Not to be confused with the former Spanish kingdom Murcia

The Kingdom of Mercia at its greatest extent (7th to 9th centuries) is shown in green, with the original core area (6th century) given a darker tint. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.

Mercia (IPA: /ˈmɝsiə/) was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south Heptarchy ( Greek: seven + realm) is a collective name applied to the Anglo-Saxon ancient kingdoms of south east and central It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands. The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire between Biddulph and Biddulph Moor. This article is mainly about the English Midlands For other uses see Midlands (disambiguation. The name is a Latinisation of the Old English Mierce, meaning "border people".

Mercia's neighbours included Northumbria, Powys, the kingdoms of southern Wales, Wessex, Sussex, Essex, and East Anglia.   West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. The Kingdom of Sussex, ( Suth Seaxe, ie the South Saxons was one of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms the boundaries of which coincided in general with those of the earlier kingdom The Kingdom of Essex ( Est Seaxna "East Saxons" was one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy) was founded The Kingdom of the East Angles or Kingdom of East Anglia was one of the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

The name of Mercia is still in use today by a wide range of organisations, including military units, public, commercial and voluntary bodies.

Early history

Mercia's exact evolution from the Anglo-Saxon invasions is more obscure than that of Northumbria, Kent, or even Wessex. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Archaeological surveys show that Angles settled the lands north of the River Thames by the sixth century. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestral region of Angeln, a modern district located in The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. The name Mercia is Old English for "boundary folk" (see marches), and the traditional interpretation was that the kingdom originated along the frontier between the Welsh and the Anglo-Saxon invaders, although P. Hunter Blair has argued an alternative interpretation that they emerged along the frontier between the kingdom of Northumbria and the inhabitants of the Trent river valley. Mark from the Old English mearc and march (or various plural forms of these words derived from the Frankish word marka ("boundary" Peter Hunter Blair (1912-1982 was an English academic historian

The earliest king of Mercia of whom any details are known was Creoda, said to have been the great-grandson of Icel (see List of monarchs of Mercia). Creoda (or Crida) (c 540 - 593 was the first monarch of Mercia (584 - 593 Icel (or Icil) ( fl 527 was the great-grandfather of Creoda of Mercia and the son of Eomer, last King of the Angles in Europe The Kingdom of Mercia was an important state in the English Midlands from the 6th century to the 10th. He came to power about 585 and built a fortress at Tamworth, which became the seat of the Mercian kings. Tamworth is a Town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located 14 miles (22 km north-east of Birmingham He was succeeded by his son Pybba in 593. Pybba (570?&ndash606/615 (also Pibba, Wibba, Wybba) was an early King of Mercia. Cearl, a kinsman of Creoda, followed Pybba in 606; in 615, Cearl gave his daughter Cwenburga in marriage to Edwin, king of Deira whom he had sheltered while he was an exiled prince. Cearl was an early king of Mercia who ruled during the early part of the 7th century perhaps from about 606 to about 626 Saint Edwin (alternately Eadwine or Æduini) (c 586 &ndash 12 October 632/633 was the King of Deira and Bernicia - which would Deira was a kingdom in Northern England during the 6th century AD The next Mercian king was Penda, who ruled from about 626 or 633 until 655. Penda (died November 15 655 was a 7th-century King of Mercia, a kingdom in what is today the English Midlands. Some of what is known about Penda comes through the hostile account of Bede, who disliked him both for being an enemy king to Bede's own Northumbria, but also for being a pagan. Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world However, Bede admits that it was Penda who freely allowed Christian missionaries from Lindisfarne into Mercia, and did not restrain them from preaching. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. Lindisfarne () (variant spelling Lindesfarne is a Tidal island off the north-east coast of England. After a reign of successful battles against all opponents, Penda was defeated and killed at the Battle of Winwaed by the Northumbrian king Oswiu in 655. The Battle of the Winwaed was fought on November 15, 655 (or perhaps in 654, according to one interpretation of the chronology between King Oswiu (c 612&ndash 15 February 670) also known as Oswy, was King of Bernicia.

