Anglo-Saxon, history, Bernicia

This second revision expands further the discussion of the succession and family relationships of the early Anglian kings of Bernicia explaining the origin of the name "Bernicia"; the emendations have a marginal bearing only on the general proposition regarding the dating of the siege. Contradictory evidence in the oldest sources has led to the assumption that the siege of Lindisfarne, during which Urien, King of Rheged, was murdered, took place in the late 590s. So too the Battle of Alt Clud Ford is normally assigned a date from 574 to c590. This paper reassesses the sources and proposes a date in the late 540s for both events, resolving, inter alia, problems regarding the time frame for the lives of "king" Arthur and his contemporaries.

Published in *The Battle of Carham: A Thousand Years On* (Edinburgh, 2018)

The purpose of this contribution is to outline the evidence we have for the 'northern English' polity based around Bamburgh, which under the leadership of Uhtred, most likely, was defeated at the battle Carham. Highlighting the most contemporary evidence and examining the presentations produced in the Anglo-Norman era, this contribution will try to establish what we might be able to say about this polity, and about its relations with both the Scots and the Southumbrian English kingship in the era of Carham.

So far those seeking to discover the location of the Battle of Daegsastan (603) have adopted the wrong approach and so have come to the wrong answer(s). By giving due weight to military, geographical and political constraints a hitherto very surprising conclusion is reached - not only about its location (in Yorkshire) but also as to the identity of "Daegsa".

This revised version mostly expands and corrects the discussion of the succession and family relationships of the early Anglian kings of Bernicia; the emendations have a marginal bearing only on the general proposition regarding the dating of the siege. Contradictory evidence in the oldest sources has led to the assumption that the siege of Lindisfarne, during which Urien, King of Rheged, was murdered, took place in the late 590s. So too the Battle of Alt Clud Ford is normally assigned a date from 574 to c590. This paper reassesses the sources and proposes a date in the late 540s for both events, resolving, inter alia, problems regarding the time frame for the lives of "king" Arthur and his contemporaries.

Contradictory evidence in the oldest sources has led to the assumption that the siege of Lindisfarne, during which Urien, King of Rheged, was murdered, took place in the late 590s. So too the Battle of Alt Clud Ford is normally assigned a date from 574 to c590. This paper reassesses the sources and proposes a date in the late 540s for both events, resolving, inter alia, problems regarding the time frame for the life of " king " Arthur. A. Problems with the Sources First let us notice that the Welsh Annals make no note of the siege or of the death of Urien. Bede too is silent on these matters. Second we should note that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that Ida seized the throne of what became Bernicia in 547 and reigned 12 years, taking us to 559. There is no account of an untimely death for him. Thus historians have had little option but to rely heavily on Nennius who says (Chapter 63, Giles' translation) 63. Adda, son of Ida, reigned eight years; Ethelric, son of Adda, reigned four years. Theodoric, son of Ida, reigned seven years. Freothwulf reigned six years. In whose time the kingdom of Kent, by the mission of Gregory, received baptism. Hussa reigned seven years. Against him fought four kings, Urien, and Ryderthen, and Guallauc, and Morcant. Theodoric fought bravely, together with his sons, against that Urien. But at that time sometimes the enemy and sometimes our countrymen were defeated, and he shut them up three days and three nights in the island of Metcaut; and whilst he was on an expedition he was murdered, at the instance of Morcant, out of envy, because he possessed so much superiority over all the kings in military science. Eadfered Flesaurs reigned twelve years in Bernicia, and twelve others in Deira, and gave to his wife Bebba, the town of Dynguaroy, which from her is called Bebbanburg. If we were to assume that this was intended as a sequence to be taken literally we should have: