List of monarchs of Kent

This is a list of the kings of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent.
The regnal dates for the earlier kings are known only from Bede, who piously expunged apostates (Unde cunctis placuit regum tempora computantibus, ut ablata de medio regum perfidorum memoria, idem annus sequentis regis), and seems also to have deliberately suppressed details of short or joint reigns in order to produce an orderly sequence (he had no place for Æðelwald or Eormenred). Generally more than one king ruled in Kent. Some kings are known mainly from charters, of which several are forgeries, while others have been subjected to tampering in order to reconcile them with the erroneous king lists of chroniclers, baffled by blanks, and confused by concurrent reigns and kings with similar or identical names. It is commonplace for the later kings to be referred to as subkings, but the actual rank used is always rex, never regulus (except for a late legend concerning Eormenred). The usual style was simply King of Kent (rex Cantiae) or King of the Kentish Men (rex Cantuariorum). Territorial division within Kent is not alluded to, except by Eadberht I (rex Cantuariorum terram dimidii) and Sigered (rex dimidie partis prouincie Cantuariorum).
==List of kings of Kent==
Reign 	Incumbent 	Style 	Notes
455-488 	Hengest 	no charters 	father of Oisc or Octa
455-488? 	Horsa 	no charters 	brother of Hengest
488-512/516 	Oisc(Oesc, Aesc, Oeric) 	no charters 	son of Hengest or Octa
512/516-534/540 	Octa(Octha) 	no charters 	son of Hengest
534/540-c.590 	Eormenric 	no charters 	father of Æðelberht I
c.590 - 24 February 616 (Bede) 	Æðelberht I 	no genuine charters 	first Christian King of Kent
February 616 to 20 January 640 (Bede) 	Eadbald 	no genuine charters 	son of Æðelberht I
unknown 	Æðelwald 	no charters 	contemporary with Pope Boniface V (619-625)
January 640 to 14 July 664 (Bede) 	Eorcenberht 	no charters 	son of Eadbald
unknown 	Eormenred 	Irminredus 	brother of Eorcenberht
July 664 to 4 July 673 (Bede) 	Ecgberht I 	no charters 	son of Eorcenberht
acceded 674 or 675,
died 685 	Hlothhere 	Lotharius rex Cantuariorum
Lotharius rex Cancie
Clotharius
Hlotharius	son of Eorcenberht; reigning jointly with Eadric
685 to 686 (Bede) 	Eadric 	Eadricus rex Cantuariorum
Ædricus rex
Edricus 	son of Ecgberht I; reigning jointly with Hlothhere
killed 687 	Mul 	Mulo rege regnum Cantie 	brother of Cædwalla, King of Wessex
acceded 687 or 688,
still reigning 692 	Swæfheard 	Suebhardus rex Cantuariorum
Sueaberdus rex Cantie 	son of Sæberht, King of Essex, reigning jointly in Kent with Oswine and Withred
fl. 689 	Swæfberht 	Gabertus
Suebertus rex Cantuariorum 	jointly with Oswine
fl. 689 to 690 	Oswine 	Oswynus rex Cantie
Oswinus rex Cantuariorum 	jointly with Swæfberht and Swæfheard
acceded c. 693, seven years after Edric's disposition (Malmesbury 1.15),
died 23 April 725	Wihtred 	Wihtredus rex Cantie
Wythredus rex Cantuariorum
Wihtredus rex Cantuariorum	son of Ecgberht I; reigned jointly with Swæfheard
succeeded 725 	Alric 	no charters 	son of Wihtred; succeeded jointly with his brothers Æðelberht II and Eadberht I
725 to 748 	Eadberht I 	Eadbertus rex Cantuariorum terram dimidii
Ædbeortus rex Cantie	son of Wihtred; reigned jointly with his brothers Æðelberht II and Ælfric
Subject to Mercian overlordship 	Subject to Mercian overlordship 	Subject to Mercian overlordship 	Subject to Mercian overlordship
725 to 762 	Æðelberht II 	Æthilberhctus rex Cantie
Athelbertus rex 	son of Wihtred; reigned jointly with his brothers Eadberht I and Ælfric, and nephew Eardwulf
unknown 	Eardwulf 	Earduulfus rex Cantuariorum
Eardulfus rex Cantiae 	son of Eadberht I; reigned jointly with Æðelberht II; contemporary with Archbishop Cuðbert (740-760)
fl. 762 	Eadberht II 	Eadberht rex Cantiae
Ædbertus rex
Eadbertus rex Cantie 	jointly with Sigered
fl. 762 	Sigered 	Sigiraed rex Cantiae
Sigeredus rex dimidie partis prouincie Cantuariorum	jointly with Eadberht II
762-764 	Eanmund 	Eanmundus rex 	contemporary with Archbishop Bregowine (761-764)
fl. 764 to 765 	Heaberht 	Heaberhtus rex Cantie
Heaberhtus rex 	jointly with Ecgberht II
fl. 765 to 779 	Ecgberht II 	Ecgberhtus rex Cantie
Egcberhtus rex Cantiae
Egcberht rex Cantie
Egcberth rex Cantie
Egcberhtus rex	jointly with Heaberht
fl. 784 	Ealhmund 	Ealmundus rex Canciæ 	father of Ecgberht III
Under the direct rule of Offa of Mercia (785–796).	Under the direct rule of Offa of Mercia (785–796).	Under the direct rule of Offa of Mercia (785–796). 	Under the direct rule of Offa of Mercia (785–796).
