Northumbria, a kingdom of Angles, in what is now northern England and south-east Scotland, was initially divided into two kingdoms: Bernicia and Deira. The two were first united by king Æthelfrith around the year 604, and except for occasional periods of division over the subsequent century, they remained so. The exceptions are during the brief period from 633 to 634, when Northumbria was plunged into chaos by the death of king Edwin in battle and the ruinous invasion of Cadwallon ap Cadfan, king of Gwynedd. The unity of the Northumbrian kingdoms was restored after Cadwallon's death in battle in 634.
Another exception is a period from about the year 644 to 664, when kings ruled individually over Deira. In 651, king Oswiu had Oswine of Deira killed and replaced by Œthelwald, but Œthelwald did not prove to be a loyal sub-king, allying with the Mercian king Penda; according to Bede, Œthelwald acted as Penda's guide during the latter's invasion of Northumbria but withdrew his forces when the Mercians met the Northumbrians at the Battle of Winwaed. After the Mercian defeat at Winwaed, Œthelwald lost power and Oswiu's own son, Alchfrith, became king in his place. In 670, Ælfwine, the brother of the childless king Ecgfrith, was made king of Deira; by this point the title may have been used primarily to designate an heir. Ælfwine was killed in battle against Mercia in 679, and there was not another separate king of Deira until the time of Norse rule.
| Reign | Incumbent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 500 | Esa (Oesa)[1] | Doubtful historicity as a king. | |
| c. 520 | Eoppa | Doubtful historicity as a king. Son of Esa. | |
| 547 to 559 | Ida | The Historia Brittonum calls Ida the first king of Bernicia. Son of Eoppa. | |
| 559[?] to 560[?] | Glappa (Clappa) | ||
| 560[?] to 568[?] | Adda | Order and dates uncertain. Son of Ida. | |
| 568[?] to 572[?] | Æthelric | Order and dates uncertain. Son of Ida. | |
| 572[?] to 579[?] | Theodric (Deoric) | Order and dates uncertain. Son of Ida | |
| 579[?] to 585[?] | Frithuwald (Frithewlf) | Order and dates uncertain. | |
| 585[?] to 592[?] | Hussa | Order and dates uncertain.[2] | |
| 593[?] to 616 | Æthelfrith | Son of Æthelric, also ruled Deira, killed in battle by Rædwald, King of East Anglia | |
| Deira Dynasty | |||
| 616 to 12/14 Oct 632 | Edwin | Son of Ælla of Deira, which he also ruled, killed in battle by Penda, King of Mercia | |
| Bernicia Dynasty | |||
| late 632 to 633 | Eanfrith | Son of Æthelfrith | |
| 634 to 5 Aug 642 | Oswald (Osuualde, Osƿald) | Son of Æthelfrith, also ruled Deira, killed by Penda, King of Mercia; Saint Oswald | |
| late 642 to 654 | Oswiu | Son of Æthelfrith, became king of united Northumbria | |
| Reign | Incumbent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 559/560 to 589 | Ælla (Aelli) | Son of Yffa | |
| 589/599 to 604 | Æthelric (Aedilric) | Brother of Ælla | |
| Bernicia Dynasty | |||
| 593/604[?] to 616 | Æthelfrith | Also king of Bernicia; killed in battle by Rædwald, King of East Anglia | |
| Deira Dynasty | |||
