Creoda of Wessex explained
| Creoda |
| Succession: | King of Wessex (disputed) |
| Reign: | perhaps 534 |
| Predecessor: | Cerdic |
| Successor: | Cynric |
| Death Place: | Wessex |
| Issue: | Cynric |
| Father: | Cerdic |
Creoda (493? – 534?) is a shadowy figure from early Wessex history whose existence is disputed.
Introduction
The name Creoda appears in the Anglian king-list and the (possibly derived) West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List, where he is stated to have been the son of Cerdic and father to Cynric.[1] [2] However, the main annalistic section of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle omits any mention of Creoda, and describes Cynric as the son of Cerdic. Similar contradiction occurs in surviving copies of the now-lost The Life of King Alfred, which Asser commenced with a paternal ancestry of Alfred the Great that includes the name Creoda between Cerdic and Cynric,[3] but the following section relating Alfred's maternal ancestry calls Cynric the son of Cerdic.
If he existed, Creoda may have ruled Wessex for a short period of time immediately after Cerdic's death.
Conflicting theories
If the historical existence of Creoda is admitted, there are a number of theories as to his identity and why he appears in some primary sources, but not others:
- His inclusion in the genealogies was original, and his name was removed from some lists at a late date for dynastic and political reasons.
- He was a contemporary of Cerdic and Cynric, but ruled the Thames Valley Saxons, while they ruled the Hampshire Saxons. He is seen as the ancestor of the later kings: Ceawlin, Cædwalla and Ine. At some late date, Creoda was inserted into the Cerdicing line as the son of Cerdic, when descent from Cerdic became necessary for any king of Wessex.[4]
- Creoda has been confused with Cerdic and some of Cerdic's later activities have been misassigned in the texts, and were originally those of Creoda and Cynric.[5]
Bibliography
- Asser (trans. Giles, J.A.) (2000) Annals of the Reign of Alfred the Great, In parentheses Publications: Medieval Latin Series, Cambridge, Ontario.
- Kirby, D.P. (1965) "Problems of Early West Saxon History", The English Historical Review, January 1965, Vol. 80, No. 314, Oxford University Press, pp. 10–29.
- Stevenson, W.H. (1899) "The Beginnings of Wessex", The English Historical Review, January 1899, Vol. 14, No. 53, Oxford University Press, pp. 32–46.
- Book: Walker, H. E. . The Cambridge Historical Journal . . 1956 . 12 No. 2 . 174–186 . en . Bede and the Gewissae: The Political Evolution of the Heptarchy and Its Nomenclature . 7 May 2023 . JSTOR.
External links
- (Single entry for both Creoda of Wessex and Creoda of Mercia).
Notes and References
- David N. Dumville, "The Anglian Collection of Royal Genealogies and Regnal Lists", Anglo-Saxon England, 5 (1976), 23–50 (pp. 34 and 37).
- David N. Dumville, "The West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List and the Chronology of Early Wessex", Peritia, 4 (1985), 21–66 (pp. 59–60).
- Asser, p. 1
- Kirby, pp. 22-24
- Stevenson, p.40
