiu.<ref name="HE III 14"/> Oswine was followed as king of the Deirans by Oswald's son Œthelwald.
 ==Penda==
 Oswiu's relations with [[Penda]] were not entirely peaceful between 642 and 655. Bede appears to place a major assault on Bernicia by Penda, which reached the gates of [[Bamburgh]], at some time before 651 and the death of Bishop [[Aidan of Lindisfarne]].<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 16.</ref> An entry in the Irish annals recording "[t]he battle of Oswy against Penda" circa 650 may refer to this campaign.<ref>Fraser, p. 20; ''[[Annals of Ulster]]'', s.a. 650.</ref>
-D.P. Kirby suggests that the killing of Oswine may have led to an improvement in relations between Penda and Oswiu in the early 650s. Oswiu's son Ealhfrith married Penda's daughter [[Cyneburh]], while his daughter Ealhflæd married Penda's son [[Peada]]. Peada was [[baptised]] at ''Ad Murum''—in the region of [[Hadrian's Wall]]—by Aidan's successor [[Finan]]. Peada and Ealhflæd took a missionary group, including [[Cedd]] and [[Diuma]], to establish a church in their lands.<ref>Kirby, pp. 93–94; Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 21.</ref>
+D.P. Kirby suggests that the killing of Oswine may have led to an improvement in relations between Penda and Oswiu in the early 650s. Oswiu's son Ealhfrith married Penda's daughter [[Cyneburh]], while his daughter Ealhflæd married Penda's son [[Peada]]. Peada was [[baptised]] at ''Ad Murum''—in the region of [[Hadrian's Wall]]—by Aidan's successor [[Finan of Lindisfarne|Finan]]. Peada and Ealhflæd took a missionary group, including [[Cedd]] and [[Diuma]], to establish a church in their lands.<ref>Kirby, pp. 93–94; Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 21.</ref>
 In 655 Bede reports that Penda invaded Bernicia at the head of a large army. Bede states that Oswiu offered "an incalculable quantity of regalia and presents as the price of peace", but that Penda refused. Oswiu vowed to give his daughter Ælfflæd to the church, and to found a dozen monasteries if he was granted the victory, and assisted by Ealhfrith he engaged Penda with a small army in the [[Battle of the Winwæd]], which took place in the region of ''Loidis'', which is to say [[Leeds]]. He was successful, and Penda was killed, along with many of his allies, including King [[Æthelhere of East Anglia|Æthelhere]] of the East Angles. Œthelwald had assisted Penda, but stood aside from the fighting.<ref name="HE III 24">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 24. The Winwæd is thought to be the [[River Went]]; Keynes, "Penda".</ref>
@@ Line 66: / Line 72: @@
 ==Overlord of Britain==
-The surprising defeat of the hitherto dominant Penda, and the death of the East Anglian king Æthelhere left Oswiu as the dominant figure in Britain. Œthelwald's ambivalent stance during the campaign which led to the Winwæd appears to have led to his removal as he disappears from the record at this time. Oswiu installed his adult son Eahlfrith as king of Deirans in Œthelwald's place. Penda's son Peada was installed as king of southern Mercia, while Oswiu took the north of the kingdom. Other subject rulers seem to have been established elsewhere in Mercia.
+The surprising defeat of the hitherto dominant Penda, and the death of the East Anglian king Æthelhere left Oswiu as the dominant figure in Britain. Œthelwald's ambivalent stance during the campaign which led to the Winwæd appears to have led to his removal as he disappears from the record at this time. Oswiu installed his adult son Ealhfrith as king of Deirans in Œthelwald's place. Penda's son Peada was installed as king of southern Mercia, while Oswiu took the north of the kingdom. Other subject rulers seem to have been established elsewhere in Mercia.
