Reign c. 672 – c.674 Name Seaxburh Wessex Successor AEscwine of Wessex | Role King Died 674 AD Royal line House of Wessex | |
People also search for Cenwalh of Wessex, Centwine of Wessex |
Seaxburh (died c. 674) was a queen of Wessex. She is also called Queen of the Gewisse, an early name for the tribe which ruled Wessex. She is said to have ruled Wessex for about a year after the death of her husband, Cenwalh, in 672. It was extremely rare for a woman to rule in her own right in Anglo-Saxon England, and she was the only woman to appear in a regnal list. She may have ruled for over a year, as the next reign is entered in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 674.
However, Bede said that after death of Cenwalh "sub-kings took upon themselves the government of the kingdom", so the chroniclers may have tidied up a complicated situation.
Seaxburh was succeeded in about 674 by Æscwine.
References
Seaxburh of Wessex Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA