Editing Bernicia

{{short description|Early medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom in northeast England (6th century – 654)}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Cleanup lang |date=March 2023 }}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = {{native name|ang|Beornice}}
| conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Bernicia
| common_name            = Bernicia
| era                    = [[Early Medieval]]
| status                 = <!-- Status: see Category list on template page -->
| status_text            = <!-- A free text to describe status the top of the infobox. Use sparingly. -->
| empire                 = <!-- The empire or country to which the entity was in a state of dependency -->
| government_type        = Monarchy
<!-- Rise and fall, events, years and dates -->
<!-- only fill in the start/end event entry if a specific article exists. Don't just say "abolition" or "declaration"-->| event_start            = <!-- Default: "Established" -->
| date_start             = <!-- Optional: Date of establishment, in format 1 January (no year) -->
| year_start             = 6th century
| event_end              = merged with Deira
| date_end               = <!-- Optional: Date of disestablishment, in format 1 January (no year) -->
| year_end               = 654
| year_exile_start       = <!-- Year of start of exile (if dealing with exiled government - status="Exile") -->
| year_exile_end         = <!-- Year of end of exile (leave blank if still in exile) -->
| event1                 = Shared crown with [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]]
| date_event1            = 604
| event2                 = 
| date_event2            = 
| event3                 = 
| date_event3            = 
| event4                 = 
| date_event4            = 
| event_pre              = <!-- Optional: A crucial event that took place before before "event_start"-->
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| event_post             = <!-- Optional: A crucial event that took place before after "event_end"-->
| date_post              = <!-- Flag navigation: Preceding and succeeding entities p1 to p5 and s1 to s5 -->
| p1                     = Sub-Roman Britain
| flag_p1                = <!-- Default: "Flag of {{{p1}}}.svg" (size 30) -->
| image_p1               = <!-- Use: [[Image:Sin escudo.svg|20px|Image missing]] -->
| p2                     = Votadini
| flag_p2                = 
| p3                     = Hen Ogledd
| flag_p3                = 
| p4                     = 
| flag_p4                = 
| p5                     = 
| flag_p5                = 
| s1                     = Northumbria
| flag_s1                = Flag of Northumbria.svg
| image_s1               = 
| s2                     = 
| flag_s2                = 
| s3                     = 
| flag_s3                = 
| s4                     = 
| flag_s4                = 
| s5                     = 
| flag_s5                = 
| image_flag             = <!-- Default: Flag of {{{common_name}}}.svg -->
| flag_alt               = <!-- Alt text for flag -->
| image_flag2            = <!-- Second flag -->
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| flag                   = <!-- Link target under flag image. Default: Flag of {{{common_name}}} -->
| flag_type              = <!-- Displayed text for link under flag. Default "Flag" -->
| image_map              = Yr.Hen.Ogledd.550.650.Koch.jpg
| image_map_alt          = 
| image_map_caption      = ''[[Y Hen Gogledd]]'' or "The Old North"
| image_map2             = <!-- If second map is needed - does not appear by default -->
| image_map2_alt         = 
| image_map2_caption     = 
| capital                = [[Bamburgh]]
| capital_exile          = <!-- If status="Exile" -->
| latd                   = 
| latm                   = 
| latNS                  = 
| longd                  = 
| longm                  = 
| longEW                 = 
| national_motto         = 
| national_anthem        = 
| official_languages     = [[Northumbrian Old English]]
| languages_type         = Minority languages
| languages              = [[Cumbric]]
| religion               = [[Anglo-Saxon paganism]]
| currency               = <!-- Titles and names of the first and last leaders and their deputies -->
| leader1                = <!-- Name of king or president -->
| leader2                = 
| leader3                = 
| leader4                = 
| year_leader1           = <!-- Years served -->
| year_leader2           = 
| year_leader3           = 
| year_leader4           = 
| title_leader           = <!-- Default: "King" for monarchy, otherwise "President"-->
| representative1        = <!-- Name of representative of head of state (e.g. colonial governor) -->
| representative2        = 
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| representative4        = 
| year_representative1   = <!-- Years served -->
| year_representative2   = 
| year_representative3   = 
| year_representative4   = 
| title_representative   = <!-- Default: "Governor"-->
| deputy1                = <!-- Name of prime minister -->
| deputy2                = 
| deputy3                = 
| deputy4                = 
| year_deputy1           = <!-- Years served -->
| year_deputy2           = 
| year_deputy3           = 
| year_deputy4           = 
| title_deputy           = <!-- Default: "Prime minister" -->
<!-- Legislature -->| legislature            = <!-- Name of legislature -->
| house1                 = <!-- Name of first chamber -->
| type_house1            = <!-- Default: "Upper house"-->
| house2                 = <!-- Name of second chamber -->
| type_house2            = <!-- Default: "Lower house"-->
<!-- Area and population of a given year -->| stat_year1             = <!-- year of the statistic, specify either area, population or both -->
| stat_area1             = <!-- area in square kílometres (w/o commas or spaces), area in square miles is calculated -->
| stat_pop1              = <!-- population (w/o commas or spaces), population density is calculated if area is also given -->
| stat_year2             = 
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| footnotes              = <!-- Accepts wikilinks -->
| today                  = [[United Kingdom]]
:{{nowrap|[[England]]}}<br/>{{nowrap|[[Scotland]]}}
}}