-Further south, Æthelhere's brother [[Æthelwold of East Anglia|Æthelwold]] may have been established with Oswiu's assistance, as well as that of his kinsman by marriage King [[Eorcenberht of Kent]]. [[Cenwalh of Wessex]], who had been driven out of his lands by Penda for putting aside his marriage to Penda's sister, may also have returned to power in this period, again with Oswiu's assistance. King [[Sigeberht the Good]] of the East Saxons was Oswiu's ally.<ref>Kirby, p. 96–97.</ref> Oswiu's nephew, Eanfrith's son [[Talorcan of the Picts|Talorcan]], may have also been established as a leading king among the Picts at this time.<ref>Or not, needed.</ref>
+Further south, Æthelhere's brother [[Æthelwold of East Anglia|Æthelwold]] may have been established with Oswiu's assistance, as well as that of his kinsman by marriage King [[Eorcenberht of Kent]]. [[Cenwalh of Wessex]], who had been driven out of his lands by Penda for putting aside his marriage to Penda's sister, may also have returned to power in this period, again with Oswiu's assistance. King [[Sigeberht the Good]] of the East Saxons was Oswiu's ally.<ref>Kirby, p. 96–97.</ref> Oswiu's nephew, Eanfrith's son [[Talorgan I|Talorcan]], may have also been established as a leading king among the Picts at this time.<ref>Or not, needed.</ref>
-Oswiu's total domination lasted only a short time, around three years. The proximate cause was the death of Peada, supposedly poisoned by his wife, Oswiu's daughter Eahlflæd.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 252–253, sees Eahlfrith's hand in his sister's murder of her husband.</ref> This probably occurred at [[Easter]] 656, and Oswiu proceeded to install governors or subject kings in Mercia. Probably in late 659, but perhaps in 657, a revolt led by three Mercian noblemen—Immin, Eata, and Eadberht—installed Penda's son [[Wulfhere of Mercia|Wulfhere]] as ruler of the Mercians and drove out Oswiu's supporters.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 24.</ref> Oswiu remained a force to be reckoned with, and political settlement rather than open warfare appears to have resolved the crisis. Oswiu's kinsman [[Trumhere]] was named to be Wulfhere's bishop.<ref>Trumhere was a relation of Queen Eanflæd and first abbot of Gilling, established to expiate the killing of Oswine of Deira; Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 24.</ref> While Wulfhere extended Mercian influence and authority in southern Britain, he apparently continued to recognise Oswiu's primacy.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 245–247. Kirby notes Wulfhere's marriage to [[Eormenhild]], daughter of the Kentish King Eorcenberht, the one ruler over whom Oswiu held no sway; Kirby, p. 114.</ref>
+Oswiu's total domination lasted only a short time, around three years. The proximate cause was the death of Peada, supposedly poisoned by his wife, Oswiu's daughter Eahlflæd.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 252–253, sees Ealhfrith's hand in his sister's murder of her husband.</ref> This probably occurred at [[Easter]] 656, and Oswiu proceeded to install governors or subject kings in Mercia. Probably in late 659, but perhaps in 657, a revolt led by three Mercian noblemen—Immin, Eata, and Eadberht—installed Penda's son [[Wulfhere of Mercia|Wulfhere]] as ruler of the Mercians and drove out Oswiu's supporters.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 24.</ref> Oswiu remained a force to be reckoned with, and political settlement rather than open warfare appears to have resolved the crisis. Oswiu's kinsman [[Trumhere]] was named to be Wulfhere's bishop.<ref>Trumhere was a relation of Queen Eanflæd and first abbot of Gilling, established to expiate the killing of Oswine of Deira; Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 24.</ref> While Wulfhere extended Mercian influence and authority in southern Britain, he apparently continued to recognise Oswiu's primacy.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 245–247. Kirby notes Wulfhere's marriage to [[Eormenhild]], daughter of the Kentish King Eorcenberht, the one ruler over whom Oswiu held no sway; Kirby, p. 114.</ref>