The battle led to a temporary collapse of Mercian power. Penda was succeeded first by his son Peada (who converted to Christianity at Repton in 653), but in the spring of 656 he was murdered and Oswiu assumed control of the whole of Mercia. Peada (died 656 a son of Penda, was briefly King of southern Mercia after his father's death in November 655 until his own death in the spring of the Repton is a large Village in Derbyshire, England between Derby and Burton upon Trent, situated at the edge of the River A revolt in 658 resulted in the appearance of another son of Penda, Wulfhere, who ruled Mercia until his death in 675. Wulfhere (died 675 was King of Mercia from the end of the 650s until 675 Wulfhere was initially successful in restoring the power of Mercia, but the end of his reign saw a serious defeat against Northumbria. The next two kings, Æthelred and Cœnred son of Wulfhere, are better known for their religious activities; the king who succeeded them (in 709), Ceolred, is said in a letter of Saint Boniface to have been a dissolute youth who died insane. For the later earl see Earl Æthelred of Mercia. Æthelred (ˈæθəlrɛd (died after 704 was King of Mercia from 675 until Cenred (or Coenred, Coinred, Kenred) ruled the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. Ceolred (died 716 was King of Mercia from 709 to 716 He was a son of Æthelred, but not of Osthryth, Æthelred's only recorded wife Saint Boniface ( Latin: Bonifacius c 672 – June 5, 754) the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid or Wynfrith at So ended the rule of the direct descendants of Penda.

The first bishop of Mercia was Ceadda, also known as Chad, who placed his see at Lichfield. Chad (Tchad تشاد Tshād) officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a Landlocked country in Central Africa. Lichfield is a city and Civil parish in Staffordshire, England.

At some point before the accession of Æthelbald, the Mercians conquered the region around Wroxeter, known to the Welsh as "The Paradise of Powys. Æthelbald (also spelled Ethelbald, or Aethelbald) (died 757 was the King of Mercia, in what is now the English Midlands See also Wroxeter (disambiguation Wroxeter (pronounced "Rock-Sitter" is a Village in the county of Shropshire, England, on " Elegies written in the persona of its dispossessed rulers record the sorrow at this loss.

The next important king of Mercia was Æthelbald (716-757). For the first few years of his reign he had to face the obstacles of two strong rival kings, Wihtred of Kent and Ine of Wessex. Wihtred (c 670 &ndash 23 April 725 was king of Kent from about 690 or 691 until his death Ine was King of Wessex from 688 to 726 He was unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecessor Cædwalla, who had brought much of Southern But when Wihtred died in 725, and Ine abdicated his throne the following year to become a monk in Rome, Æthelbald was free to establish Mercia's hegemony over the rest of the Anglo-Saxons south of the Humber. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The Humber is a large tidal Estuary on the east coast of northern England Because of his prowess as a military leader, he acquired the title of Bretwalda. Bretwalda, also Brytenwalda, Bretenanwealda, is an Anglo-Saxon term the first record of which comes from the late ninth century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Æthelbald suffered a setback in 752, when he was defeated by the West Saxons under Cuthred, but he seems to have restored his supremacy over Wessex by 757. Cuthred of Wessex or Cuþræd (died 756 was the Monarch of Wessex from 740 (739 according to Simeon of Durham, 741 according to John of

Reign of Offa and rise of Wessex

Britain around the year 800

Following the murder of Æthelbald by one of his bodyguards in 757, a civil war followed, which was concluded with the victory of Offa. Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796 Offa was forced to build the hegemony over the southern English of his predecessor anew, but he not only did so successfully, he became the greatest king Mercia ever knew. Not only did he win battles and dominate southern England, he also took an active hand to administering the affairs of his kingdom by founding market towns and overseeing the first major issues of gold coins in Britain, assumed a role in the administration of the Catholic church in England (sponsoring the short-lived archbishopric of Lichfield), and even negotiated with Charlemagne as an equal. Market town or market right is a legal term originating in the Medieval period for a European settlement that has the right to hold Markets main - title Coin keywords numismatics coin review Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his Offa is credited with the construction of Offa's Dyke, marking the border between Wales and Mercia. Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa is a massive linear earthwork, roughly following some of the current border between England and Wales.

Offa exerted himself to ensure that his son Ecgfrith of Mercia would succeed him, but after his death in July 796, Ecgfrith survived for only five more months, and the kingdom passed to a distant relative named Coenwulf in December 796. Ecgfrith (died December 796 was a King of Mercia who briefly ruled in the year 796 In 821, Coenwulf himself was succeeded by his brother Ceolwulf, who demonstrated his military prowess by his attack on and destruction of the fortress of Deganwy in Powys. Ceolwulf I was King of Mercia and Kent from 821 to 823. He was the brother of Cœnwulf, his predecessor and was deposed by Beornwulf Deganwy is a small Town in the county borough of Conwy, Wales. This article is about the county of Wales For the ancient kingdom see Kingdom of Powys. The power of the West Saxons under Egbert was rising during this period, however, and in 825 Egbert defeated the Mercian king Beornwulf (who had overthrown Ceolwulf in 823) at Ellendun. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Egbert (also spelt Ecgberht) (died 839 was King of Wessex from 802 until 839 Beornwulf (died 825 was King of Mercia (now the Midlands of England) from 823 to 825 Ellandun was the site of the Battle of Ellandun between Egbert of Wessex and Beornwulf of Mercia in 825.

The Battle of Ellendun proved decisive. Beornwulf was slain suppressing a revolt amongst the East Angles, and his successor, a former ealdorman named Ludeca, met the same fate. Ludeca was the nineteenth King of Mercia, from 826 to 827 He became king after the death of Beornwulf in battle against the rebellious East Angles, but Another ealdorman, Wiglaf, subsequently ruled for less than two years before being driven out of Mercia by Egbert. Wiglaf (died 839 was King of Mercia from 827 to 829 and again from 830 until his death In 830, Wiglaf regained independence for Mercia, but by this time Wessex was clearly the dominant power in England. Wiglaf was succeeded by Beorhtwulf. Beorhtwulf (died 852 (also Berhtwulf, was King of the Mercians from 840 to 852

Arrival of the Danes

In 852, Burgred came to the throne and with Ethelwulf of Wessex subjugated north Wales. Burgred or Burhred or Burghred was the king of Mercia (852 - 874 Æthelwulf, also spelled Aethelwulf or Ethelwulf; Old English: Æþelwulf, means 'Noble Wolf' (c In 868, Viking invaders (from Denmark) occupied Nottingham. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Nottingham ( is a city in the Ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England. The Vikings drove Burgred, the last king of Mercia, from his kingdom in 874. In 886, the eastern part of the kingdom became part of the Danelaw, while Mercia was reduced to its western portion only. The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (also known as the Danelagh; Old English: Dena lagu; Danish: The Danes appointed a Mercian thegn, Ceolwulf II, as king in 873 while the remaining independent section of Mercia was ruled by Earl Æthelred of Mercia, called an ealderman, not a king. A thegn or thane was an attendant servant retainer or official in Early Medieval Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon culture. Ceolwulf II (probably died 881 was King of Mercia. He succeeded Burgred of Mercia who was deposed in 874 Ealdorman Æthelred (died 911 was a ruler of Mercia (c 883 &ndash 911 Earl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning " Chieftain " and referring especially to chieftains He ruled from 883 until 911, in a close and trusting alliance with Wessex. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Æthelred had married Æthelflæd, daughter of Alfred the Great of Wessex. Alfred the Great (also Ælfred from the Old English Ælfrēd ˈælfreːd (c She gradually assumed power as her husband sickened after about 900, possibly as a result of his wounds gained at the decisive battle against the Vikings at Tettenhall where the last large Viking army to ravage England suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the combined Mercian and Wessex army. Tettenhall is a historic part of the city of Wolverhampton, England. After Æthelred's death Æthelflæd ruled alone as ‘Lady of the Mercians’ until her death in 918, when her brother, Edward the Elder of Wessex, became king over Mercia as well. Edward the Elder ( Old English: Ēadweard se Ieldra) (c 870 &ndash 17 July 924) was King of England (899 &ndash In 911, immediately after Æthelred’s death, Æthelflæd freely gave London and Oxford, with the lands belonging thereto, to her brother in Wessex as a token of loyalty. Events By Place Europe Autumn — Charles the Simple agrees to the Treaty of St She then concentrated on fortifying Mercia's existing borders — east towards Nottingham, north to Chester, along the Welsh marches, and down to the Severn estuary. For other rivers named "Severn" see Severn River. The River Severn ( Welsh: Afon Hafren, Latin In 917 she expelled the Danes from Derby. Events By Place Asia The Great Yue Kingdom later renamed Southern Han, is founded by Liu Yan in Guangdong Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" /dˈɑːbɪ/ is a city in the East Midlands of England.

