Editing Mercia (section)

== Subdivisions of Mercia ==
[[File:Kingdom of Mercia.PNG|right|thumb|250px|Subdivisions of Mercia]]
[[File:Mercia map.svg|right|thumb|250px|Mercian monasteries]]

For knowledge of the internal composition of the Kingdom of Mercia, we must rely on a document of uncertain age (possibly late 7th century), known as the ''[[Tribal Hidage]]'' – an assessment of the extent (but not the location) of land owned (reckoned in [[Hide (unit)|hides]]), and therefore the military obligations and perhaps taxes due, by each of the Mercian tribes and subject kingdoms by name. This hidage exists in several manuscript versions, some as late as the 14th century. It lists a number of peoples, such as the [[Hwicce]], who have now vanished, except for reminders in various placenames. The major subdivisions of Mercia were as follows:<ref>{{harvp|Zaluckyj|Feryok|2001}}{{pages needed |date=September 2019}}</ref>

*'''South Mercians'''
:The Mercians dwelling south of the River Trent. Folk groups within included the ''[[Tomsaete|Tomsæte]]'' around [[Tamworth, Staffordshire|Tamworth]] and the ''[[Pencersæte]]'' around [[Penkridge]] (roughly corresponding to southern [[Staffordshire]] and northern [[Warwickshire]]).
*'''North Mercians'''
:The Mercians dwelling north of the River Trent (roughly corresponding to eastern [[Staffordshire]], [[Derbyshire]] and [[Nottinghamshire]]).
*'''Outer Mercia'''
:An early phase of Mercian expansion, possibly 6th century (roughly corresponding to southern [[Lincolnshire]], [[Leicestershire]], [[Rutland]], [[Northamptonshire]] and [[Oxfordshire]]).
*'''[[Kingdom of Lindsey|Lindsey]]'''
:Once a kingdom in its own right, disputed with [[Northumbria]] in the 7th century before finally coming under Mercian control (roughly corresponding to the historic riding of Lindsey in [[Lincolnshire]]).
*'''[[Middle Angles]]'''
:A collection of many smaller folk groups under Mercian control from the 7th century, including the ''[[Spaldingas]]'' around [[Spalding, Lincolnshire|Spalding]], the ''Bilmingas'' and ''Wideringas'' near [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]], the ''North [[Gyrwas|Gyrwe]]'' and ''South Gyrwe'' near [[Peterborough]], the ''West Wixna'', ''East Wixna'', ''West Wille'' and ''East Wille'' near [[Ely, Cambridgeshire|Ely]], the ''Sweordora'', ''Hurstingas'' and ''Gifle'' near [[Bedford]], the ''Hicce'' around [[Hitchin]], the ''[[Cilternsæte]]'' in the [[Chilterns]] and the ''Feppingas'' near [[Thame]] (roughly corresponding to [[Cambridgeshire]], [[Bedfordshire]], [[Hertfordshire]], [[Buckinghamshire]] and southern [[Oxfordshire]]).
*'''[[Hwicce]]'''
:Once a kingdom in its own right, disputed with [[Wessex]] in the 7th century before finally coming under Mercian control. Smaller folk groups within included the ''[[Stoppingas]]'' around [[Warwick]] and the ''Arosæte'' near [[Droitwich]] (roughly corresponding to [[Gloucestershire]], [[Worcestershire]] and southern [[Warwickshire]]).
*'''[[Magonsæte]]'''
:A people of the Welsh border, also known as the Westerna, under Mercian control from the 7th century. Smaller folk groups within included the ''Temersæte'' near [[Hereford]] and the ''Hahlsæte'' near [[Ludlow]] (roughly corresponding to [[Herefordshire]] and southern [[Shropshire]]).
*'''[[Wreocensæte|Wreocansæte]]'''
:A people of the Welsh border under Mercian control from the 7th century. Smaller folk groups within included the ''Rhiwsæte'' near [[Wroxeter]] and the ''Meresæte'' near [[Chester]] (roughly corresponding to northern [[Shropshire]], [[Flintshire]] and [[Cheshire]]).
*'''[[Pecsaetan|Pecsæte]]'''
:An isolated folk group of the [[Peak District]], under Mercian control from the 7th century (roughly corresponding to northern [[Derbyshire]]).
*'''[[Lancashire|Land Between Ribble and Mersey]]'''
:A disorganised region under Mercian control from the 7th century (roughly corresponding to [[Merseyside]], [[Greater Manchester]], and [[Lancashire]] south of the [[River Ribble]]). It was the most northern extent of the kingdom, and at certain times was claimed by [[Kingdom of Northumbria|Northumbria]] and [[Kingdom of York|Danelaw]]. 
*'''[[Middlesex|Middle Saxons]]'''
:Taken over from [[kingdom of Essex|Essex]] in the 8th century, including London (roughly corresponding to [[Greater London]], [[Hertfordshire]], and [[Surrey]]).

After Mercia was annexed by Wessex in the early 10th century, the West Saxon rulers divided it into [[shire]]s modelled after their own system, cutting across traditional Mercian divisions. These shires survived mostly intact until 1974, and even today still largely follow their original boundaries.