| 616 to 12/14 Oct 632 | Edwin | Son of Ælla, also ruled Bernicia; killed in battle by Cadwallon of Gwynedd and Penda of Mercia; Saint Edwin | |
| late 633 to summer 634 | Osric | Son of Æthelric | |
| Bernicia Dynasty | |||
| 633 to 5 Aug 642 | Oswald | Son of Æthelfrith, also ruled Bernicia, killed by Penda, King of Mercia; Saint Oswald | |
| 642 to 644 | Oswiu | Son of Æthelfrith, also ruled Bernicia | |
| Deira Dynasty | |||
| 644 to 651 | Oswine | Son of Osric, murdered | |
| Bernicia Dynasty | |||
| summer 651 to late 654 or 655 | Œthelwald | Son of Oswald | |
| 654 to 15 Aug 670 | Oswiu | Restored | |
| 656 to 664 | Alchfrith | Sub-king under his father Oswiu | |
| 664 to 670 | Ecgfrith | Sub-king under his father Oswiu, upon whose death he became king of all Northumbria | |
| 670 to 679 | Ælfwine | Sub-king under his brother Ecgfrith, King of Northumbria. Killed in the Battle of the Trent against King Æthelred of Mercia | |
| Reign | Incumbent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 654 to 15 February 670 | Oswiu | Previously king of Bernicia and Deira | |
| February 670 to 20 May 685 | Ecgfrith | Son of Oswiu, killed in battle against the Picts | |
| May 685 to 14 December 704 | Aldfrith (Ealdfrith, Aldfrid) | Son of Oswiu | |
| late 704 to early 705 | Eadwulf I | Usurper | |
| 705 to 716 | Osred I | Son of Aldfrith, killed in battle or murdered | |
| 716 to 718 | Coenred | Distant descendant of Ida of Bernecia | |
| 718 to 29 May 729 | Osric | Son of Aldfrith, adopted Ceolwulf as his heir | |
| 729 to 731. Second Reign: 732 to 737/8 | Ceolwulf | Brother of Coenred, deposed for brief period of 1 year, then restored. Abdicated to become a monk; Became Saint Ceolwulf | |
| 737 to 758 | Eadberht | Son of Eata, a descendant of Ida of Bernicia, abdicated to become a monk | |
| 758 to 759 | Oswulf (Osulf) | Son of Eadberht, murdered by his servants | |
| 759 to 765 | Æthelwald Moll | Deposed | |
| 765 to 774 | Alhred | Distant descendant of Ida of Bernicia, deposed and exiled | |
| 774 to 779 | Æthelred I | Son of Æthelwald Moll, deposed | |
| 779 to 23 September 788 | Ælfwald I | Son of Oswulf, murdered | |
| 788 to 790 | Osred II | Son of Alhred, deposed and exiled | |
| 790 to 18 April 796 | Æthelred I | Restored | |
| 796 | Osbald | Exiled after a reign of 27 days | |
| 14 May 796 to 806/8 | Eardwulf | Deposed | |
| 806/8 to 808/10 | Ælfwald II (Elfwald II) | ||
| 808 to 810 | Eardwulf | Restored | |
| 810 to 841 | Eanred | Son of Eardwulf | |
| 840/1 to 844 | Æthelred II | Son of Eanred, deposed | |
| 844 | Rædwulf (Redwulf) | Usurper | |
| 844 to c. 848/9 | Æthelred II | Restored | |
| c. 848/9 to 862/3 | Osberht (Osbert) | Deposed | |
| 862/3/7 to 21 March 867 | Ælla | Usurper, killed by the Danes with Osberht | |
| 867 to 21 March 867 | Osberht (Osbert) | Killed by the Danes with the usurper Ælla |
Viking kings ruled Jórvík (southern Northumbria, the former Deira) from its capital York for most of the period between 867 and 954. Northern Northumbria (the former Bernicia) was ruled by Anglo-Saxons from their base in Bamburgh. Many details are uncertain as the history of Northumbria in the ninth and tenth centuries is poorly recorded.
