8th century in England
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| 7th century 7th century in England Events from the 7th century in England.-Events:* 601** The Bishopric of Canterbury is raised to an Archbishopric.* 604** The first Bishop of London and Bishop of Rochester are consecrated; King Ethelbert of Kent founds Saint Paul's Cathedral.... | 8th century | 9th century 9th century in England Events from the 9th century in England.-Events:* 801** Northumbrian invasion of Mercia fails.* 802** Egbert becomes King of Wessex.* 803** Council of Clofeshoh abolishes the Archbishopric of Lichfield.* 805... |
Events from the 8th century
8th century
The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian/Common Era.-Overview:During this century, the Middle East, the coast of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula rapidly come under Islamic Arab domination...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Events
- 705
- Saint WilfridWilfridWilfrid was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Gaul, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and became the abbot of a newly founded monastery at Ripon...
re-instated as Bishop of Ripon. - BedeBedeBede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
completes his first chronological work.
- Saint Wilfrid
- 710
- PictPICTPICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics , and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.The original version, PICT 1, was...
s unsuccessfully invade NorthumbriaNorthumbriaNorthumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
.
- Pict
- 716
- EthelbaldEthelbald of MerciaÆthelbald was the King of Mercia, in what is now the English Midlands, from 716 until 757. During his long reign, Mercia became the dominant kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons, and recovered the position of pre-eminence it had enjoyed during the seventh century under the strong Mercian kings Penda and...
becomes King of MerciaMerciaMercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
, marking the beginning of that kingdom's ascendancy over the other Saxon realms.
- Ethelbald
- 722
- King Ine of WessexIne of WessexIne 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 England under his control and expanded West Saxon territory substantially...
fails to conquer CornwallCornwallCornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, being defeated at the three battles of Hehil, Garth Maelog, and Pencon.
- King Ine of Wessex
- before 730: NorthumbriaNorthumbriaNorthumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
annexes RhegedRhegedRheged is described in poetic sources as one of the kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd , the Brythonic-speaking region of what is now northern England and southern Scotland, during the Early Middle Ages...
. - 731
- Bede completes his Ecclesiastical History of the English.
- 13 January - Death of Berhtwald, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Tatwine.
- 734
- 30 July - Death of Tatwine, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Nothhelm.
- 735
- Bishopric of York upgraded to an ArchbishopricArchbishop of YorkThe Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
; EcgbertEcgbert, Archbishop of YorkEcgbert was an eighth century Archbishop of York and correspondent of Bede and Boniface.-Life:...
becomes the first Archbishop.
- Bishopric of York upgraded to an Archbishopric
- 736
- King Ethelbald of Mercia describes himself as "King of Britain".
- 739
- 17 October - Death of Nothhelm, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by CuthbertCuthbert of CanterburyCuthbert was a medieval Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury in England. Prior to his elevation to Canterbury, he was abbot of a monastic house, and perhaps may have been Bishop of Hereford also, but evidence for his holding Hereford mainly dates from after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066...
.
- 17 October - Death of Nothhelm, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Cuthbert
- 747
- First Council of Clofeshoh reforms the Church.
- 749
- Edict of Gumley: Church freed from its economic obligations to the King of Mercia.
- 750
- King Eadberht of NorthumbriaEadberht of NorthumbriaEadberht was king of Northumbria from 737 or 738 to 758. He was the brother of Ecgbert, Archbishop of York. His reign is seen as a return to the imperial ambitions of seventh-century Northumbria and may represent a period of economic prosperity. He faced internal opposition from rival dynasties...
invades the Kingdom of StrathclydeKingdom of StrathclydeStrathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
, capturing KyleKyleKyle may refer to:* KYLE, a Fox network affiliate* Kyle , a Scottish masculine given name * Kyle , a surname of Scottish origin* Kyle, Ayrshire, Scotland* Kyle, Indiana, United States...
.
- King Eadberht of Northumbria
- 752
- Battle of Beorhford: WessexWessexThe Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
defeats Mercia.
- Battle of Beorhford: Wessex
- 756
- King Eadberht captures Dumbarton, capitol of Strathclyde.
- 757
- King Ethelbald of Mercia murdered; succeeded by OffaOffaOffa may refer to:Two kings of the Angles, who are often confused:*Offa of Angel , on the continent*Offa of Mercia , in Great BritainA king of Essex:*Offa of Essex A town in Nigeria:* Offa, Nigeria...
. - Wat's DykeWat's DykeWat's Dyke is a 40 mile earthwork running through the northern Welsh Marches from Basingwerk Abbey on the River Dee estuary, passing to the east of Oswestry and onto Maesbury in Shropshire, England...
constructed.
- King Ethelbald of Mercia murdered; succeeded by Offa
- 760
- Battle of HerefordBattle of HerefordThe Battle of Hereford was fought at Hereford, England in 760. The conflict followed decades of hostility between the Welsh Kingdoms of Brycheiniog, Gwent and Powys by Æthelbald of Mercia and Coenred of Wessex, and involved the armies of Mercia and the Welsh...
: Battle between Mercia and the WelshWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
; Dyfnwal ap Tewdwr dies. - 26 October - Death of CuthbertCuthbert of CanterburyCuthbert was a medieval Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury in England. Prior to his elevation to Canterbury, he was abbot of a monastic house, and perhaps may have been Bishop of Hereford also, but evidence for his holding Hereford mainly dates from after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066...
, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Bregowine.
- Battle of Hereford
- 764
- Offa conquers KentKingdom of KentThe Kingdom of Kent was a Jutish colony and later independent kingdom in what is now south east England. It was founded at an unknown date in the 5th century by Jutes, members of a Germanic people from continental Europe, some of whom settled in Britain after the withdrawal of the Romans...
. - Death of Bregowine, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Jænberht.
- Offa conquers Kent
- 771
- Offa conquers SussexKingdom of SussexThe Kingdom of Sussex or Kingdom of the South Saxons was a Saxon colony and later independent kingdom of the Saxons, on the south coast of England. Its boundaries coincided in general with those of the earlier kingdom of the Regnenses and the later county of Sussex. A large part of its territory...
.
- Offa conquers Sussex
- 774
- Offa first uses the title "King of the English".
- 776
- Battle of Otford: Kent expels the Mercians.
- 778
- Offa raids DyfedDyfedDyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe...
.
- Offa raids Dyfed
- 784
- Offa raids WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. - Construction of Offa's DykeOffa's DykeOffa's Dyke is a massive linear earthwork, roughly followed by some of the current border between England and Wales. In places, it is up to wide and high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys...
begins.
- Offa raids Wales
- 786
- Papal legates hold councils in Mercia and Northumbria.
- Mercia regains control of Kent.
- 787
- Offa issues the first silver pennyPennyA penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
. - Offa has his son consecratedConsecrationConsecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
as King; the first such ceremony in England. - First VikingVikingThe term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raid on England; at PortlandIsle of PortlandThe Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
.
- Offa issues the first silver penny
- 788
- At Offa's urging, the Pope upgrades the Bishopric of LichfieldBishop of LichfieldThe Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 4,516 km² of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed...
to an Archbishopric.
- At Offa's urging, the Pope upgrades the Bishopric of Lichfield
- 789
- CharlemagneCharlemagneCharlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
establishes a trade embargo on the English after failed negotiations for his daughter to marry Offa's son.
- Charlemagne
- 792
- 12 August - Death of Jænberht, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by ÆthelhardÆthelhardÆthelhard was a Bishop of Winchester then an Archbishop of Canterbury in medieval England. Appointed by King Offa of Mercia, Æthelhard had difficulties with both the Kentish monarchs and with a rival archiepiscopate in southern England, and was deposed around 796 by King Eadberht III Præn of Kent...
.
- 12 August - Death of Jænberht, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is succeeded by Æthelhard
- 793
- 8 June - Vikings raid LindisfarneLindisfarneLindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...
.
- 8 June - Vikings raid Lindisfarne
- 794
- Vikings raid JarrowJarrowJarrow is a town in Tyne and Wear, England, located on the River Tyne, with a population of 27,526. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.-Foundation:The Angles re-occupied...
.
- Vikings raid Jarrow
- 796
- Kent rebels against Mercia again.
- Offa raids Dyfed.
- Battle of RhuddlanRhuddlanRhuddlan is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire , in north Wales. It is situated to the south of the coastal town of Rhyl and overlooks the River Clwyd. The town gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan from 1974 to 1996...
. - 26 July - Offa dies; Wessex regains its independence.
- 798
- Kentish rebellion suppressed.
- Saxons kill Caradog ap MeirionCaradog ap MeirionCaradog ap Meirion was King of Gwynedd . This era in the history of Gwynedd was not notable, and given the lack of reliable information available, serious histories of Wales, such that as by Davies, do not mention Caradog, while that of Lloyd mentions his name only in a footnote quoting the year...
, King of GwyneddGwyneddGwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
.