The Father of England | King Ecgberht of Wessex

After the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England in the 5th century, from the ash, 4 major Kingdoms would emerge: Northumbria, Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia. Ecgberht was the son of Ealhmund, the King of Kent, which was a minor Kingdom in England, although it held rich lands. By the 8th century, Offa, the King of Mercia, was expanding his territory by the sword, aiming to make Mercia the dominant Kingdom in England. This period in England saw the kings of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms all vying for power and craving the title of Bretwalda, an Old English word awarded to those who had achieved overlordship of some or all of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In the end King Ecgberht of Wessex became the Bretwalda and forged a legacy for his line to ascend to the throne of Wessex. However, after his passing, instead of the Anglo-Saxons waging war against each other, a more serious threat loomed, the threat of the Vikings. 00:00 King Offa & Mercia's Dominion 04:49 Ecgberht's Rise to Power 07:02 The Battle of Ellendun 10:20 Ecgberht's Reign 15:02 The Threat of the Vikings