Wihtred of Kent

Wihtred of Kent

Wihtred was king of Kent from about 690 or 691 until his death. He was a son of Ecgberht I and a brother of Eadric. His immediate predecessor was Oswine, who was probably descended from Eadbald. He is the only Kent king to have been married to more than one woman.

About Wihtred of Kent in brief

Summary Wihtred of KentWihtred was king of Kent from about 690 or 691 until his death. He was a son of Ecgberht I and a brother of Eadric. His immediate predecessor was Oswine, who was probably descended from Eadbald. Shortly after the start of his reign, Wihtred issued a code of laws that has been preserved in a manuscript known as the Textus Roffensis. The laws pay a great deal of attention to the rights of the Church, including punishment for irregular marriages and for pagan worship. He died on 23 April 725, which would imply an accession date in late 690s or early 691. His sons, Æthelberht II, EadberHT I, and Alric, were succeeded in 725 by his sons,  Eadberht III, and  Alric I, and Swæfheard II, who died in 727 or 728. He is the only Kent king to have been married to more than one woman.

His reign was followed by a period of disarray in the 680s, when Cædwalla of Wessex invaded Kent and established his brother Mul as king there. Wiht red emerged from this disarray and became king in the early 6 90s. The dominant force in late-seventh-century politics south of the River Humber was Wulfhere of Mercia, who reigned from the late 650s to 675. Bede describes his accession by saying that he was the “rightful” king, and that he “freed the nation from foreign invasion by his devotion and diligence” He was succeeded by his son Æthelbersht I, who ruled from 725 to 730. His son Alric was the last king to rule in Kent before his death in 726 or 727, and he was succeeded in the same way as his father.