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The Battle of Mercredesburne was one of three battles fought as part of the conquest of what became the Kingdom of Sussex in southern England. The battles were fought between the Saxon leader Ælle's army and the local Britons. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, states that Ælle arrived in Sussex with three ships and went on to fight at Cymenshore in AD 477, Mercredesburne in 485, and Pevensey in 491. Ælle became the first king of the South Saxons. The Kingdom of Sussex was eventually annexed by the Kingdom of Wessex in the 9th century and went onto become the county of Sussex, England. ==Background== The legendary foundation of the Kingdom of the South Saxons is provided by the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', that states that in the year 477 Ælle arrived at a place called Cymenshore with his three sons Cymen, Wlenking, and Cissa.〔''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' Parker MS. 477 AD.〕〔Welch.Anglo-Saxon England p.9.- ''When Ælle and his three sons land from three ships on a beach named after one of the sons, we are reading legend rather than history.''〕〔Jones.''The End of Roman Britain.'' p.71. - ''..the repetitious entries for invading ships in the Chronicle (three ships of Hengest and Horsa; three ships of Ælle; five ships of Cerdic and Cynric; two ships of Port; three ships of Stuf and Wihtgar), drawn from preliterate traditions including bogus eponyms and duplications, might be considered a poetic convention.''〕 The chronicle describes how on landing Ælle slew the local defenders and drove the remainder into the Forest of Andred and then goes on to describe Ælle's battle with the British in 485 near the bank of ''Mercredesburne'', and his siege of Pevensey in 491 after which the inhabitants were massacred.〔ASC Parker MS. 485AD.〕〔ASC Parker MS. 491AD.〕 The historian and archaeologist, Martin Welch suggests that the area between the Ouse and Cuckmere valleys in Sussex was ceded to the Anglo-Saxons by the British in a treaty settlement.〔Welch. ''Early Anglo-Saxon Sussex''; pp. 24-25〕 Nennius, a 9th-century Welsh monk and chronicler, describes how the British leader Vortigern arranged to meet Hengest the Anglo-Saxon leader to work out a treaty. Vortigern and three hundred British leaders met with Hengest, supposedly to ratify the treaty, however Hengest's men slaughtered all of Vortigern's companions, after getting them drunk.〔Nennius. Ch. 44 - 46〕 Vortigern was then coerced into agreeing to a ''treaty'' that included the cession of Sussex to the Anglo-Saxons and the suggestion that ''Mercredesburne'' means ''"river of the frontier agreed by treaty"'' is seen as confirmation of this assertion.〔〔Friar. The Sutton Companion to Local History. pp.274-275. - ''Mere'' from the Old English ''mære'' meaning 'boundary land'.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Mercredesburne」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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