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Creoda of Wessex

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Creoda
King of Wessex (disputed)
Reignperhaps 534
PredecessorCerdic
SuccessorCynric
DiedWessex
IssueCynric
FatherCerdic

Creoda (493? – 534?) is a shadowy figure from early Wessex history whose existence is disputed.

Introduction

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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

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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:

  1. His inclusion in the genealogies was original, and his name was removed from some lists at a late date for dynastic and political reasons.[4][2]
  2. 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.[5]
  3. 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.[6]

References

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  1. ^ David N. Dumville, "The Anglian Collection of Royal Genealogies and Regnal Lists", Anglo-Saxon England, 5 (1976), 23–50 (pp. 34 and 37).
  2. ^ a b David N. Dumville, "The West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List and the Chronology of Early Wessex", Peritia, 4 (1985), 21–66 (pp. 59–60).
  3. ^ Asser, p. 1
  4. ^ Walker 1956, p. 185.
  5. ^ Kirby, pp. 22-24
  6. ^ Stevenson, p.40

Bibliography

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  • 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.
  • Walker, H. E. (1956). "Bede and the Gewissae: The Political Evolution of the Heptarchy and Its Nomenclature". The Cambridge Historical Journal. Vol. 12 No. 2. Cambridge University Press. pp. 174–186. Retrieved 7 May 2023 – via JSTOR.
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