Ricberht
Encyclopedia
Ricberht is thought to have briefly been the king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon
kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk
and Suffolk
.
According to Bede
, in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People
, Ricberht was responsible for the murder of Eorpwald of East Anglia
in c. 627, shortly after Eorpwald succeeded his father Rædwald and was baptised as a Christian
. Ricberht may then have been king for three years. Whilst he ruled, East Anglia reverted to paganism
.
's Ecclesiastical History of the English People
early in the 7th century, at the time that it was a powerful kingdom ruled by Rædwald. The early East Anglian kings were pagans who belonged to the Wuffing
dynasty, named after Wuffa
. Wuffa's descendants ruled the kingdom in an almost unbroken line until after the reign of Ælfwald in the middle of the 8th century. According to Bede, Rædwald was recognised as exercising dominance or imperium over the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, his position being assured when he gave his loyalty and support to Edwin of Northumbria
, at that time a fugitive at his court, and when he defeated Æthelfrith of Northumbria
on the banks of the River Idle, a tributary of the river Trent. He had been converted to Christianity in Kent
, but under the influence of his pagan wife his church contained both a Christian and a pagan altar.
Rædwald was succeeded by his son Eorpwald
, who later was converted to Christianity by Edwin of Northumbria
in 627, but was killed shortly afterwards in a pagan reaction against him. Eorpwald may be the person who was buried in the Sutton Hoo ship-burial
near the Wuffing centre of authority at Rendlesham, but most experts consider his father to be a more likely candidate.
The source for Ricberht, Bede's Ecclesiastical History, states that 'Eorpwald, not long after he had embraced the Christian faith, was slain by one Ricberht, a pagan;' (Uerum Eorpuald non multo, postquam fidem accepit, tempore occisus est a uiro gentili nomine Ricbercto;). It is not known where Eorpwald's murder occurred, or of any other details surrounding the events.
, Ricberht, if he ruled at all, succeeded Eorpwald and was king for three years. He was the last pagan king of the East Angles. Bede does not mention him again, only noting that 'the province was in error for three years' (et exinde tribus annis prouincia in errore uersata est), prior to the accession of Eorpwald's half-brother (or brother) Sigeberht of East Anglia
., which is generally taken to mean that East Anglia relapsed back into paganism during this period.
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
According to Bede
Bede
Bede , 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...
, in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
, Ricberht was responsible for the murder of Eorpwald of East Anglia
Eorpwald of East Anglia
Eorpwald; also Erpenwald or Earpwald, , succeeded his father Rædwald as ruler of the independent Kingdom of the East Angles...
in c. 627, shortly after Eorpwald succeeded his father Rædwald and was baptised as a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Ricberht may then have been king for three years. Whilst he ruled, East Anglia reverted to paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
.
Background
The Kingdom of the East Angles appears in BedeBede
Bede , 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...
's Ecclesiastical History of the English People
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
early in the 7th century, at the time that it was a powerful kingdom ruled by Rædwald. The early East Anglian kings were pagans who belonged to the Wuffing
Wuffing
The Wuffingas were the ruling dynasty of the kingdom of East Anglia, the long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Wuffingas took their name from Wuffa, an early East Anglian king. It has been argued that the Wuffingas may have originated...
dynasty, named after Wuffa
Wuffa of East Anglia
Wuffa is supposed to have ruled the East Angles from c. 571 to c. 578. East Anglia was a long-lived Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk....
. Wuffa's descendants ruled the kingdom in an almost unbroken line until after the reign of Ælfwald in the middle of the 8th century. According to Bede, Rædwald was recognised as exercising dominance or imperium over the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, his position being assured when he gave his loyalty and support to Edwin of Northumbria
Edwin of Northumbria
Edwin , also known as Eadwine or Æduini, was the King of Deira and Bernicia – which later became known as Northumbria – from about 616 until his death. He converted to Christianity and was baptised in 627; after he fell at the Battle of Hatfield Chase, he was venerated as a saint.Edwin was the son...
, at that time a fugitive at his court, and when he defeated Æthelfrith of Northumbria
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...
on the banks of the River Idle, a tributary of the river Trent. He had been converted to Christianity in Kent
Kingdom of Kent
The 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...
, but under the influence of his pagan wife his church contained both a Christian and a pagan altar.
Rædwald was succeeded by his son Eorpwald
Eorpwald of East Anglia
Eorpwald; also Erpenwald or Earpwald, , succeeded his father Rædwald as ruler of the independent Kingdom of the East Angles...
, who later was converted to Christianity by Edwin of Northumbria
Edwin of Northumbria
Edwin , also known as Eadwine or Æduini, was the King of Deira and Bernicia – which later became known as Northumbria – from about 616 until his death. He converted to Christianity and was baptised in 627; after he fell at the Battle of Hatfield Chase, he was venerated as a saint.Edwin was the son...
in 627, but was killed shortly afterwards in a pagan reaction against him. Eorpwald may be the person who was buried in the Sutton Hoo ship-burial
Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo, near to Woodbridge, in the English county of Suffolk, is the site of two 6th and early 7th century cemeteries. One contained an undisturbed ship burial including a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artefacts of outstanding art-historical and archaeological significance, now held in the British...
near the Wuffing centre of authority at Rendlesham, but most experts consider his father to be a more likely candidate.
The assassination of Eorpwald
Eorpwald was killed by Riceberht in 626 or 627, soon after his conversion.The source for Ricberht, Bede's Ecclesiastical History, states that 'Eorpwald, not long after he had embraced the Christian faith, was slain by one Ricberht, a pagan;' (Uerum Eorpuald non multo, postquam fidem accepit, tempore occisus est a uiro gentili nomine Ricbercto;). It is not known where Eorpwald's murder occurred, or of any other details surrounding the events.
Riceberht's rule
Nothing about Riceberht's ancestry or background is known. According to historians, including Barbara YorkeBarbara Yorke
Barbara Yorke is a historian of Anglo-Saxon England.She studied history and archaeology at Exeter University, where she completed both her undergraduate degree and her Ph.D. She is currently Professor of Early Medieval History at the University of Winchester, and is a Fellow of the Royal...
, Ricberht, if he ruled at all, succeeded Eorpwald and was king for three years. He was the last pagan king of the East Angles. Bede does not mention him again, only noting that 'the province was in error for three years' (et exinde tribus annis prouincia in errore uersata est), prior to the accession of Eorpwald's half-brother (or brother) Sigeberht of East Anglia
Sigeberht of East Anglia
Sigeberht of East Anglia , was a saint and a king of East Anglia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. He was the first English king to receive a Christian baptism and education before his succession and the first to abdicate in order to enter...
., which is generally taken to mean that East Anglia relapsed back into paganism during this period.