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The last Anglo-Saxon king to adhere to the traditional religion was Arwald of Wihtwara, who was killed in battle in 686, at which point Sussex and Wessex had already adopted Christianity. During the Viking Age , circa 800–1050, settlers from Scandinavia reintroduced paganism to eastern and northern England.
Pope Gregory I sent Augustine in 597 to convert the Anglo-Saxons, but Bede says the British clergy refused to help Augustine in his mission. [76] [77] Despite Bede's complaints, it is now believed that the Britons played an important role in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons. [78]
A number of Anglo-Saxon saints are connected to royalty. [53] King Æthelberht of Kent and his wife Queen Bertha were later regarded as saints for their role in establishing Christianity among the Anglo-Saxons. Their granddaughter Eanswith founded Folkestone Priory, in 630 the first monastery in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms for women. [54]
Sæberht, Saberht or Sæbert [1] (d. c. 616) was an Anglo-Saxon King of Essex (r. c. 604 – c. 616), in succession of his father King Sledd.He is known as the first East Saxon king to have been converted to Christianity.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a collection of annals assembled c. 890 in the kingdom of Wessex, mentions several events in Kent during Æthelberht's reign. [13] Further mention of events in Kent occurs in the late sixth century history of the Franks by Gregory of Tours. This is the earliest surviving source to mention any Anglo-Saxon kingdom. [14]
Æthelberht made Kent the dominant force in England during his reign and became the first Anglo-Saxon king to convert to Christianity from Anglo-Saxon paganism. Eadbald's accession was a significant setback for the growth of the church, since he retained his people's paganism and did not convert to Christianity for at least a year, and perhaps ...
Their prevalence in the Anglo-Saxon state is a sign of sophistication. They were frequently appealed to and relied upon in litigation. Making grants and confirming those made by others was a major way in which Anglo-Saxon kings demonstrated their authority. [191] The royal council or witan played a central but limited role in the Anglo-Saxon ...
Bede the Venerable includes him in his list of kings who exercised imperium over other Anglo-Saxon monarchs, and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle gives him the title bretwalda, or "ruler of Britain". In 627, Edwin was baptised under the influence of his wife, Æthelburh of Kent, and the Roman missionary Paulinus, who became the first Bishop of York.