Oswiu, king of Bernicia and Northumbria, (d.670)

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After the invasion of Cadwallon, Northumbria collapsed into it's two component parts, Deira and Bernicia. Oswiu became king of Bernicia in the aftermath of that collapse. In 651 he invaded Deira in an attempt to reunit the kingdom, but although he deposed the existing king, he was unable to replace him. In 654 he was attacked by Penda of Mercia, who considered him a personal enemy, and killed Penda at Winwaed, near Leeds. After that victory he was able to rule Mercia as a Northumbrian province until a revolt in 657 restored Mercian independance. After that he remained a purely Northumbria king until his death in 670.
Offa and the Mercian Wars - the Rise & Fall of the First Great English Kingdom, Chris Peers. Looks at the rise and fall of Mercia, the dominant English power of the Eighth Century, first emerging under the pagan Penda, before reaching its greatest power under Offa, one of the greatest of the Anglo-Saxon kings. Does a good job of dealing with the more obscure corners of Mercian history, and tells the interesting story of a kingdom that might have formed the nucleus of a united England (Read Full Review)
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How to cite this article: Rickard, J. (20 September 2000), Oswiu, king of Bernicia and Northumbria, (d.670), http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/people_oswiu.html

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