{{Short description|King of Mercia from 823 to 826}} {{More citations needed|date=November 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox royalty | name = Beornwulf | image = Beornwulf, King of Mercia, silver penny (group I); struck 823–825 AD (obverse).png | caption = Silver penny of Beornwulf from a mint in East Anglia, struck 823–825.<br/>Legend: {{nowrap|{{Smallcaps|+beornpvlf rex}}}} | succession = King of Mercia | reign = 823–826 | predecessor = Ceolwulf I | successor = Ludeca | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = 826 | death_place = | burial_place = | spouse = | issue = | father = | mother = }}
'''Beornwulf''' (died 826) was the King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 823 until his death in 826. His short reign saw the collapse of Mercia's supremacy over the other kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. His name derives from the Old English terms ''beorn'' 'man, warrior' and ''wulf'' 'wolf'.<ref>{{Citation |title=berne, n. |date=2023-03-02 |work=Oxford English Dictionary |url=https://oed.com/dictionary/berne_n |access-date=2024-10-16 |edition=3 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/oed/2335390817|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=beorn |date=2022-07-03 |work=Wiktionary, the free dictionary |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/beorn |access-date=2024-10-16 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=wolf, n. |date=2024-02-06 |work=Oxford English Dictionary |url=https://oed.com/dictionary/wolf_n |access-date=2024-10-16 |edition=3 |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/oed/6647787904|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=wulf |date=2024-09-30 |work=Wiktionary, the free dictionary |url=https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wulf#Old_English |access-date=2024-10-16 |language=en}}</ref>
==Biography== Beornwulf became King of Mercia in 823 following the deposition of King Ceolwulf I.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last=Kelly |first=S. E. |title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |year=2004 |chapter=Beornwulf (d. 826?), king of the Mercians |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/2183 |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 |access-date=21 December 2023 |chapter-url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-2183}}</ref> His family, as well as the majority of his background, are unknown.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Stenton |first=F.M. |url=https://archive.org/details/anglosaxonenglan0000sten/page/n5/mode/2up |title=Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Oxford at The Clarendon Press |year=1971 |edition=3rd |pages=231 |isbn=978-0-19-821716-9 |author-link=Frank Stenton |access-date=21 December 2023 |url-access=registration}}</ref> However, Beornwulf may be distantly related to a prior Mercian king, Beornred, as well as two subsequent rulers, Beorhtwulf and Burgred— all members of the so-called B-dynasty or group.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zaluckyj |first=Sarah |url=https://archive.org/details/merciaanglosaxon0000zalu/page/n3/mode/2up?q=Beornwulf&view=theater |title=Mercia: The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Central England |publisher=Logaston Press |year=2001 |pages=136 |isbn=978-1-873827-62-8 |access-date=21 December 2023 |url-access=registration}}</ref> Though this is only speculation, alliterative names were prevalent in Anglo-Saxon royal families, and the confirmed kin of these leaders also had names that began with B.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wormald |first=Patrick |url=https://archive.org/details/anglosaxons00camp_0/page/n5/mode/2up |title=The Anglo-Saxons |publisher=Cornell University Press |year=1982 |editor-last=Campbell |editor-first=James |editor-link=James Campbell (historian) |pages=138 |chapter=The Ninth Century |isbn=978-0-8014-1482-4 |author-link=Patrick Wormald |access-date=21 December 2023 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Yorke |first=Barbara |url=https://archive.org/details/KingsAndKingdomsOfEarlyAngloSaxonEngland/page/n1/mode/2up?q=baldre |title=Kings And Kingdoms Of Early Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Routledge |year=1990 |pages=119 |access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref>
Prior to becoming king, Beornwulf is mentioned as having witnessed a charter of King Coenwulf in 812 and another of King Ceolwulf I in 823, but his position on each of these charters suggests that he was not of an exceptionally high rank.<ref name=":0" />
In 825 Beornwulf marched against the West Saxons. Beornwulf's army met them at Ellandun (now Wroughton near Swindon in Wiltshire). Although the details are unknown, the battle ended in a disastrous defeat for the Mercians, and is seen by historians as the end of the so-called Mercian Supremacy. That same year, Ecgberht's son Æthelwulf invaded Kent and drove out its pro-Mercian king, Baldred.
In the wake of these events, Mercia's dominance in southern England rapidly unravelled. Essex and Sussex switched their loyalty to Ecgberht; and the East Anglians asked for Ecgberht's protection against the Mercians in the same year. Beornwulf was killed by the East Anglians in battle while attempting to put down a rebellion.
Beornwulf rebuilt the Abbey of St. Peter (later Gloucester Cathedral)<ref>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/glos/vol2/pp53-61 "Houses of Benedictine monks: The abbey of St Peter at Gloucester". ''A History of the County of Gloucester'', Volume 2. (William Page, ed.) London: Victoria County History, 1907. 53-61. British History Online]</ref> and he presided over two synods at Clofesho (an unknown location believed to be near London with Archbishop Wulfred of Canterbury, in 824 and 825.<ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Beornwulf|first=William |last=Hunt|volume=4}}</ref> A Kentish charter shows that Beornwulf still had authority in Kent on 27 March 826 – S1267{{clarify|date=December 2016}}, issued on that date, is said to be in the third year of Beornwulf's reign.<ref>{{citation|title= Sawyer 1267|url= http://www.esawyer.org.uk/charter/1267.html|publisher= esawyer.org.uk|access-date= 2015-01-14|archive-date= 19 January 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150119044422/http://www.esawyer.org.uk/charter/1267.html|url-status= dead}}</ref> Coins minted during Beornwulf's reign are very rare, with only around 25 known examples.
==See also== *Kings of Mercia family tree
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{PASE|52522|Beornwulf 3}}
{{s-start}} {{s-hou|B-dynasty of the Mercians||||826}} {{s-reg}} {{s-bef | before = Ceolwulf I | rows = 3 }} {{s-ttl | title = King of Mercia | years = 823–826 }} {{s-aft | after = Ludeca }} {{s-break}} {{s-ttl | title = Ruler of East Anglia | years = 823–825 }} {{s-aft | after = Æthelstan | as = King }} {{s-break}} {{s-ttl | title = Ruler of Kent | years = 823–825 | regent1 = Baldred | years1 = {{circa|823–825}} }} {{s-aft | after = Ecgberht<br />'''with Æthelwulf''' }} {{s-end}}
{{Kings of Mercia}} {{Kings of East Anglia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beornwulf of Mercia}} Category:826 deaths Category:Mercian monarchs Category:Anglo-Saxon warriors Category:Anglo-Saxons killed in battle Category:9th-century English monarchs Category:Year of birth unknown