'''Bernicia''' ({{langx|ang|Bernice, Beornice}}) was an [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] kingdom established by [[Angles (tribe)|Anglian]] settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern [[Scotland]] and [[North East England]].

The Anglian territory of Bernicia was approximately equivalent to the modern English counties of [[Northumberland]], [[Tyne and Wear]], and [[County Durham|Durham]], as well as the Scottish counties of [[Berwickshire]] and [[East Lothian]], stretching from the [[River Forth|Forth]] to the [[River Tees|Tees]]. In the early 7th century, it merged with its southern neighbour, [[Deira]], to form the kingdom of [[Northumbria]], and its borders subsequently expanded considerably.

== Etymologies ==
Bernicia occurs in [[Old Welsh]] poetry as ''Bryneich'' or ''Byrneich'' and in the 9th-century ''[[Historia Brittonum]]'', (§ 61) as ''Berneich'', ''Birneich'', ''Bernech'' and ''Birnech''. Academics agree the name was originally [[Britons (Celtic people)|Celtic]]. This name was then adopted by the Anglian settlers who rendered it in [[Old English]] as ''Bernice'' (Northumbrian dialect) or ''Beornice'' (West Saxon dialect).{{sfn|Breeze|2009}} The counter hypothesis suggesting these names represent a [[Common Brittonic|Brythonic]] adaption of an earlier English form is considered less probable.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Local linguistic evidence suggests continued political activity in the area from the time of the Roman retreat from Britain and before the arrival of the Angles. Important Anglian centres in Bernicia bear names of British origin, or are known by British names elsewhere: [[Bamburgh]] is called ''Din Guaire'' in the ''Historia Brittonum''; [[Dunbar]] (where Saint [[Wilfrid]] was once imprisoned) represents ''Dinbaer''; and the name of [[Coldingham]] is given by [[Bede]] as ''Coludi urbs'' ("town of Colud"), where ''Colud'' seems to represent the British form, possibly for the hill-fort of [[St Abb's Head]].<ref>Rollason, ''Northumbria 500–1100'', p. 81.</ref>

Analysis of a potential derivation has not produced a consensus. The most commonly cited etymology gives the meaning as "Land of the Mountain Passes" or "Land of the Gaps" (tentatively proposed by [[Kenneth H. Jackson]]).<ref>Jackson, ''Language and History in Early Britain'', pp. 701–5; Rollason, ''Northumbria 500–1100'', p. 81.</ref> An earlier derivation from the tribal name of the [[Brigantes]] has been dismissed as linguistically unsound.<ref>Jackson, ''Language and History in Early Britain'', pp. 701–5; Jackson, ''The Gododdin'', p. 81.</ref> In 1997 [[John T. Koch]] suggested the conflation of a probable primary form *''Bernech'' with the native form *''Brïγent'' for the old ''civitas Brigantum'' as a result of Anglian expansion in that territory during the 7th century.<ref>
Note 566 in {{cite book | editor= John T. Koch| editor-link = John T. Koch | title = The Gododdin of Aneirin: text and context from Dark-Age North Britain | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IIxiAAAAMAAJ | access-date = 18 October 2011 | year = 1997
| publisher = University of Wales Press| isbn = 978-0-7083-1374-9| page = 216}}</ref>

== Political history and memory ==
The Brythonic kingdom of the area was formed from what had once been the southern lands of the [[Votadini]], possibly as part of the division of a supposed 'great northern realm' of [[Coel Hen]] in c. AD 420. This northern realm is referred to by Welsh scholars as ''Yr [[Hen Ogledd]]'' or, literally, "The Old North". The kingdom may have been ruled from the site that later became the English [[Bamburgh]], which certainly features in Welsh sources as ''Din Guardi''. Near this high-status residence lay the island of [[Lindisfarne]] (formerly known, in Welsh, as ''Ynys Medcaut''), which became the [[diocese|seat]] of the Bernician [[Bishop of Lindisfarne|bishops]]. It is unknown when the Angles finally conquered the whole region, but around 604 is likely.

== Kings of British Bryneich ==
There are several [[Old Welsh]] pedigrees of princely "[[Hen Ogledd|Men of the North]]" (''Gwŷr y Gogledd'') that may represent the kings of the British kingdom in the area, which may have been called ''Bryneich''. [[John Morris (historian)|John Morris]] surmised that the line of a certain [[Morcant Bulc]] referred to these monarchs, chiefly because he identified this man as the murderer of [[Urien Rheged]] who was, at the time, besieging [[Lindisfarne]].<ref>John Morris</ref>

==English Bernicia==
[[File:Northumbria.rise.600.700.jpg|thumb|300px]]
Some of the Angles of Bernicia ({{langx|ang|Beornice}}) may have been employed as [[mercenary|mercenaries]] along [[Hadrian's Wall]] during the late [[Roman Britain|Roman]] period. Others are thought to have migrated north (by sea) from [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]] ({{langx|ang|Derenrice}} or ''Dere'') in the early 6th century.<ref>''The History of England – From the Earliest Times to the Norman Conquest'' By Thomas Hodgkin, Published by READ BOOKS, 2007, {{ISBN|1-4067-0896-8}}, {{ISBN|978-1-4067-0896-7}}</ref> The first Anglian king in the historical record is [[Ida of Bernicia|Ida]], who is said to have obtained the throne and the kingdom about 547. His sons spent many years fighting a united force from the surrounding Brythonic kingdoms until their alliance collapsed into civil war.

===A forcibly united Northumbria===
Ida's grandson, [[Æthelfrith of Northumbria|Æthelfrith]] (Æðelfriþ), united [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]] with his own kingdom by force around 604. He ruled the two kingdoms (united as Northumbria) until he was defeated and killed by [[Rædwald of East Anglia]] (who had given refuge to [[Edwin of Northumbria|Edwin]], son of [[Ælla of Deira|Ælle, king of Deira]]) around 616. Edwin then became king. The early part of Edwin's reign was possibly spent fighting enemies from the Brythonic exiles of the old British kingdom, operating out of [[Gododdin]]. After this, it is said that on Easter Day 627 Edwin converted to Christianity in return for [[Elmet]] (a [[Cumbric]]-speaking<ref name="CelticCulture">{{cite book |last= Koch|first= John T.|title= Celtic Culture: a historical encyclopedia| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=f899xH_quaMC&q=515&pg=PA515|publisher= ABC-CLIO|year= 2006|pages=515–516|isbn= 9781851094400}}</ref> kingdom that once existed in the modern-day [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], near [[Leeds]]), joining the kingdom of Northumbria;<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/stream/upperwharfedaleb00speiuoft/upperwharfedaleb00speiuoft_djvu.txt | title=Upper Wharfedale : Being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valley of the Wharfe, from Otley to Langstrothdale | year=1900 }}</ref> which drew him into direct conflict with Wales proper.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

Following the disastrous [[Battle of Hatfield Chase]] on 12 October 633, in which Edwin was defeated and killed by [[Cadwallon ap Cadfan]] of [[Kingdom of Gwynedd|Gwynedd]] and [[Penda of Mercia]], Northumbria was divided back into Bernicia and Deira. Bernicia was then briefly ruled by [[Eanfrith of Bernicia|Eanfrith]], son of Æthelfrith, but after about a year he went to Cadwallon to sue for peace and was killed. Eanfrith's brother [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]] then raised an army and finally defeated Cadwallon at the [[Battle of Heavenfield]] in 634.

After this victory, Oswald appears to have been recognised by both Bernicians and Deirans as king of a properly united Northumbria. The kings of Bernicia were thereafter supreme in that kingdom, although Deira had its own sub-kings at times during the reigns of [[Oswiu of Northumbria|Oswiu]] and his son [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]].

=== Rump of Northumbria ===
[[File:England 878.svg|thumb|150px|England in 878. The independent rump of the former Kingdom of Northumbria (yellow) was to the north of the [[Norsemen|Norse]] Danelaw and [[Scandinavian York|Kingdom of Jórvík]]]]
After the decisive defeat of Northumbrian forces by the Viking [[Great Heathen Army]], at the Battle of [[Battle of York (867)|York in 867]], the united Kingdom of Northumbria disintegrated. The lands north of the Tyne remained a [[de facto]] independent kingdom called [[Bamburgh]] after the stronghold of its high-reeves. The lands between Tyne and Tees were granted to the Community of St. Cuthbert, forming an ecclesiastical buffer zone between Jórvík and Bamburgh.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Adams |first1=Max |title=Ælfred's Britain: war and peace in the Viking age |date=2017 |publisher=Head of Zeus |location=London |isbn=978-1784080297 }}</ref> In 927 [[Ealdred I of Bamburgh|Ealdred]] accepted West Saxon overlordship; however, the lands north of the Tees remained outside of the West Saxon administrative system of shires and hundreds until after the [[Norman Invasion of England|Norman invasion]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Darby |first1=Henry Clifford |title=Domesday England |date=7 August 1986 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521310260 |page=11 }}</ref><ref name = "Molyneaux">{{cite book |last1=Molyneaux |first1=George |title=The Formation of the English Kingdom in the Tenth Century |date=2017 |publisher=OUP Oxford |isbn=9780192542939 |page=10 }}</ref> 

In 973, Scots sovereignty over northern Bernicia, now known as [[Lothian]], was acknowledged by [[Edgar the Peaceful|Edgar of England]].
{{expand section|date=May 2020}}

===Kings of Bernicia===
{{Main|List of monarchs of Northumbria#Kings of Bernicia}}
(see also [[List of monarchs of Northumbria]])

*[[Ida of Bernicia|Ida]], son of Eoppa (547–559)
*[[Glappa of Bernicia|Glappa]], possibly Ida's brother (559–560)
*[[Adda of Bernicia|Adda]], son of Ida (560–568)
*[[Æthelric of Bernicia|Æthelric]], son of Ida (568–572)
*[[Theodric of Bernicia|Theodric]], son of Ida (572–579)
*[[Frithuwald of Bernicia|Frithuwald]], possibly Adda's son (579–585)
*[[Hussa of Bernicia|Hussa]], possibly Adda's son (585–593)
*[[Æthelfrith of Northumbria|Æthelfrith]], son of Æthelric (593–616)

Under [[Deira]]n rule 616–633)
*[[Eanfrith of Bernicia]], son of Æthelfrith (633–634)

Under Oswald son of Æthelfrith, Bernicia was united with [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]] to form [[Northumbria]] from 634 onward until the [[Viking]] invasion of the 9th Century.

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* [[Bede]], ''[[Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum]]''.
* {{cite journal |last1=Breeze |first1=Andrew |title=The Name of Bernicia |journal=The Antiquaries Journal |date=September 2009 |volume=89 |pages=73–79 |doi=10.1017/S0003581509990096}}
* [[Kenneth H. Jackson|Jackson, Kenneth H.]] (1953). ''Language and History in Early Britain''. Edinburgh University Press.
* Jackson, Kenneth H. (1969). ''The Gododdin: The Oldest Scottish poem''. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
* Koch, John T. (1997). ''The Gododdin of Aneurin: Text and context from Dark-Age North Britain''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. {{ISBN|0-7083-1374-4}}
* Rollason, David W. (2003). ''Northumbria, 500–1100: Creation and Destruction of a Kingdom''. Cambridge. {{ISBN|0-521-81335-2}}.

== Further reading ==
* Alcock, Leslie, ''Kings and Warriors, Craftsmen and Priests in Northern Britain AD 550–850.'' Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2003. {{ISBN|0-903903-24-5}}
* Alcock, Leslie, ''Arthur's Britain: History and Archaeology, AD 367–634.'' Penguin, London, 1989. {{ISBN|0-14-139069-7}}
* Higham, N.J., ''The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350–1100.'' Sutton, Stroud, 1993. {{ISBN|0-86299-730-5}}
* Lowe, Chris, ''The Making of Scotland: Angels, Fools and Tyrants: Britons and Angles in Southern Scotland.'' Canongate, Edinburgh, 1999. {{ISBN|978-0-86241-875-5}}
* Morris, John, ''The Age of Arthur.'' Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1973. {{ISBN|0-297-17601-3}}
* Rollason, David, ''Northumbria, 500–1100: Creation and Destruction of a Kingdom.''  2008.
* Ziegler, Michelle. "[http://www.heroicage.org/issues/2/ha2pen.htm The Politics of Exile in Early Northumbria]." ''The Heroic Age'' 2 (1999). Online.

{{Heptarchy}}
{{Bernician Monarchs}}
{{Medieval Scotland}}
{{Royal houses of Britain and Ireland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Northumbria]]
[[Category:Peoples of Anglo-Saxon England]]
[[Category:History of Northumberland]]
[[Category:States and territories established in the 6th century]]
[[Category:6th century in Scotland]]
[[Category:7th century in Scotland]]
[[Category:6th-century establishments in England]]
[[Category:7th century in England]]
[[Category:History of the Scottish Borders]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 7th century]]
[[Category:630s disestablishments]]
[[Category:Former kingdoms]]