Adda of Bernicia
Encyclopedia
Adda was the third known ruler of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Bernicia
.
Adda was one of several sons born to Ida
, the first ruler of Bernicia, as was his successor Æthelric
.
Adda may have been the Bernician commander at the battle of Caer Greu, where the British kings Peredur
and Gwrgi of Ebrauc were killed. There is some confusion here because of a conflict between sources. The Annales Cambriae
state that the Battle of Caer Greu took place in 580. The evidence for Adda being the Bernician king in question is that the Welsh Triads
identify that leader as Ida. Since the sources agree that Ida died in 559, it is assumed that the Triads have named Ida by mistake, and that Adda -- the only son with a name similar to Ida's -- was meant. However, the Historia Brittonum states that Adda only reigned for 8 years after Ida, in which case either the Bernician leader must have been one of Adda's successors, or else one of the sources has the dates confused. It is also possible that Ælle of Deira led the Angles at Caer Greu -- certainly, Ebrauc ceased to exist as a British kingdom after the battle, with Deira taking over its territory. Since, however, the surviving northern British kingdoms subsequently combined to launch a vigorous campaign directed against Bernicia rather than Deira, this suggests that Bernicia was the original combatant.
Nothing else is known for certain about Adda's life or reign. The earliest authorities differ widely on the order and the regnal years of the Bernician kings between the death of Ida and the beginning of Æthelfrith's
rule in 592/593.
Bernicia
Bernicia was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England....
.
Adda was one of several sons born to Ida
Ida of Bernicia
Ida is the first known king of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia, which he ruled from around 547 until his death in 559. Little is known of his life or reign, but he was regarded as the founder of a line from which later Anglo-Saxon kings in this part of northern England and southern Scotland...
, the first ruler of Bernicia, as was his successor Æthelric
Æthelric of Bernicia
Aethelric was the fourth known king of the Kingdom of Bernicia which he ruled from 568 to 572. Aethelric was the father of Æthelfrith, who was the first monarch to rule both Bernicia and Deira, the two constituent parts of what came to be considered Northumbria.Aethelric was one of the sons born...
.
Adda may have been the Bernician commander at the battle of Caer Greu, where the British kings Peredur
Peredur
Peredur is the name of a number of men from the boundaries of history and legend in sub-Roman Britain. The most well known of them appear in the following literary and historical sources:-Gwrgi and Peredur, sons of Eliffer:...
and Gwrgi of Ebrauc were killed. There is some confusion here because of a conflict between sources. The Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae, or The Annals of Wales, is the name given to a complex of Cambro-Latin chronicles deriving ultimately from a text compiled from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales, not later than the 10th century...
state that the Battle of Caer Greu took place in 580. The evidence for Adda being the Bernician king in question is that the Welsh Triads
Welsh Triads
The Welsh Triads are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a rhetorical form whereby objects are grouped together in threes, with a heading indicating the point of likeness...
identify that leader as Ida. Since the sources agree that Ida died in 559, it is assumed that the Triads have named Ida by mistake, and that Adda -- the only son with a name similar to Ida's -- was meant. However, the Historia Brittonum states that Adda only reigned for 8 years after Ida, in which case either the Bernician leader must have been one of Adda's successors, or else one of the sources has the dates confused. It is also possible that Ælle of Deira led the Angles at Caer Greu -- certainly, Ebrauc ceased to exist as a British kingdom after the battle, with Deira taking over its territory. Since, however, the surviving northern British kingdoms subsequently combined to launch a vigorous campaign directed against Bernicia rather than Deira, this suggests that Bernicia was the original combatant.
Nothing else is known for certain about Adda's life or reign. The earliest authorities differ widely on the order and the regnal years of the Bernician kings between the death of Ida and the beginning of Æthelfrith's
Æthelfrith of Northumbria
Æthelfrith was King of Bernicia from c. 593 until c. 616; he was also, beginning c. 604, the first Bernician king to also rule Deira, to the south of Bernicia. Since Deira and Bernicia were the two basic components of what would later be defined as Northumbria, Æthelfrith can be considered, in...
rule in 592/593.