Loss of independence

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes the end of independent political direction in Mercia following the death of Æthelflæd. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. Edward of Wessex took over the fortress at Tamworth and accepted the submission of all those settled in Mercia, both Danish and English. In 919, Ælfwynn, the daughter of Æthelred, was deprived of all authority in Mercia and taken to Wessex.

References to Mercia and the Mercians continue through the annals recording the reigns of Æthelstan and his successors. In 975 King Edgar is described as “friend of the West Saxons and protector of the Mercians”. Events By Place Europe King Edward the Martyr is crowned in England. EDGAR, the Electronic Data-Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system performs automated collection validation indexing acceptance and forwarding of submissions by companies

A separate political existence from Wessex was briefly restored in 955-959, when Edgar became king of Mercia, and again in 1016, when the kingdom was divided between Cnut and Edmund Ironside, Cnut taking Mercia. Events By Place Europe August 10 — Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I the Great defeats the Magyars, halting This article is about the year 959 For the automobile see Porsche 959. Knut or Kanute is a Scandinavian first name of which the anglicized form is Canute. Edmund Ironside or Eadmund (c 988/993 – 30 November 1016 surnamed " Ironside " for his efforts to fend off the Danish invasion

The last reference to Mercia by name is in the annal for 1017, when Eadric Streona was awarded the government of Mercia by Cnut. Eadric or Edric Streona (died 1017 was an Ealdorman of the Saxon Mercians "Streona" appears to have meant "the Grasper" The later earls, Leofric, Ælfgar and Edwin, ruled over a territory broadly corresponding to historic Mercia, but the Chronicle does not identify it by name. Leofric may refer to Leofric Bishop of Exeter Leofric Earl of Mercia Ælfgar (c1030-1062 was son of Leofric Earl of Mercia, possibly by his well-known wife Godgifu ( Lady Godiva) although more probably by an earlier marriage The Mercians as a people are last mentioned in the annal for 1049.

Mercian dialect

Main articles: Mercian (Anglo-Saxon) and AB language

J.R.R. Tolkien is one of many scholars who have studied and promoted the Mercian dialect of Old English, and introduced various Mercian terms into his legendarium - especially in relation to the Kingdom of Rohan, otherwise known as the Mark (a name cognate with Mercia). In English philology, AB language refers to the early Middle English dialect of Ancrene Wisse and the Katherine Group (13th century Tolkien's Legendarium (ISBN 0-313-30530-7 is a collection of scholarly essays edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F Rohan, is a fictional realm in J R R Tolkien 's Fantasy era of Middle-earth. Not only is the language of Rohan actually the Mercian dialect of Old English, but a number of its kings have the same names as monarchs who appear in the Mercian royal genealogy, e. g. Fréawine, Fréaláf and Éomer (see List of kings of the Angles). This is a list of kings of Rohan from the Fictional universe of Middle-earth by J This is a list of kings of Rohan from the Fictional universe of Middle-earth by J Appearances Literature Éomer of the House of Eorl, was the son of Théodwyn and Éomund, a Chief Marshal of the Riddermark. Angles were the dominant Germanic tribe in the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, and gave their name to the English. ^[1]

The dialect thrived between the 8th and 13th centuries and was referred to by John Trevisa, writing in 1387:^[2]

For men of the est with men of the west, as it were undir the same partie of hevene, acordeth more in sownynge of speche than men of the north with men of the south, therfore it is that Mercii, that beeth men of myddel Engelond, as it were parteners of the endes, understondeth bettre the side langages, northerne and southerne, than northerne and southerne understondeth either other…

