AEthelfrith, king of Northumbria, (-616)
The first king of Northumbria whose career can be followed in any detail. Bede considered him to be the most successful of the English kings. At the battle of Degsastan he defeated an invasion from the Irish kingdom of Argyll, removing them as a threat to his kingdom. Ten years later he led an expedition towards the south west, and defeated the Britons at Chester, a battle which may have split the Britons of the North from those of the South. His reign ended in disaster. Edwin, son of AElle, the heir to the Deiran kingdom, part of Northumbria, had been in exile, in part with the Britons. He moved to East Anglia, and AEthelfrith demanded his return. Raedwald, king of East Anglia, and overlord of the southern English, decided to restore Edwin to his throne. At the battle of the Idle, Raedwald was victorious, and AEthelfrith was killed, while Edwin became king of Northumbria.
How to cite this article: Rickard, J. (9 September 2000), AEthelfrith, king of Northumbria, (-616), http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/people_AEthelfrith.html