Æthelberht of Kent: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 04:07, 26 January 2003
Ethelbert, king of Kent (c.552 - 616) was the son of Eormenric whom he succeeded as king of Kent in AD 560, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Gregory of Tours, who was a close acquaintance of his wife Bertha, twice calls him simply "a man of Kent]], indicating that he wasn't king at the time Greogy's History of the Franks was written, and that Ethelbert more likely became king closer to 590.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that he attempted at one stage to wrest the position of Bretwalda from Ceawlin of Wessex but was unsuccessful. His standing was advanced by his marriage with Bertha, daughter of Charibert, king of the Franks, thus building an alliance with the most powerful state in Europe at that time. This prestige enabled him to claim the title of Bretwalda after Ceawlin's death.
The influence of Bertha, who had brought a Frankish priest with her as chaplain, may have led to the invitation to Pope Gregory I to send missionaries from Rome. Augustine arrived in Canterbury in 597.
He was later canonised.
| Preceded by: Ceawlin of Wessex |
List of British monarchs | Succeeded by: Rædwald of East Anglia |