Subdivisions of Mercia

For knowledge of the internal composition of the Kingdom of Mercia, we must rely on a document of uncertain age (possibly late 7th century), known as the Tribal Hidage - an assessment of the extent (but not the location) of land owned (reckoned in hides), and therefore the military obligations and perhaps taxes due, by each of the Mercian tribes and subject kingdoms by name. John Trevisa or John of Trevisa (1342 - 1402 Translator, was a Cornishman, educated at Oxford, who became Vicar of Berkeley Gloucestershire The Tribal Hidage is a list of territorial assessments in Anglo-Saxon England which lists regions and the number of hides those regions contained The hide was a unit used in assessing land for liability to " Geld " or land tax in Anglo-Saxon England from the 7th to the 11th centuries This hidage exists in several manuscript versions, some as late as the 14th century. It lists a number of peoples, such as the Hwicce, who have now vanished, except for reminders in various placenames (see map at the head of this article). The Hwicce (also spelt Hwicca or Wiccia) were one of the peoples of Anglo-Saxon England. The major subdivisions of Mercia were as follows:^[3]

• South Mercians

The Mercians dwelling south of the River Trent. Smaller folk groups within included the Tomsæte around Tamworth and the Pencersæte around Penkridge (approx. Tamworth is a Town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located 14 miles (22 km north-east of Birmingham Penkridge is a Market town in Staffordshire, England with a population of 7836 (Census 2001) S. Staffs. & N. Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Warks.). Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to

• North Mercians

The Mercians dwelling north of the River Trent (approx. N. Staffs., S. Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Derbys. & Notts.). History The area that is now Derbyshire was first visited probably briefly by humans 200000 years ago during the Aveley Interglacial as evidenced by a Middle Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire

• Outer Mercia

An early phase of Mercian expansion, possibly 6th century (approx. S. Lincs., Leics., Rutland, Northants. Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. Leicestershire (ˈlɛstəʃə(r or ˈlɛstəʃɪə(r abbreviation Leics Rutland is a county of mainland England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire, and southeast by Northamptonshire (or archaically the County of Northampton; abbreviated Northants & N. Oxon.). History See also History of Oxfordshire The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the

• Lindsey

Once a kingdom in its own right, disputed with Northumbria in the 7th century before finally coming under Mercian control (approx. Lindsey or Linnuis is the name of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that lay between the Humber and The Wash, forming its inland boundaries from the course N. Lincs.). Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England.

• Middle Angles

A collection of many smaller folk groups under Mercian control from the 7th century, including the Spaldas around Spalding, the Bilmingas and Wideringas near Stamford, the North Gyrwe and South Gyrwe near Peterborough, the West Wixna, East Wixna, West Wille and East Wille near Ely, the Sweordora, Hurstingas and Gifle near Bedford, the Hicce around Hitchin, the Cilternsæte in the Chilterns and the Feppingas near Thame (approx. The Middle Angles were an important ethnic or cultural group within the larger kingdom of Mercia in England in the Anglo-Saxon period Spalding is a Market town with a population of 30000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Stamford is located 100 miles north of London just off the A1 which was the old Great North Road leading to York and Edinburgh. History Early history Present-day Peterborough is the latest in a series of settlements which have at one time or other benefited from its situation where the Nene Ely (, rhyming with "freely" is a Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England. Bedford is the County town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, and has an estimated population of 30360 The Chiltern Hills are a Chalk Escarpment in Southeast England. Thame (pronounced "Tame" with a silent "h" is a market town in Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thame between Aylesbury Cambs., Hunts., Beds., Herts., Bucks. and S. History Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlement in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate History The earliest English settlers in the district were the Gyrwas, an East Anglian tribe who early in the 6th century worked their way up the Ouse and the Cam Bedfordshire (abbreviated Beds) is a County in England that forms part of the East of England region. Hertfordshire (ˈhɑːtfədʃə(r, abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. Oxon.). History See also History of Oxfordshire The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the

• Hwicce

Once a kingdom in its own right, disputed with Wessex in the 7th century before finally coming under Mercian control. The Hwicce (also spelt Hwicca or Wiccia) were one of the peoples of Anglo-Saxon England. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Smaller folk groups within included the Stoppingas around Warwick and the Arosæte near Droitwich (approx. Warwick (ˈwɒrɪk worrick (silent w in middle is the County town of Warwickshire, England. Droitwich Spa is a Town in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe and has a population of 22585 (2001 Gloucs., Worcs. & S. History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century Worcestershire (ˈwʊstəʃə abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England. Warks.). Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to

• Magonsæte

A people of the Welsh border, also known as the Westerna, under Mercian control from the 7th century. Magonsæte was a minor sub- kingdom of the greater Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, thought to be coterminous with the Diocese of Hereford Smaller folk groups within included the Temersæte near Hereford and the Hahlsæte near Ludlow (approx. Hereford ( ˈhɛrɨfəd is a city, Civil parish and County town of Herefordshire, England. Ludlow is a Market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. Herefs. & S. Constitution Herefordshire was reconstituted both as a new Non-metropolitan district (effective 19th July 1996 and as a new County comprising the area of the Shrops.). Shropshire (ˈʃrɒpʃɪə/ /-ʃə alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated in print only Shrops, is a county in the

• Wreocansæte

A people of the Welsh border under Mercian control from the 7th century. Smaller folk groups within included the Rhiwsæte near Wroxeter and the Meresæte near Chester (approx. See also Wroxeter (disambiguation Wroxeter (pronounced "Rock-Sitter" is a Village in the county of Shropshire, England, on Chester is the County town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77040 N. Shrops., Flints. & Cheshire). Shropshire (ˈʃrɒpʃɪə/ /-ʃə alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated in print only Shrops, is a county in the History The current administrative area of Flintshire (a Unitary authority) came into existence in 1996 when the former Administrative county of Clwyd Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England.

• Pecsæte

An isolated folk group of the Peak District, under Mercian control from the 7th century (approx. The Pecsaetan, peaklanders or peakrills were an Anglo Saxon tribe who inhabited the central and northern parts of the Peak District area in The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater N. Derbys.). History The area that is now Derbyshire was first visited probably briefly by humans 200000 years ago during the Aveley Interglacial as evidenced by a Middle

• Land Between Ribble & Mersey

A disorganised region under Mercian control from the 7th century (approx. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea S. Lancs.). Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea

• Middle Saxons

Taken over from Essex in the 8th century, including London (approx. Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The Kingdom of Essex ( Est Seaxna "East Saxons" was one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy) was founded London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Middlesex). Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest by area.

After Mercia was annexed by Wessex in the early 10th century, the West Saxon rulers divided it into shires modelled after their own system, cutting across traditional Mercian divisions. A shire is an Administrative division of Great Britain and Australia. These shires survived mostly intact until 1974, and even today still largely follow their original boundaries.

Mercian regional consciousness

The term ‘midlands’ is first recorded (as ‘mydlande’) in 1555^[4]. It is possible therefore that until then Mercia had remained the preferred term, as the quote from Trevisa above would indicate.

John Bateman, writing in 1876 or 1883, referred to contemporary Cheshire and Staffordshire landholdings as being in Mercia^[5]. Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. The most credible source for the conceit of a contemporary Mercia is Thomas Hardy’s Wessex novels. Thomas Hardy OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928 was an English novelist Short story writer and poet of the naturalist movement though he saw West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. The first of these appeared in 1874 and Hardy himself considered it the origin of the conceit of a contemporary Wessex. Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Bram Stoker set his 1911 novel, The Lair of the White Worm, in a contemporary Mercia that may have been influenced by Hardy, whose secretary was a friend of Stoker’s brother. Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Lair of the White Worm (also known as The Garden of Evil) is a Horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, who also Although ‘Edwardian Mercia’ never had the success of ‘Victorian Wessex’, it was an idea that appealed to the higher echelons of society. In 1908 Sir Oliver Lodge, Principal of Birmingham University, wrote to his counterpart at Bristol, welcoming a new university worthy of:

the great Province of Wessex whose higher educational needs it will supply. Year 1908 ( MCMVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year It will be no rival, but colleague and co-worker with this University, whose province is Mercia…^[6]. At this period, prior to World War I, regional identities within England were being debated with the prospect of separate Home Rule parliaments being established. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one

The British Army has made use of regional identities in naming larger formations. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. After the Second World War, the infantry regiments of Cheshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire were organised in the Mercian Brigade (1948-1968) Today "Mercia" appears in the titles of two regiments, the new Mercian Regiment (Which recruits in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Worestershire and parts of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands) and the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry. Mercian Brigade was an administrative formation of the British Army from 1948 to 1964 Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Mercian Regiment (MERCIAN is an Infantry Regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of four existing regiments in 2007 The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry is a Yeomanry regiment of the United Kingdom 's Territorial Army.

