Editing Oswiu (section)

==Eanflæd and Oswine==
Oswald died in battle against Penda of Mercia at the [[Battle of Maserfield]], dated by Bede to 5 August 642.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 9.</ref> Oswald's son [[Œthelwald of Deira|Œthelwald]] may have been his preferred successor, but Œthelwald cannot have been an adult in 642. So, the kingship came to Oswiu. Unlike Eanfrith and Osric, Oswiu held to the Christian faith in spite of his brother's defeat by the pagan Penda. This may have been due to his more thoroughly Christian upbringing, but the influence of Bishop [[Aidan of Lindisfarne]], by then a major figure in Bernicia, could also have been significant.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 220–221.</ref>

Bede summarises Oswiu's reign in this way:<blockquote>Oswald being translated to the heavenly kingdom, his brother Oswy, a young man of about thirty years of age, succeeded him on the throne of his earthly kingdom, and held it twenty-eight years with much trouble, being harassed by the pagan king, Penda, and by the pagan nation of the Mercians, that had slain his brother, as also by his son Alfred [i.e. [[Ealhfrith of Deira|Ealhfrith]]], and by his [[wikt:cousin-german|cousin-german]] Ethelwald [i.e. Œthelwald of Deira], the son of his brother who reigned before him.<ref name="HE III 14">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 14.</ref></blockquote>

Oswiu's first recorded action as king of Bernicia was to strengthen his position, and perhaps his claims to Deira, by marrying Edwin's daughter [[Eanflæd of Deira|Eanflæd]], then in exile in the [[Kingdom of Kent]].<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 15.</ref> This marriage took place between 642 and 644.<ref>Their son Ecgfrith was born no later than May 645.</ref>

Oswiu is known to have been married three times. Eanflæd, his Queen, bore him two sons and two daughters. The sons were [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]] (644/645–685) and [[Ælfwine of Deira|Ælfwine]] (c. 660–679), the daughters [[Osthryth]] (died 697) and [[Ælfflæd of Whitby|Ælfflæd]] (c. 654–714). The Irish princess [[Fín]] was the mother of [[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]] (died 705). Finally, the [[Celtic Britons|British]] princess [[Rhiainfellt|Rieinmelth]] of [[Rheged]] is named as a wife of Oswiu in the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]''.<ref>Rieinmellt also appears, as Rægnmæld, in the ''[[Durham Liber Vitae|Liber Vitae Ecclesiae Dunelmensis]]'', among the Queens, immediately preceding Eanflæd; Grimmer §28.</ref> It is thought that Ealhfrith was her son,<ref>Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1.</ref> and Eahlflæd may have been her daughter.<ref>Eahlflæd is said to have arranged the murder of Peada, in 657 or 658, suggesting that she was not Eanflæd's daughter; Bede, ''H. E.'', Book III, chapter 24. See also Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 252–253.</ref>

The first half of Oswiu's reign was spent in the shadow of Penda, who dominated much of Britain from 642 until 655, seemingly making and breaking kings as it suited him.<ref>[[Cenwalh of Wessex]] was driven from his country when he set aside Penda's sister. [[Anna of East Anglia]], Cenwalh's host, was also driven into exile, and later defeated and killed by Penda at Bulcamp, near [[Blythburgh]] in 653 or 654, when he returned to [[Kingdom of the East Angles|East Anglia]].</ref> The future kingdom of Northumbria was still composed of two distinct kingdoms in Oswiu's lifetime. The northerly kingdom of [[Bernicia]], which extended from the [[River Tees]] to the [[Firth of Forth]], was ruled by Oswiu. The kingdom of [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]], lying between the [[North York Moors]] and the [[Humber]], was ruled by a series of Oswiu's kinsmen, initially as a separate kingdom, later as a form of [[appanage]] for Oswiu's sons.<ref>Deira was ruled by Oswine from 642 to 651, then by Œthelwald until 655 or later, then by Ealhfrith   to after 664, and finally by Ecgfrith. See Kirby, p. 226, figure 7; Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 75, table 8.</ref>

For the first decade of Oswiu's reign, Deira was ruled by an independent king, [[Oswine of Deira|Oswine]], son of the apostate [[Osric of Deira|Osric]], who belonged to the rival Deiran royal family.<ref>Oswine was Oswiu's maternal second cousin; Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 76, table 9.</ref> Oswine and Oswiu came into conflict circa 651. Bede blames Oswiu for the troubles and writes:<blockquote>For when they had raised armies against one another, Oswin perceived that he could not maintain a war against one who had more auxiliaries than himself, and he thought it better at that time to lay aside all thoughts of engaging, and to preserve himself for better times. He therefore dismissed the army which he had assembled, and ordered all his men to return to their own homes, from the place that is called Wilfaresdun, that is, Wilfar's Hill, which is almost ten miles distant from the village called Cataract [i.e. [[Catterick, North Yorkshire|Catterick]]], towards the north-west. He himself, with only one trusty soldier, whose name was Tonhere, withdrew and lay concealed in the house of Earl [''comes''] Hunwald, whom he imagined to be his most assured friend. But, alas! it was otherwise; for the earl betrayed him, and Oswy, in a detestable manner, by the hands of his commander [''praefectus''], Ethilwin, slew him...<ref name="HE III 14"/></blockquote>

In order to expiate the killing of Oswine, who was later reckoned a [[saint]], Oswiu established [[Gilling Abbey]] at [[Gilling East|Gilling]], where prayers were said for Oswine and for Oswiu.<ref name="HE III 14"/> Oswine was followed as king of the Deirans by Oswald's son Œthelwald.