Editing Anglo-Saxons (section)

==== Mercian supremacy (626–821) ====
{{Main|Mercian Supremacy}}
[[File:Kingdoms in England and Wales about 600 AD.svg|upright=1.25|thumb|right|A political map of Britain circa 650 (the names are in modern English)]]
Middle-lowland Britain was known as the place of the ''Mierce'', the border or frontier folk, in Latin Mercia. Mercia was a diverse area of tribal groups, as shown by the Tribal Hidage; the peoples were a mixture of Brittonic speaking peoples and "Anglo-Saxon" pioneers and their early leaders had Brittonic names, such as [[Penda of Mercia|Penda]].<ref name="Yorke, Barbara p101">Yorke, Barbara. Kings and kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England. Routledge, 2002: p101</ref> Although Penda does not appear in Bede's list of great overlords, it would appear from what Bede says elsewhere that he was dominant over the southern kingdoms. At the time of the battle of the river Winwæd, thirty ''duces regii'' (royal generals) fought on his behalf. Although there are many gaps in the evidence, it is clear that the seventh-century Mercian kings were formidable rulers who were able to exercise a wide-ranging overlordship from their [[The Midlands|Midland]] base.

Mercian military success was the basis of their power; it succeeded against not only 106 kings and kingdoms by winning set-piece battles,<ref>Yorke, Barbara. Kings and kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England. Routledge, 2002: p103</ref> but by ruthlessly ravaging any area foolish enough to withhold tribute. There are a number of casual references scattered throughout the [[Bede]]'s history to this aspect of Mercian military policy. Penda is found ravaging Northumbria as far north as [[Bamburgh]] and only a miraculous intervention from Aidan prevents the complete destruction of the settlement.<ref>Scharer, Anton. "The writing of history at King Alfred's court." Early Medieval Europe 5.2 (1996): 177–206.</ref> In 676 [[Æthelred of Mercia|Æthelred]] conducted a similar ravaging in Kent and caused such damage in the [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] diocese that two successive bishops gave up their position because of lack of funds.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yorke|first=Barbara|page=101|title=Kings and kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England, 2002}}</ref> In these accounts there is a rare glimpse of the realities of early Anglo-Saxon overlordship and how a widespread overlordship could be established in a relatively short period. By the middle of the 8th century, other kingdoms of southern Britain were also affected by Mercian expansionism. The East Saxons seem to have lost control of London, [[Middlesex]] and [[Hertfordshire]] to Æthelbald, although the East Saxon homelands do not seem to have been affected, and the East Saxon dynasty continued into the ninth century.<ref>Yorke, B A E 1985: 'The kingdom of the East Saxons.' Anglo-Saxon England 14, 1–36</ref> The Mercian influence and reputation reached its peak when, in the late 8th century, the most powerful European ruler of the age, the Frankish king [[Charlemagne]], recognised [[Offa of Mercia|the Mercian King Offa]]'s power and accordingly treated him with respect, even if this could have been just flattery.<ref>RYAN, MARTIN J. "The Mercian Supremacies." The Anglo-Saxon World (2013): 179.</ref>