The West Mercia Constabulary was created in 1967, combining the police forces of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. West Mercia Constabulary is the Home Office Police force responsible for policing the counties of Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin)

Telephone directories across the midlands reveal a large number of commercial and voluntary organisations using ‘Mercia’ in their names. In the early 1980’s, Mercia Television was an unsuccessful contender for the ATV franchise (now Central Television). Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central and now legally ITV Central Ltd, is the British Independent Television contractor Mercia FM is a commercial radio station broadcasting from Coventry. Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England.

Heraldic symbols

The Kingdom of Mercia predated the emergence of heraldry. Hence there is no authentic Mercian heraldic symbol. However, later generations have ascribed a variety of devices to the rulers of Mercia or to the land itself.

The eagle

The silver, double-headed eagle surmounted by a gold, three-pronged Saxon crown has been used by various units of the British Army as a heraldic device for Mercia since 1958. It is derived from the attributed arms of Leofric, Earl of Mercia in the 11th century. WikipediaCITE#Citation_styles --> Attributed arms are Coats of arms given Leofric (born 968 died 31 August or 30 September 1057) was the Earl of Mercia and founded Monasteries at Coventry and ^[7] (It is worth noting, however, that Leofric is sometimes attributed a black, single-headed eagle instead. ^[8]) The examples on the left are the official devices of the Mercian Regiment and the Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry respectively (the latter, being a merged unit, also sports the Lancastrian red rose and crown). The Mercian Regiment (MERCIAN is an Infantry Regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of four existing regiments in 2007 The Royal Mercian and Lancastrian Yeomanry is a Yeomanry regiment of the United Kingdom 's Territorial Army.

The saltire

On the right are the arms of St Albans City Council, and below them the flag known as the Cross of St Alban. St Albans is the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London. The term Saint Alban 's Cross refers to a flag in the form of a yellow Saltire on a blue field By the thirteenth century, this device had become the attributed arms of the Kingdom of Mercia. WikipediaCITE#Citation_styles --> Attributed arms are Coats of arms given ^[9] The arms are blazoned as Azure, a saltire Or, or a gold (yellow) saltire on a blue field. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people In Heraldry and heraldic Vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of most often a Coat of arms or Flag, which enables a person to The arms were subsequently used by the Abbey of St Albans, founded by King Offa of Mercia. St Albans Cathedral (formerly St Albans Abbey, officially The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban) is an Anglican church at With the dissolution of the Abbey, and incorporation of the borough of St Albans the device was used on the town's corporate seal, and was officially recorded as the arms of the town at heraldic visitation in 1634. St Albans is the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London. Heraldic Visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms in England Wales and Ireland in order to regulate and register the coats of arms of nobility ^[10]

As a flag, it is flown from Tamworth Castle, the ancient seat of the Mercian kings, to this day. Tamworth Castle, a Grade I listed building, is a small Castle, located next to the River Tame, in the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire The cross has also been incorporated into a number of coats of arms of Mercian towns, such as Tamworth, Leek and Blaby. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people Tamworth is a Town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located 14 miles (22 km north-east of Birmingham Leek is a Market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. Blaby is a Village in central Leicestershire, England, some five miles south of Leicester city centre and with a population of around 6240

The wyvern

A wyvern is a dragon with two legs, as opposed to the usual four, and since its adoption as an emblem by the Midland Railway in the mid-19th century it has been associated with Mercia. A wyvern or wivern (derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for serpent and ˈwɪvən is a legendary winged reptilian creature often found in Mediaeval European dragons are Legendary creatures in Folklore and Mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

