Cynegils of Wessex

Cynegils (23 May 587 — 5 September 642) was the King of Wessex from 611 to his death. He was the son of King Ceol, who died when Cynegils was young. He succeeded his uncle, who was Ceol's younger brother, Ceolwulf, as king.

During his reign, the kingdom expanded into northern Wiltshire and Somerset, southern Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and western Berkshire. He is depicted as one of Wessex's greatest and most powerful kings ever.

 King in Wessex 
Cynegils was the grandson of Cutha,Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 77; Mike Ashley, The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens (New york: Carroll & Graf, 1999), p. 303 the son of Ceol of WessexDetlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 77 and probably the nephew of Ceolwulf.Mike Ashley, The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens (New york: Carroll & Graf, 1999), p. 303 He ruled jointly with his son Cwichelm.Barbara Yorke. Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England (London: Routledge, 1997), p. 143 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 614 states that Cynegils and Cwichelm fought together at a place named Beandun and that they killed 2065 Welsh.Benjamin Thorpe, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle according to the Several Original Authorities: Translation (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1861), p. 19 That was a major victory for the West Saxons.

Cynegils had some setbacks, however, during the middle of his reign. His son Cwichelm sent someone to try to kill King Edwin of Northumbria.Benjamin Thorpe, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle according to the Several Original Authorities: Translation (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1861), p. 20 When Edwin attacked Wessex in retaliation, five kings of Wessex were killed.Peter Hunter Blair, Roman Britain and Early England; 55 B.C.–A.D. 871 (New York; London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1966), p. 206 The Northumbrian attack weakened the West Saxon army. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 628 states that Cyngils, king of Wessex, and his son Cwichelm 'fought with Penda at Cirencester and came to an agreement with him there'.Benjamin Thorpe, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle according to the Several Original Authorities: Translation (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1861), p. 21 The 'agreement' seems to have been to give Cirencester to Penda.Frank Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England (Oxford University Press, 1971), p. 45 That would bw a defeat for Cynegils and for Cwichelm and a permanent loss of Cirencester.

In 634, Pope Honorius I sent Bishop Birinus to England. When he reached the territory of the Gewisse (Wessex), he found them to be almost completely pagan. He began to convert the West Saxons to Christianity. In 635, Cynegils was baptized by Birinus and King Oswald of Northumbria stood as his godfather.Benjamin Thorpe, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle according to the Several Original Authorities: Translation (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1861), p. 22 That may have been a condition of the marriage between Oswald and Cynegils's daughter, Cyneburh.Mike Ashley, The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens (New york: Carroll & Graf, 1999), p. 304 He gave Birinus the city of Dorchester and several churches to could convert the pagans in Wessex.Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, trans. Leo Sherley Price, revsd. R. E. Latham (London; New York: Penguin Books, 1990), p. 153 The conversion took some time to complete, and several kings who followed were pagan or converted to Christianity only later in their reigns.

Cwichelm, his son, ruled as either co-king or underking and died in 636. From then onward, Cynegils seems to have ruled Wessex by himself until his death in 643. He was succeeded by his son Cenwalh.Peter Hunter Blair, Roman Britain and Early England; 55 B.C.–A.D. 871 (New York; London: W. W. Norton & Company, 1966), p. 207 Cynegils's reign marked the turning point for Wessex from being bands of warriors to starting to be a united kingdom.

 Family 
Cynegils had the following children:
 Cwichelm (died 636), ruled with his father
 Cenwalh (died 672), succeeded his father as King of Wessex
 Centwine, King of Wessex
 Cyneburh, in 635 married King Oswald of Northumbria

 Notes 

 References 

 Other websites 
 Britannia: Kings of Wessex 

Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:Kings of Wessex
Category:642 deaths
Category:6th-century births
Category:Anglo-Saxons
Category:House of Wessex
Category:Kings and Queens of England