 Welsh sources suggest that Oswiu campaigned in Wales in the late 650s, imposing tribute on the Welsh kings who had previously been Penda's allies such as [[Cadafael Cadomedd ap Cynfeddw|Cadafael]], the battle-dodging [[King of Gwynedd]].<ref>Kirby, p. 96.</ref> Elsewhere in the south, Oswiu's ally Sigeberht of the East Saxons was murdered and replaced by his brother [[Swithelm of Essex|Swithhelm]], who remained a Christian, but distanced himself from Oswiu and the Irish-Northumbrian church. Switthelm was probably subject to the East Angles.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 22; Higham, ''Convert Kings'', p. 249; Kirby, p. 97.</ref>
-==Eahlfrith and the Synod of Whitby==
+== Ealhfrith and the Synod of Whitby ==
 {{main|Synod of Whitby}}
-In 664 at the [[synod of Whitby]],<ref>The dating is discussed by Kirby, p. 101, who concludes that the synod can confidently be placed in 644.</ref> Oswiu accepted the usages of the Roman Church, which led to the departure of Bishop [[Colman of Lindisfarne]]. The reasons for the gathering, and its significance, have been closely studied, and the simplistic explanations offered by Bede, and by [[Eddius]], the biographer of [[Wilfrid]], are no longer accepted.{{whom|date=July 2015}}
+In 664 at the [[synod of Whitby]],<ref>The dating is discussed by Kirby, p. 101, who concludes that the synod can confidently be placed in 644.</ref> Oswiu accepted the usages of the Roman Church, which led to the departure of Bishop [[Colmán of Lindisfarne]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} Bede writes that the dispute was brought to a head by Oswiu's son Ealhfrith, who had adopted Roman usages at the urging of [[Wilfrid]].<ref name="HE III 25">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 25.</ref> Ealhfrith had been brought up with Irish-Northumbrian usages, and his rejection of these, along with the expulsion of the future saints [[Cuthbert of Lindisfarne]] and [[Eata of Hexham]] from [[Ripon]], is considered to have had a strong political component.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 250–275. For an overview of the [[Easter controversy]], see Stevens.</ref> Equally, 665 would be a year, as Bede writes, "that Easter was kept twice in one year, so that when the King had ended [[Lent]] and was keeping Easter, the Queen and her attendants were still fasting and keeping [[Palm Sunday]]".<ref name="HE III 25"/>
-Bede writes that the dispute was brought to a head by Oswiu's son Eahlfrith, who had adopted Roman usages at the urging of Wilfrid.<ref name="HE III 25">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 25.</ref> Eahlfrith had been brought up with Irish-Northumbrian usages, and his rejection of these, along with the expulsion of the future saints [[Cuthbert of Lindisfarne]] and [[Eata of Hexham]] from [[Ripon]], is considered to have had a strong political component.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 250–275. For an overview of the [[Easter controversy]], see Stevens.</ref> Equally, 665 would be a year, as Bede writes, "that Easter was kept twice in one year, so that when the King had ended [[Lent]] and was keeping Easter, the Queen and her attendants were still fasting and keeping [[Palm Sunday]]".<ref name="HE III 25"/>
 ==Ecgfrith==
@@ Line 96: / Line 100: @@
 *[[Ælfflæd of Whitby|Ælfflæd]]
 *[[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]]
-*Ealhflæd
+*[[Alhflæd|Ealhflæd]]
 == Holy relics ==
-Oswy and his wife [[Eanflæd]] were gifted relics of several saints from [[Pope Vitalian]] around 665: [[Saint Peter]], [[Saint Paul]], [[Saint Laurentius]], [[John the Apostle]], [[Saint Gregory]], and [[Pancras of Rome|Saint Pancras]]. [[Eanflæd]] was also granted a "a cross, with a gold key to it, made out of the most holy chains of the apostles, Peter and Paul". This gift is documented by [[Bede]] in [[Ecclesiastical History of the English People]] as part of a returning delegation from Rome, which had been led by [[Wighard]]. <ref name="HE III 29">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 29.</ref>
+Oswy and his wife [[Eanflæd]] were gifted [[relic]]s of several saints from [[Pope Vitalian]] around 665: [[Saint Peter]], [[Saint Paul]], [[Saint Laurentius]], [[John the Apostle]], [[Saint Gregory]], and [[Pancras of Rome|Saint Pancras]]. [[Eanflæd]] was also granted "a cross, with a gold key to it, made out of the most holy chains of the apostles, Peter and Paul". This gift is documented by [[Bede]] in ''[[Ecclesiastical History of the English People]]'' as part of a returning delegation from Rome, which had been led by [[Wighard]].<ref name="HE III 29">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 29.</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 108: / Line 112: @@
 ==References==
