Wuffing
Encyclopedia
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 from a branch of the Geatish dynasty. Nothing is known of the members of the dynasty before Rædwald, who ruled from about 599 to circa 624. The Viking
invasions of the ninth century destroyed the monasteries in East Anglia where many documents relating to the rule of the Wuffings would have been kept.
to Ælfwald. They are numbered in order of ruling. Ecgric of East Anglia was also a member of the Wuffingas house, but his exact descent is not decided. He may have been Sigebert's brother, or his step-brother.
The kingdom of East Anglia was settled by peoples from northern Europe during the 5th and 6th centuries. Historical sources relating to the genealogy of the East Anglian kings include the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
and Bede
's Ecclesiastical History, both compiled many years after the kingdom was formed, as well as lists produced by medieval historians, such as the 12th century Textus Roffensis
, who may have had access to other sources that are now lost. Several of the Wuffingas kings are included in a pedigree of Ælfwald, contained in the Anglian collection
that dates from the 9th century. In the pedigree, Ælfwald claims descent from the god Wōden
.
Sam Newton has claimed that the poem Beowulf
may have been composed during the reign of Ælfwald of East Anglia. Before the end of his rule, Ælfwald's kingdom contained a group of ecclesiatical centres, all of which had strong associations with the Wuffingas dynasty. These included the sees
at Dommoc
and Helmham
, St. Botulph's monastery at Icanho, the religious foundations at Ely
and Dereham
founded by daughters of Anna, the minster at Blythburgh
and the monastery founded by Sigeberht prior to his abdication and subsequent death in battle.
After 749, East Anglia was ruled either by the Mercians or by kings whose genealogy is not known.
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
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...
. The Wuffingas took their name from 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....
, an early East Anglian king. It has been argued that the Wuffingas may have originated from a branch of the Geatish dynasty. Nothing is known of the members of the dynasty before Rædwald, who ruled from about 599 to circa 624. The Viking
Viking
The 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...
invasions of the ninth century destroyed the monasteries in East Anglia where many documents relating to the rule of the Wuffings would have been kept.
Family tree
The following family tree includes the Wuffingas kings from WehhaWehha of East Anglia
Wehha was a pagan king of the East Angles who, if he actually existed, ruled the kingdom of East Anglia during the 6th century, at the time the kingdom was being established by migrants from the Jutland peninsula. Early sources identify him as a member of the Wuffingas dynasty, which became...
to Ælfwald. They are numbered in order of ruling. Ecgric of East Anglia was also a member of the Wuffingas house, but his exact descent is not decided. He may have been Sigebert's brother, or his step-brother.
The kingdom of East Anglia was settled by peoples from northern Europe during the 5th and 6th centuries. Historical sources relating to the genealogy of the East Anglian kings include the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
and 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...
's Ecclesiastical History, both compiled many years after the kingdom was formed, as well as lists produced by medieval historians, such as the 12th century Textus Roffensis
Textus Roffensis
The Textus Roffensis, or in full, Textus de Ecclesia Roffensi per Ernulphum episcopum , refers to a manuscript in which two originally separate manuscripts written about the same time, between 1122 and 1124, are bound together...
, who may have had access to other sources that are now lost. Several of the Wuffingas kings are included in a pedigree of Ælfwald, contained in the Anglian collection
Anglian collection
The Anglian collection is a collection of Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies and regnal lists. These survive in four manuscripts; two of which now reside in the British Library...
that dates from the 9th century. In the pedigree, Ælfwald claims descent from the god Wōden
Woden
Woden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
.
| Ælfwald (Alfwald Aldwulfing) | ||
| Ealdwulf (Ældwulf Æðelricing) | ||
| Ethelric (Æþelric Ening) | ||
| Eni (Eni Tytling) | ||
| Tytila (Tytla Wuffing) | ||
| Wuffa (Wuffa Wehhing) | ||
| Wehha (Wehh Wilhelming) | ||
| Wilhelm (Wilhelm Hrypping) | ||
| Hryth (Hryp Hroðmunding) | ||
| Hrothmund (Hroðmund Trigling) | ||
| Trygil (Trygil Tymaning) | ||
| Tyttman (Tytman Casericg) | ||
| Caesar (Caser Wodning) | ||
| Wōden (Woden Frealafing) | ||
Sam Newton has claimed that the poem Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
may have been composed during the reign of Ælfwald of East Anglia. Before the end of his rule, Ælfwald's kingdom contained a group of ecclesiatical centres, all of which had strong associations with the Wuffingas dynasty. These included the sees
Sées
Sées is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.It lies on the Orne River from its source and north-by-northeast of Alençon.-Name:...
at Dommoc
Dommoc
Dommoc, a place not certainly identified but probably within the modern county of Suffolk, was the original seat of the Anglo-Saxon bishops of the Kingdom of East Anglia. It was established by Sigeberht of East Anglia for Saint Felix in c. 629–31 It remained the bishopric of all East Anglia...
and Helmham
North Elmham
North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,428 in 624 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
, St. Botulph's monastery at Icanho, the religious foundations at Ely
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
and Dereham
Dereham
Dereham, also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, some 15 miles west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles east of King's Lynn. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of...
founded by daughters of Anna, the minster at Blythburgh
Blythburgh
Blythburgh is a small English village in an area known as the Sandlings, part of the Suffolk heritage coast. Located close to an area of flooded marshland and mud-flats, in 2007 its population was estimated to be 300. Blythburgh is best known for its church, Holy Trinity, internationally known as...
and the monastery founded by Sigeberht prior to his abdication and subsequent death in battle.
After 749, East Anglia was ruled either by the Mercians or by kings whose genealogy is not known.
External links
- Dr Sam Newton's Wuffing Website
- William of Malmesbury'sWilliam of MalmesburyWilliam of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
Chronicle of the Kings of England from the earliest period to the reign of King Stephen, Book 1, "Of the kings of the East Angles" in English and in Latin