796 to 798, deposed 	Eadberht III Præn 	no charters; coins:
EADBEARHT REX 	Deposed and mutilated by Cœnwulf
acceded 797 or 798, 
died 807 	Cuðred 	Cuthredus Rex Cantiae
Cuðred rex Cantiae
Cuðredus rex cantwariorum	brother of Cœnwulf and Ceolwulf
fl. 809 	Cœnwulf 	Ceonulfus Christi gracia rex Merciorum atque provincie Cancie	brother of Cuðred and Ceolwulf; also King of Mercia (796-821)
fl. 822 to 823 	Ceolwulf 	Ceolwulf rex Merciorum vel etiam Contwariorum
Ceolwulf rex Merciorum seu etiam Cantwariorum	brother of Cuðred and Cœnwulf; also King of Mercia (821-823)
deposed in 825 	Baldred 	no charters; coins:
BALDRED REX CANT 	expelled by Æðelwulf in 825
825 to 839 	Ecgberht III 	Ecgberht rex occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum 	son of Ealhmund; reigned in Kent jointly with his son Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (802-839)
825 to 858 	Æðelwulf 	Aetheluulf rex
Æðeluulf rex Cantrariorum
Æthelwolf gratia Dei rex Kanciae
Ætheluulf rex Cancie
Aeðeluulf Rex Cancie
Aetheluulf gratia Dei rex occidentalium Saxonum seu etiam Cantuuariorum
Aeðeluulf gratia Dei rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non 7 Cantuariorum
Eðelwulf rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non et Cantuariorum
Eðeluulfus rex Occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum
Æðelulf rex misericordia Dei occidentalium Saxonum ; necnon & Cantuuariorum	jointly with his father Ecgberht III and son Æðelstan; also King of Wessex (839-856)
fl. 839 to 851 	Æðelstan I 	Edelstan rex Kancie
Ethelstan Rex
Aeðelstan rex
Aedelstan rex	jointly with his father Æðelwulf
fl. 855 to 866 	Æðelberht III 	Aeðelberht rex
Eþelbearht rex
Eðelbearht rex
Æthelbertus occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum rex
Aeðelbearht rex Occidentalium Saxonum seu Cantuuariorum
Aeðælberht rex Occidentalium Saxonum seu Cantuariorum
Eðelbearht rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non et Cantuariorum	jointly with his father Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (860-866)
866 to 871 	Æðelred I 	Eðelred rex occidentalium Saxonum . non et Cantwariorum
Aeðered rex Occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum	son of Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (866-871)
==See also==
*List of English monarchs
*Kentish Royal Legend
*Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies
*On the Resting-Places of the Saints (list of Anglo-Saxon saints - Secgan)
==Sources==
*Campbell, A. 1973. Charters of Rochester. Anglo-Saxon Charters 1.
*Fryde, E. B., Greenway, D. E., Porter, S., & Roy, I. 1986. Handbook of British Chronology, 3rd ed. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks 2.
*Garmonsway, G. N. 1954. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 2nd edition.
*Kelly, S. E. 1995. Charters of St. Augustine's Abbey Canterbury and Minster-in-Thanet. Anglo-Saxon Charters 4.
*King, J. E. 1930. Baedae Opera Historica. Loeb Classical Library 246 & 248.
*Kirby, D. P. 1991. The Earliest English Kings.
*Sawyer, P. H. 1968. Anglo-Saxon Charters: An Annotated List and Bibliography. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks 8.
*Searle, W. G. 1899. Anglo-Saxon Bishops, Kings and Nobles.
*Sweet, H. 1896. The Student’s Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon.
*Yorke, B. 1990. Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England.
 
Monarchs of Kent
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Monarchs
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