-* {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100002/index.html |title=The Annals of Tigernach |accessdate=2007-04-22 |last= |first= |authorlink= |author2= |date= |year= |publisher=CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts |pages= |language=Middle Irish |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}
+* {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100002/index.html |title=The Annals of Tigernach |access-date=22 April 2007 |publisher=CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts |language=mga }}
-* {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100001A/index.html |title=The Annals of Ulster, volume 1 |accessdate=2007-04-22 |last= |first= |authorlink= |author2= |date= |year= |publisher=CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts |pages= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}
+* {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100001A/index.html |title=The Annals of Ulster, volume 1 |access-date=22 April 2007 |publisher=CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts }}
-* [[Bede]], ''[[Ecclesiastical History of the English People]].'' Translated by Leo Sherley-Price, revised [[R.E. Latham]], ed. D.H. Farmer. London: Penguin, 1990. {{ISBN|0-14-044565-X}}
+* [[Bede]], ''[[Ecclesiastical History of the English People]]''. Translated by [[Leo Sherley-Price]], revised [[R.E. Latham]], ed. D.H. Farmer. London: Penguin, 1990. {{ISBN|0-14-044565-X}}
 * Blair, Peter Hunter, ''The World of Bede.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, reprinted 1990. {{ISBN|0-521-39138-5}}
 * Charles-Edwards, T.M., ''Early Christian Ireland.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0-521-36395-0}}
-* [[Eddius]], "Life of Wilfrid" in D.H. Farmer (ed.) & J.H. Webb (trans.), ''The Age of Bede.'' London: Penguin, 1998. {{ISBN|0-140-44727-X}}
+* [[Stephen of Ripon|Eddius]], "Life of Wilfrid" in D.H. Farmer (ed.) & J.H. Webb (trans.), ''The Age of Bede.'' London: Penguin, 1998. {{ISBN|0-140-44727-X}}
 * Fraser, James, ''The Pictish Conquest: The Battle of Dunnichen 685 & the birth of Scotland.'' Stroud: Tempus, 2006. {{ISBN|0-7524-3962-6}}
-* {{cite web |url=http://www.heroicage.org/issues/9/grimmer.html |title=The Exogamous Marriages of Oswiu of Northumbria |accessdate=2007-04-06 |last=Grimmer |first=Martin |authorlink= |date=October 2006 |work=The Heroic Age, issue 9.}}
+* {{cite web |url=http://www.heroicage.org/issues/9/grimmer.html |title=The Exogamous Marriages of Oswiu of Northumbria |access-date=6 April 2007 |last=Grimmer |first=Martin |date=October 2006 |work=The Heroic Age, issue 9.}}
 * Higham, N.J., ''The Convert Kings: Power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England.'' Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7190-4828-1}}
 * Higham, N.J., ''The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350–1100.'' Stroud: Sutton, 1993. {{ISBN|0-86299-730-5}}
@@ Line 123: / Line 127: @@
 * [[Frank Stenton|Stenton, Sir Frank]], ''Anglo-Saxon England.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1971. {{ISBN|0-19-280139-2}}
 * Stevens, Wesley M., "Easter Controversy" in M. Lapidge, et al., (eds), ''The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England''. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. {{ISBN|0-631-22492-0}}
-* {{cite web |url=http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_127/127_627_647.pdf |title=The Columban Church in northern Britain, 664–717: a reassessment |accessdate=2007-04-06 |last=Veith |first=Kenneth |year=1997 |work=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume 127}}
+* {{cite web |url=http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_127/127_627_647.pdf |title=The Columban Church in northern Britain, 664–717: a reassessment |access-date=6 April 2007 |last=Veith |first=Kenneth |year=1997 |work=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume 127}}
 * Williams, Ann, ''Kingship and Government in Pre-Conquest England, c. 500–1066.'' Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1999. {{ISBN|0-333-56798-6}}
 * [[Barbara Yorke|Yorke, Barbara]], ''Kings and Kingdoms in Early Anglo-Saxon England.'' London: Seaby, 1990. {{ISBN|1-85264-027-8}}
 * Yorke, Barbara, ''The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain c. 600–800.'' London: Longman, 2006. {{ISBN|0-582-77292-3}}
 * Zaluckyj, Sarah, ''Mercia: The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Central England.'' Logaston: Logaston Press, 2001. {{ISBN|978-1-873827-62-8}}.
