Œthelwald was a King of Deira (651–c. 655). He was the son of King Oswald of Northumbria

Oswald of Northumbria

Oswald was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and is now venerated as a Christian saint.Oswald was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and came to rule after spending a period in exile; after defeating the British ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of...

, who was killed at the Battle of Maserfield

Battle of Maserfield

The Battle of Maserfield , Welsh: "Maes Cogwy", was fought on August 5, 641 or 642, between the Anglo-Saxon kings Oswald of Northumbria and Penda of Mercia, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment...

 in 642.

After Oswine of Deira

Oswine of Deira

Oswine was a King of Deira in northern England. He succeeded King Oswald of Northumbria, probably around the year 644, after Oswald's death at the Battle of Maserfield. Oswine was the son of Osric....

 was killed by Oswiu of Bernicia

Oswiu of Northumbria

Oswiu , also known as Oswy or Oswig , was a King of Bernicia. His father, Æthelfrith of Bernicia, was killed in battle, fighting against Rædwald, King of the East Angles and Edwin of Deira at the River Idle in 616...

 in 651, Œthelwald became king; it is uncertain whether Oswiu (who was Œthelwald's uncle) installed him as king or whether Œthelwald took the kingship in opposition to Oswiu. He subsequently allied himself with Oswiu's enemy, Penda of Mercia

Penda of Mercia

Penda was a 7th-century King of Mercia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom in what is today the English Midlands. A pagan at a time when Christianity was taking hold in many of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Penda took over the Severn Valley in 628 following the Battle of Cirencester before participating in the...

, and assisted Penda during his invasion of Northumbria in 655. However, when the armies of Oswiu and Penda met on 15 November at the Battle of the Winwaed

Battle of the Winwaed

The Battle of the Winwaed was fought on 15 November 655 , between King Penda of Mercia and Oswiu of Bernicia, ending in the Mercians' defeat and Penda's death.-History:Although the battle is said to be the most important between the early northern and southern divisions of...

, Œthelwald withdrew his forces. Penda was defeated and killed, perhaps in part because of this desertion, and afterward Œthelwald seems to have lost Deira to Alchfrith

Alchfrith of Deira

Alhfrith or Ealhfrith was a son of King Oswiu of Northumbria and Rieinmelth of Rheged.In around 655 Alhfrith was appointed by his father as sub-king of Deira, the southern part of the Northumbrian kingdom. He replaced his cousin Æthelwold, who had supported Oswiu's enemy Penda of Mercia in the...

, who was installed there by the victorious Oswiu.

Œthelwald's fate is unknown, as nothing is formally recorded of him after the battle. Local tradition, however, held that he became a hermit in Kirkdale

Kirkdale

Kirkdale is the name of several places in the United Kingdom:*Kirkdale, Merseyside, an area of Liverpool, England**Kirkdale **Kirkdale *Kirkdale, North Yorkshire, England...

, North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

.

Although he allied himself with the pagan

Paganism

Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....

 Penda, Œthelwald was a pious 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...

 and was remembered for his generosity towards St. Chad

Chad of Mercia

Chad was a prominent 7th century Anglo-Saxon churchman, who became abbot of several monasteries, Bishop of the Northumbrians and subsequently Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey People. He was later canonized as a saint. He was the brother of Cedd, also a saint...

, to whom he granted land for a monastery.