Oswald of Northumbria

Oswald
Oswald
	A 12th-century painting of St Oswald in Durham Cathedral
Bretwalda
Reign	633–642
Predecessor	Edwin of Northumbria
Successor	Oswiu
King of Deira
Reign	633–642
Predecessor	Osric of Deira
Successor	Oswiu
King of Bernicia
Reign	634–642
Predecessor	Eanfrith of Bernicia
Successor	Oswiu
Born	c. 604; Deira, Northumbria
Died	5 August 641/42 (approximately 37 years old)
Spouse	Kyneburga of Wessex
Issue	Œthelwald of Deira
Father	Ethelfrith
Mother	Acha of Deira
Religion	Christianity

Oswald (Old English pronunciation: [ˈoːzwɑɫd]; c 604 – 5 August 641/642^[1]) was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and is venerated as a saint,^[2] of whom there was a particular cult in the Middle Ages.^[3]

Oswald was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and Acha of Deira, and came to rule after spending a period in exile. After defeating the Welsh Gwyneddian ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan at the Battle of Heavenfield, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira once again under a single ruler, and promoted the spread of Christianity in Northumbria. He was given a strongly positive assessment by the historian Bede, writing a little less than a century after Oswald's death, who regarded Oswald as a saintly king; it is also Bede who is the main source for present-day historical knowledge of Oswald. After eight years of rule, in which he was the most powerful ruler in Britain, Oswald was killed in the Battle of Maserfield while fighting the forces of Penda of Mercia, who then himself was defeated by Oswald's brother Oswiu.

^ Bede gives the year of Oswald's death as 642, however there is some question as to whether what Bede considered 642 is the same as what would now be considered 642. R. L. Poole (Studies in Chronology and History, 1934) put forward the theory that Bede's years began in September, and if this theory is followed (as it was, for instance, by Frank Stenton in his notable history Anglo-Saxon England, first published in 1943), then the date of the Battle of Heavenfield (and the beginning of Oswald's reign) is pushed back from 634 to 633. Thus, if Oswald subsequently reigned for eight years, he would have actually been killed in 641. Poole's theory has been contested, however, and arguments have been made that Bede began his year on 25 December or 1 January, in which case Bede's years would be accurate as he gives them.
^ "Search results". The Church of England. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
^ Craig, "Oswald"

[Poole-1] Bede gives the year of Oswald's death as 642, however there is some question as to whether what Bede considered 642 is the same as what would now be considered 642. R. L. Poole (Studies in Chronology and History, 1934) put forward the theory that Bede's years began in September, and if this theory is followed (as it was, for instance, by Frank Stenton in his notable history Anglo-Saxon England, first published in 1943), then the date of the Battle of Heavenfield (and the beginning of Oswald's reign) is pushed back from 634 to 633. Thus, if Oswald subsequently reigned for eight years, he would have actually been killed in 641. Poole's theory has been contested, however, and arguments have been made that Bede began his year on 25 December or 1 January, in which case Bede's years would be accurate as he gives them.

[2] "Search results". The Church of England. Retrieved 19 February 2024.

[3] Craig, "Oswald"

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