| Years | Ruler of southern Northumbria | Ruler of northern Northumbria | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 867–872 | Military conquest by the Great Heathen Army | Ecgberht I | Ecgberht I ruled north of the Tyne as a puppet king of the Danes.[3] |
| 872– | Ricsige | Probably ruled most of Northumbria as a sovereign Anglo-Saxon king.[4] | |
| –877 | Halfdan Ragnarsson[5] | Ecgberht II[6] | The year in which Ecgberht II ceased to be king is unclear. |
| 877–883 | Interregnum in York | ||
| –895 | Guthred | Uncertain. Possibly Ecgberht II. | |
| –900 | Siefried | Eadwulf II (Eadwulf I of Bamburgh) | 1. Eadwulf II is variously titled as either a king or a reeve and the year in which he came to power is unknown. Conventionally he is thought to have ruled only the northern part of the kingdom (Bamburgh) but he may have ruled the entirely of Northumbria.[7] 2. Siefried and Cnut may have been joint kings in York for part or all of the period between 895 and 905[8] 3. Along with Hálfdan and Eowils, another king, Ingwær, their brother, may have also ruled. All three were killed at the Battle of Tettenhall in 910. |
| –905 | Cnut | ||
| –902 | Æthelwold | ||
| –910 | Hálfdan and Eowils | ||
| –913 | Anglo-Saxon control, possibly under Eadwulf II | ||
| 913– | Anglo-Saxon control, possibly under Ealdred I | Ealdred I | 1. There is some evidence that Ealdred submitted to Edward the Elder in 924 who died in that year. 2. Ealdred submitted to Æthelstan in 927, making Æthelstan the overlord of all Northumbria as King of the English from 12 July 927, following the Treaty of Eamont Bridge. It is likely that Ealdred's submission was somewhat nominal with Ealdred ruling semi-independently while acknowledging West Saxon authority.[9] [10] |
| 918–921[11] | Rægnald | ||
| 921–927 | Sigtrygg | ||
| 927 | Guthfrith | ||
| 927– | Æthelstan | ||
| – | Adulf mcEtulfe | 1. The name Adulf mcEtulfe can be taken to be Æthelwulf son of Eadwulf. 2. Alternatively, Adulf mcEtulfe indicates Ealdred son of Eadwulf, i.e. Ealdred I.[12] 3. Adulf mcEtulfe died in 934 and had been named 'King of the Northern Saxons' by the Annals of Clonmacnoise.[13] | |
| –939 | Overlordship of Æthelstan | ||
| 939–941 | Olaf Guthfrithson | Possibly Olaf Guthfrithson | After Æthelstan's death in 939, the men of York immediately chose the Viking king of Dublin, Olaf Guthfrithson (or his cousin, Anlaf Cuaran), as their king and the Anglo-Saxon control of the north collapsed. |
| 941–943/944 | Olaf Sihtricson | Possibly Olaf Sihtricson | Olaf Sihtricson was also known as Amlaíb Cuarán |
| Sitric II | Possibly Sitric II | Sitric's existence is only evidenced by coins bearing his name which were minted at York. | |
| 943–944 | Ragnall Guthfrithson (possibly with Olaf Sihtricson) | Possibly Ragnall Guthfrithson with Olaf Sihtricson | |
| –946 | Edmund of Wessex | Possibly under Eadmund's overlordship | Edmund's authority was as King of the English. |
| –948 | Eric Bloodaxe[14] | Osulf I under King Eadred's overlordship | 1. From 946, Osulf I appears in the historical record as high-reeve of Bamburgh under Eadred the King of the English. 2. Eric Bloodaxe had previously been King of Norway. |
| 949–952 | Olaf Sihtricson | 1. Olaf Sihtricson was restored to the throne. During this time, Osulf I is variously described as the high-reeve or earl of Bamburgh. 2. Olaf Sihtricson was also known as Amlaíb Cuarán. | |
| 952–954 | Eric Bloodaxe | Eric Bloodaxe was restored to the throne. In 954 Osulf I was responsible for a conspiracy that led to the death of Eric Bloodaxe. | |
After the ascension of William the Conqueror in 1066, and in the prelude to the Harrying of the North, a joint Anglo-Danish force loyal to Edgar Ætheling and Sweyn II was able to seize control of York in the second half of 1069 and temporarily assert sovereignty over all of Northumbria. This short-lived independence came to an end when William fought his way North and paid off Sweyn to return to Denmark, leading to the Harrying of the North and the flight of Edgar and his family to Scotland.[16]
- Kings of Bernicia; - Kings of Deira; - Kings of Northumbria