The Leicester and Swannington Railway, which opened in 1832, adopted as a badge the silver (white) wyvern that forms the crest of the Borough of Leicester as recorded at the heraldic visitation of Leicestershire in 1619: a wyvern sans legs argent strewed with wounds gules, wings expanded ermine (the term sans legs does not imply that the wyvern was legless; rather, that its legs are not depicted, being hidden or folded under). The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&S was one of England's first railways being opened on July 17 1832 to bring Coal from pits in west Leicestershire Heraldic Visitations were tours of inspection undertaken by Kings of Arms in England Wales and Ireland in order to regulate and register the coats of arms of nobility ^{[11] [12] [13]} This was inherited by the Midland Railway in 1845, where it became the crest of its unofficial coat of arms. The Midland Railway (MR was a Railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed from 1844 to 1922 when it became part of the London Midland and Scottish A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people ^[14] The company asserted that the "wyvern was the standard of the Kingdom of Mercia", and that it was a "a quartering in the town arms of Leicester". ^{[15] [16] [17][18]} However, in 1897 the Railway Magazine noted that there appeared "to be no foundation that the wyvern was associated with the Kingdom of Mercia". ^[16]

The wyvern in Leicester's crest was derived from that of Thomas of Lancaster, second Lancastrian Earl of Leicester. Thomas Earl of Lancaster (c 1278 &ndash March 22 1322) was one of the leaders of the Baronial opposition to Edward II of England. The seal of Thomas, who was executed in 1327, included a wyvern. ^[19]

A similar theme was later taken up by Bram Stoker in his 1911 novel, The Lair of the White Worm, which was explicitly set in Mercia (see above). Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror The Lair of the White Worm (also known as The Garden of Evil) is a Horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, who also The word "worm", derived from Old English wyrm, originally referred to a dragon or serpent. "Wyvern" is derived from Old Saxon wivere, also meaning serpent (and etymologically related to viper). Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German ( ISO 639 -3 code osx) is the earliest recorded form of Low German, documented from the 9th century VIPeR is a Military robot developed by the Israeli company Elbit Systems and intended for use in warfare

The ultimate source for the symbolism of white dragons in England would appear to be Geoffrey of Monmouth’s fictional History of the Kings of Britain (c. Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c 1136), where an incident occurs in the life of Merlin in which a red dragon is seen fighting a white dragon which it overcomes. The red dragon was taken to represent the Welsh and their eventual victory over the Anglo-Saxon invaders, symbolised by the white dragon. However, there is no archaeological or artefactual evidence that the early Anglo-Saxons used a white dragon to represent themselves.

See also

• J. R. R. Tolkien
• List of monarchs of Mercia
• Mercian – Anglo-Saxon dialect
• Old English
• Wessex
• Repton
• Tamworth

Further reading

• Ian W. The Kingdom of Mercia was an important state in the English Midlands from the 6th century to the 10th. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. Repton is a large Village in Derbyshire, England between Derby and Burton upon Trent, situated at the edge of the River Tamworth is a Town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located 14 miles (22 km north-east of Birmingham Walker. Mercia and the Making of England (2000) ISBN 0-7509-2131-5 (also published as Mercia and the Origins of England (2000) ISBN 0-7509-2131-5)

• Sarah Zaluckyj & Marge Feryok. Mercia: The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Central England (2001) ISBN 1-873827-62-8

• Michelle Brown & Carol Farr (eds). Mercia: An Anglo-Saxon Kingdom in Europe (2005) ISBN 0-8264-7765-8

• Margaret Gelling. 'The Early History of Western Mercia'. (p. 184-201; In: The Origins of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms. S. Bassett. 1989) (Western Mercia and the upper Trent being the probable cradle of early Mercia).

• Simon Schama. A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World? - 3000 BC-AD 1603 Vol 1 BBC Books 2003

• Elmes, Simon (2005). Talking for Britain: A Journey Through the Nation’s Dialects. Penguin. ISBN 0 140 51562 3.  

• McWhirter, Norris (1976). The Guinness Book of Answers. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0 900424 35 4.  

• Bateman, John (1971). The Great Landowners of Great Britain and Ireland. Leicester University Press. SBN 391 00157 4.  

• Cottle, Basil; Sherborne J. W. (1951). The Life of a University. University of Bristol.  

• Dow, George (1973). Railway Heraldry.  

References

External links

• Mercian History: History Project
• Simon Keynes' bibliography (and brief notes) on the Mercian kingdom
• Recensions of manuscripts of the "Hidage"