-* {{cite web |url=http://www.heroicage.org/issues/4/ziegler.html |title=Oswald and the Irish |accessdate=2007-04-22 |last=Ziegler |first=Michelle |authorlink=  |date=Winter 2001 |work=The Heroic Age, issue 4.}}
+* {{cite web |url=http://www.heroicage.org/issues/4/ziegler.html |title=Oswald and the Irish |access-date=22 April 2007 |last=Ziegler |first=Michelle |date=Winter 2001 |work=The Heroic Age, issue 4.}}
 == External links ==
-{{wikisource|Ecclesiastical History of the English People}}
+{{wikisource|''Ecclesiastical History of the English People''}}
 * {{PASE|451|Oswiu 1}}
 * {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Oswio|volume=20|page=365}}
@@ Line 141: / Line 145: @@
 {{Bernicia Monarchs}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Oswiu of Northumbria}}
-{{short description|7th-century Anglo-Saxon king}}
+[[Category:610s births]]
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Oswiu Of Northumbria}}
-[[Category:612 births]]
 [[Category:670 deaths]]
+[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
 [[Category:Anglo-Saxon warriors]]
 [[Category:Bernician monarchs]]
-[[Category:Characters in works by Geoffrey of Monmouth]]
 [[Category:7th-century English monarchs]]
 [[Category:English expatriates in Ireland]]

v t e Monarchs of Northumbria
Kings of Bernicia 547–670	Ida Glappa Adda Æthelric Theodric Frithuwald Hussa Æthelfrith Edwin Eanfrith Oswald Oswiu
Kings of Deira 560–679	Ælla Æthelric Æthelfrith Edwin Osric Oswald Oswiu Oswine Œthelwald Alhfrith Ælfwine
Kings of Northumbria 642–867	Oswiu Ecgfrith Ealdfrith Eadwulf I Osred I Coenred Osric Ceolwulf Eadberht Oswulf Æthelwald Moll Ealhred Æthelred I Ælfwald I Osred II Osbald Eardwulf Ælfwald II Eanred Æthelred II Redwulf Osberht Ælla
Kings of Viking Northumbria 867–954	Ecgberht Ricsige Halfdan I Guthfrith I Siefredus Cnut Æthelwold Airdeconut Eowils Halfdan II Ingwær Ragnall I Sitric I Caech Guthfrith II Olaf I Guthfrithson Sitric II Olaf II Cuaran Ragnall II Guthfrithson Eric Bloodaxe

v t e Monarchs of Mercia
Kingdom of Mercia 527–918	Icel Cnebba Cynewald Creoda Pybba Cearl Penda Eowa Peada Oswiu Wulfhere Æthelred I Coenred Ceolred Ceolwald Æthelbald Beornred Offa¹ Ecgfrith Coenwulf¹ Cynehelm Ceolwulf I¹ Beornwulf² Ludeca Wiglaf Ecgberht Wigmund Wigstan Beorhtwulf Burgred Ceolwulf II Æthelred II³ Æthelflæd³ Ælfwynn³	Offa (757–796)
Later monarchs	Æthelstan⁴ Eadgar⁴	Offa (757–796)
¹Also King of Kent and East Anglia ²Also King of East Anglia ³Recognising West Saxon overlordship ⁴King of Mercia during the temporary separation of Mercia and Wessex