See also Ceretic for two kings with a similar name. Ceretic can refer to two Celtic British kings- Ceretic of Alt Clut Ceretic of Elmet For people with similar names see-

Imaginary depiction of Cerdic from John Speed's 1611 "Saxon Heptarchy". John Speed (1542–1629 was a Historian, now best remembered as the Cartographer whose maps of English counties are often found framed in homes throughout the

Cerdic of Wessex (d. 534) was the King of Wessex (519–534) and is regarded as the ancestor of all subsequent Kings of Wessex (See House of Wessex family tree). Events By Place Byzantine Empire January 1 — Decimus Theodorius Paulinus is appointed Consul (the last to hold this West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Events By Place Europe Cerdic becomes king of Wessex. The Synagogues of Ravenna are Events By Place Byzantine Empire January 1 — Decimus Theodorius Paulinus is appointed Consul (the last to hold this The following chart is a Family tree of the Kings of the House of Wessex, a Dynasty whose members were Kings of Wessex, and then from Athelstan

Official life and career

Britain, c. 500 AD.

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Cerdic landed in Hampshire in 495 with his son Cynric in three keels (ships). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain Cynric of Wessex ruled as king of Wessex from 534 to 560 Everything known about him comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. He is said to have fought a British king named Natanleod at Netley Marsh in Hampshire and killed him in 508, and to have fought at Charford (Cerdic's Ford) in 519, after which he became first king of Wessex. Natanleod, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, was a king of the Britons. Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. The conquest of the Isle of Wight is also mentioned among his campaigns, and it was later given to his kinsmen, Stuf and Wihtgar (who had supposedly arrived with the West Saxons in 514). The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Cerdic is said to have died in 534 and was succeeded by his son Cynric. Cynric of Wessex ruled as king of Wessex from 534 to 560 Everything known about him comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

The early history of Wessex in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is clearly muddled. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. David Dumville has suggested that Cerdic's true regnal dates are 538-554. Professor David Norman Dumville (born 5 May 1949) is a British medievalist and Celtic scholar Events By Place Europe March 12 — Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths, ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Events By Place Byzantine Empire General Narses reconquers all of Italy Some scholars suggest that Cerdic was the Saxon leader defeated by the British at the battle of Mount Badon, which was probably fought sometime between 490 and 518. In the Battle of Mons Badonicus ( English Mount Badon, Welsh Mynydd Baddon) Romano-British Celts defeated Events By Place Europe April 1 — The majority of Odoacer 's army including his Magister militum Tufa surrenders For the area code see Area code 518. Events By Place Byzantine Empire July 9 — Justin becomes emperor This cannot be the case if Dumville is correct, and others assign this battle to Ælle or another Saxon leader. Ælle (also Aelle or Ella,) is recorded in early sources as the first king of the South Saxons, reigning in what is now called Sussex

It should also be noted that while Cerdic's area of operation was, according to the Chronicle, in the area north of Southampton, there is also stronger archaeological evidence of early Anglo-Saxon activity in the area around Dorchester-on-Thames. Dorchester-on-Thames is a Village on the Thames in Oxfordshire, England. This is the later location of the first West Saxon bishopric, in the first half of the seventh century, so it appears likely that the origins of the kingdom of Wessex are more complex than the version provided by the surviving traditions. ^[1]

Some scholars have gone so far as to suggest that Cerdic is purely a legendary figure, and had no actual existence, but this is a minority view. However, the earliest source for Cerdic, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, was put together in the late ninth century; though it probably does record the extant tradition of the founding of Wessex, the intervening four hundred years mean that the account cannot be assumed to be accurate. ^[2][3]

Cerdic is allegedly an ancestor to Egbert of Wessex, and therefore would be an ancestor of not only the modern British monarchy under Elizabeth II, allowing the British Royal Family to trace its roots back over 1500 years, but virtually every royal lineage in Europe. Egbert (also spelt Ecgberht) (died 839 was King of Wessex from 802 until 839 TalkCommonewalth realm.--> The monarchy For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II

Origins

Curiously, the name Cerdic is thought to be British – a form of the name Ceretic or Caradog (in Latin Caratacus) – rather than Germanic in origin. Ceretic can refer to two Celtic British kings- Ceretic of Alt Clut Ceretic of Elmet For people with similar names see- Caradog ( Caradoc, Caradawg, Cradawg or in Latin, Caratacus) is a Welsh name borne by several historical and legendary Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Caratacus ( Brythonic *Caratācos, Greek Καράτακος; variants Latin Caractacus, Greek Καρτάκης One explanation for this is the possibility that Cerdic's mother was British and that he was given a name used by his mother's people; if so, this would provide evidence for a degree of mixing, both cultural and biological, between the invaders and the native British. Alternatively, the use of a British name may indicate that Cerdic was a native Briton, and that his dynasty became Anglicised over time. This view is supported by the non-Germanic names of his father, Elesa, and some of his successors including Ceawlin, Cedda and Caedwalla. Ceawlin (also spelled "Ceaulin" or "Caelin" (died c Cædwalla (c 659 &ndash 20 April 689 was the King of Wessex from about 685 until 688 when he abdicated If this were the case then the records of Cerdic landing in Britain, which were written down many generations after the events they purport to portray, must be looked on as being in the realms of legend. ^[4]

