General Notes

His reign was a long and glorious one, it is memorable for his great victories over the Danes First King of England of the Saxon and Danes line. As a young man he was in excile at the Court of Charlemagne.

EGBERT, KING OF WESSEX (r. 802-839)

As King of Wessex, Egbert inherited the mantle of 'bretwalda' - an Anglo-Saxon term meaning a ruler with overall superiority to other rulers - after the decline of Mercian power under Offa. He came to power in 802 and died in 839, but little else is known about his brief reign.
King of Wessex 800-839
King of Kent 823-839
King of Essex 823-839
King of Sussex 823-839
Egbert was the first of the West Saxon kings to conquer nearly all of Britian under his rule, with the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as satelites of Wessex, and is often considered the first king of England. After spending much time in the court of the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne, Egbert returned to Wessex in 800 to take the throne. In 813, he warred very successfully against the Welsh of Cornwall. In 823, Egbert defeated the Welsh, defeated King Bernwulf of Mercia, conquered Kent, conquered Essex, and conquered Sussex and Surrey. The East Anglians, also, sued for peace and protection from Bernwulf of Mercia, who was slain that year. For only the year of 827, Egbert even ruled Mercia. In 839, Egbert died, and Wessex passed to Æthelwulf and the satelites passed to Æthelwulf's son Athelstan.