|
Ceawlin (also spelled Ceaulin and Caelin, died ''ca.'' 593) was a King of Wessex. He may have been the son of Cynric of Wessex and the grandson of Cerdic of Wessex, whom the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' represents as the leader of the first group of Saxons to come to the land which later became Wessex. Ceawlin was active during the last years of the Anglo-Saxon invasion, with little of southern England remaining in the control of the native Britons by the time of his death. The chronology of Ceawlin's life is highly uncertain. The historical accuracy and dating of many of the events in the later ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' have been called into question, and his reign is variously listed as lasting seven, seventeen, or thirty-two years.〔Stenton, p. 29, accepts the date given for Ceawlin's accession in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' of 560, but Barbara Yorke in her online DNB article on Ceawlin states that his reign seems to have been deliberately lengthened.〕 The ''Chronicle'' records several battles of Ceawlin's between the years 556 and 592, including the first record of a battle between different groups of Anglo-Saxons, and indicates that under Ceawlin Wessex acquired significant territory, some of which was later to be lost to other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Ceawlin is also named as one of the eight "''bretwaldas''", a title given in the ''Chronicle'' to eight rulers who had overlordship over southern Britain, although the extent of Ceawlin's control is not known. Ceawlin died in 593, having been deposed the year before, possibly by his successor, Ceol. He is recorded in various sources as having two sons, Cutha and Cuthwine, but the genealogies in which this information is found are known to be unreliable. ==Historical context== The history of the sub-Roman period in Britain is poorly sourced and the subject of a number of important disagreements among historians. It appears, however, that in the fifth century raids on Britain by continental peoples developed into migrations. The newcomers included Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians. These peoples captured territory in the east and south of England, but at about the end of the fifth century, a British victory at the battle of Mons Badonicus halted the Anglo-Saxon advance for fifty years.〔Hunter Blair, ''An Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England'', pp. 13–16.〕〔Campbell et al., ''The Anglo-Saxons'', p. 23.〕 Near the year 550, however, the British began to lose ground once more, and within twenty-five years, it appears that control of almost all of southern England was in the hands of the invaders.〔Hunter Blair (''Roman Britain'', p. 204) gives the twenty-five years from 550 to 575 as the dates of the final conquest.〕 The peace following the battle of Mons Badonicus is attested partly by Gildas, a monk, who wrote ''De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae'' or ''On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain'' during the middle of the sixth century. This essay is a polemic against corruption and Gildas provides little in the way of names and dates. He appears, however, to state that peace had lasted from the year of his birth to the time he was writing.〔Stenton, ''Anglo-Saxon England'', pp. 2–7.〕 The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is the other main source that bears on this period, in particular in an entry for the year 827 that records a list of the kings who bore the title "''bretwalda''", or "Britain-ruler". That list shows a gap in the early sixth century that matches Gildas's version of events.〔Swanton, ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', pp. 60–61〕 Ceawlin's reign belongs to the period of Anglo-Saxon expansion at the end of the sixth century. Though there are many unanswered questions about the chronology and activities of the early West Saxon rulers, it is clear that Ceawlin was one of the key figures in the final Anglo-Saxon conquest of southern Britain.〔Stenton, ''Anglo-Saxon England'', p. 30.〕 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「Ceawlin of Wessex」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|