J. N. L. Myres noted that when Cerdic and Cynric first appear in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 495 they are described as ealdormen, which at that point in time was fairly junior rank. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. Events By Place Europe Cerdic of Wessex raids Hampshire. Asia Emperor Xiaowen An ealdorman (modern Alderman) was the prior magistrate of an Anglo-Saxon shire from 900 to the time of the Danes. Myres remarks that "It is thus odd to find it used here to describe the leaders of what purports to be an independent band of invaders, who origins and authority are not otherwise specified. It looks very much as if a hint is being conveyed that Cerdic and his people owed their standing to having been already concerned with administrative affairs under Roman authority on this part of the Saxon Shore. " Furthermore, it is not until 519 that Cerdic and Cynric are recorded as "beginning to reign", suggesting that they ceased being dependent vassals or ealdormen and became independent Kings in their own right. Events By Place Europe Cerdic becomes king of Wessex. The Synagogues of Ravenna are

Summing up, Myres believed that It is thus possible . . . to think of Cerdic as the head of a partly British noble family with extensive territorial interests at the western end of the "Litus Saxonicum. As such he may well have been entrusted in the last days of Roman, or sub-Roman authority with its defence. He would then be what in later Anglo-Saxon terminology could be described as an ealdorman. . . . If such a dominant native family as that of Cerdic had already developed blood-relationships with existing Saxon and Jutish settlers at this end of the Saxon Shore, it could very well be tempted, once effective Roman authority had faded, to go further. It might have taken matters into its own hands and after eliminating any surviving pockets of resistance by competing British chieftains, such as the mysterious Natanleod of annal 508, it could 'begin to reign' without recognizing in future any superior authority. Events By Place Europe Clovis I establishes Paris ( Lutetia) as his capital "

Some would disagree with Myres, as Cerdic is reported to have landed in Hampshire. Some also would say that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle proves that Cerdic was indeed a Saxon, however it does not prove that he had no Celtic blood. Some scholars believe that it is likely that his mother was a British Celt who left for the Continent or perhaps was a Continental Celt. Geoffrey Ashe postulates he may be a son of Riothamus. Geoffrey Ashe (born 29 March 1923) is a British cultural historian a writer of Non-fiction books and a few novels Riothamus (also spelled Riotimus, Rigothamus, Rigotamos) was a Romano-British military leader active circa 470

Modern times

The name Cedric (as opposed to Cerdic) arose from a misspelling in the novel Ivanhoe by Walter Scott. Ivanhoe is a Novel by Sir Walter Scott. It was written in 1819 and set in 12th century England, an example of Historical fiction Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout

Cerdic is the main protagonist in the historical novel Conscience of the King (1951) by the English author Alfred Duggan. An historical novel is a Novel in which the story is set among historical events or more generally in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the Author Conscience of the King ( 1951) is a Historical novel by the English author Alfred Duggan. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Alfred Duggan (1903 - 1964 was an English Historian, Archeologist and best-selling Historical novelist during the 1950s

In the 2004 film King Arthur, Cerdic and Cynric were depicted as Saxon invaders, and were killed, respectively, by Arthur and Lancelot at the Battle of Badon Hill (Mons Badonicus). King Arthur is a 2004 Film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Franzoni. In the Battle of Mons Badonicus ( English Mount Badon, Welsh Mynydd Baddon) Romano-British Celts defeated Cerdic was portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård. (ˈstɛlːan ˈskɒːʂgɔɖ in Swedish or "Skashgord" born 13 June 1951 is a Swedish Film Actor, known for his roles in Breaking Bernard Cornwell names him as rival to Aelle of Sussex, in his Warlord Chronicles. Bernard Cornwell OBE (born February 23, 1944) is a prolific and popular English Historical novelist He is best known for his Ælle (also Aelle or Ella,) is recorded in early sources as the first king of the South Saxons, reigning in what is now called Sussex

It is suggested that Cerdic's name is commemorated in the village of Chearsley in Buckinghamshire, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Cerdeslai. Chearsley is a Village and Civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey This is assumed to be the place mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Cerdicesleah, where King Cerdic and his son Cynric defeated the Britons in 527.

References

1. ^ Fletcher, Richard (1989). Who's Who in Roman Britain and Anglo-Saxon England. Shepheard-Walwyn, 22-23. ISBN 0-85683-089-5.  
2. ^ Hunter Blair, Peter (1960). An Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England. Cambridge University Press, 34-35.  
3. ^ Campbell, John; John, Eric & Wormald, Patrick (1991). The Anglo-Saxons. Penguin Books, 26. ISBN 0-14-014395-5.  
4. ^ Howorth, H. H. , The Beginnings of Wessex, The English Historical Review, Vol. 13, No. 52 (Oct. , 1898), pp. 667-671

External links

• http://www.fabpedigree.com/s036/f014287.htm A pedigree depicting his legendary descent from Woden.
• http://www.fabpedigree.com/s004/f020760.htm A pedigree depicting his suggested connection to Arthurian legend.
• http://www.postroman.info/anglo_saxon/chronicle4.htm The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which says he and his son arrived in Hampshire (at Cerdic's Ore) from the continent.