The year is 449, three ships
carrying men of the Angle tribe sail by the east coast of Romano-Briton's
shores. These ferocious warriors have travelled in search of employment and
opportunity from the region of Anglia (today covering Northern Germany and Southern
Denmark). When they arrive on land, they are welcomed with open arms by the
natives and freely pass through fortifications initially designed to keep them
out. The Britons have hired these Germanic mercenaries to protect their
Northern territories against raids from Picts and Scots. However, after
successfully fulfilling this purpose, a group of these mercenaries came across
a flat and fertile land predominately surrounded by coastline. This South
easterly region made them realise they were not that homesick after all. The
Romano-Briton presence would cease to exist, and the area in question would
later become the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia.
The terrain itself is marshy with low-lying meadows and over 90 miles of coastline covering its eastern boundaries, making it an ideal environment for providing agriculture and fishing.
The kingdom covered the now English counties of
Norfolk and Suffolk along with parts of Cambridgeshire and The Fens. Norfolk
refers to the 'North Folk' inhabitants of the realm, and Suffolk refers to the
'South Folk'. Compared to other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, East Anglia's historical
timeline is vague and mysterious. To understand the reason behind this
protohistorical occurrence, we must first jump forward in time. In 865, the now
Christian Anglo-Saxons had to withstand an invasion from a Pagan force. This
foreign menace came from Scandinavia and was named the Vikings; their army
would be referred to by contemporary Saxon scholars as the 'Great Heathen
Army'. Similar to what the Anglo-Saxon ancestors did to the Romano-Britons, the
Vikings mainly started their occupation in the East of England—Northumbria and
East Anglia to be exact. During this epoch, the ruler of the Angles was King
Edmund. He would later be known as Saint Edmund the Martyr after being executed
by Viking marauders for championing the Christian faith. At the time, it was
the duty of the clergymen to scribe and record accounts of the land and its
notable inhabitants. These documents were kept inside churches, monasteries,
and abbeys. The majority of these religious sites were burnt and destroyed
during the Viking purge of East Anglia, resulting in many historical scriptures
being lost.
We can now go back and start
in the mid-6th century to the first king of the East Angles. He was named
Wehha, although some believe his son, Wuffa, was the first true king of the
region. His identity is uncertain as there are minimal sources about him. We
can only assume he founded a nation that would act as a home for not only
Angles but additionally, some Jutes and Frisians. Both Wehha and Wuffa are
viewed as semi-historical figures, but Wuffa would sow the seeds for a
long-ruling dynasty inspired by his name, the Wuffingas. Old English
translations of the Wuffingas vary from 'the kin of the wolf' to 'descendants
of the wolf'. It is believed that his rule began in 571 when he established his
royal seat at Rendlesham (Suffolk): a base of authority and administration for
future East Anglian monarchs. Signs show that the Wuffingas had ties not only
to Germany but also Scandinavia. Compared to other English kingdoms, East
Anglia still had a close traditional affiliation with the region. It is widely
accepted that the epic poem 'Beowulf', though set in Denmark and Sweden, was
likely composed in the palace halls of Rendlesham during the 8th century. The
tale suggests an ancestral link between the Wuffingas and the 'Wulfings'
mentioned in the poem. Another reliable indication to this Viking connection is
that the East Anglians performed the rite of a ship-burial, a practice most
associated with Viking custom. The most famous burials of this kind were
discovered at Sutton Hoo (Woodbridge, Suffolk) and Snape cemetery (Aldeburgh,
Suffolk).
Wuffa's crown was then
succeeded by his son, Tytila, for reasons undetermined. Like his father,
details of Tytila and his reign are not known. He would sire two sons named
Rædwald (or Redwald) and Eni. After he died in 616, his eldest son, Rædwald,
would ascend to the throne. Rædwald's younger brother, Eni, would never become
king, but his children would later influence East Anglia's history. Rædwald is
considered to be one of the most famous historical figures of Anglo-Saxon
England. His formative years on the throne would be under the overlordship of the
King Æthelberht of Kent who held the title of Imperium (or Bretwalda) over the
southern kingdoms. Through the guidance of Æthelberht, he would be the first
East Anglian king to be baptised. It is a common conjecture that many of his
Pagan kin were unhappy with his conversion to Christianity; chiefly his wife,
whose name is not indeed known. It is a general understanding that she was a
Pagan princess from the Kingdom of Essex. She and her followers ostensibly
attempted to persuade him away from the faith. Instead of choosing
one-over-the-other, he praised and preserved both Christian and Pagan places of
worship within his kingdom. This religious sentiment would set as a precedent
for Rædwald's oscillation between the two faiths throughout his life.
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| Highlighted map of East Anglia. Source: istock |
Rædwald took part in the defeat of King Æthelfrith of Northumbria at the Battle of River Idle. During the battle, Æthelberht of Kent was slain—thus—Rædwald was made Imperium overlord in his sted. He subsequently installed a puppet king named Edwin to sit on the Northumbrian throne. The aftermath of the campaign in Northumbria resulted in a power shift that would earn him the honorary title of Bretwalda meaning 'Britain-ruler' or 'wide-ruler'. He would be the first and only East Anglian king to receive this title. Most of the large settlements in East Anglia were all originally Roman foundations and structures. Rædwald would build the first major Anglo-Saxon settlement in the region by funding the development of the trading port of Gipeswic (now modern-day Ipswich, Suffolk). The construction of Gipeswic would put East Anglia on the map while setting in motion the region's trade with the rest of Britain, going as far as Northern Europe and even the Byzantine Empire! Rædwald's remarkable reign would come to an end after his death in 624. Rædwald is renowned for being the most plausible candidate to be buried in the Sutton Hoo ship barrow. Only someone of Rædwald's high-standing could have received such a lavish contemporary funeral.