MERCIA

MERCIA, the name of one of the seven kingdoms
founded in England by the Saxons. Though the latest
formed, it was the largest of them all, and grew by de-
grees to be by far the most powerful. On the north it
was bounded by the Humber and the Mersey, which se-
parated it from the kingdom of Northumberland; on
the east by the sea, and the territories of the East
Angles and Saxons; on the south by the river Thames;
and on the west by the rivers Severn and Dee. It
comprehended well nigh 17 of our modern counties,
being equal in size to the province of Languedoc in
France; very little, if at all, less than the kingdom of
Arragon in Spain; and superior in size to that of Bo-
hemia in Germany.

Penda is regarded as its first monarch; and the
kingdom is thought to derive its name from the Saxon
word mere, which signifies "a march, bound, or lim-
it," because the other kingdoms bordered upon it
on every side; and not from the river Mersey, as some
would persuade us. Penda assumed the regal title
A. D. 626, and was of the age of 50 at the time of
his accession; after which he reigned near thirty years.
He was of a most furious and turbulent temper, break-
ing at different times with almost all his neighbours,
calling in the Britons to his assistance, and shedding
more Saxon blood than had been hitherto spilled in
all their intestine quarrels. He killed two kings of
Northumberland, three of the East Angles, and com-
pelled Kenwall king of the West Saxons to quit his

dominions. He was at length slain, with most of the
princes of his family, and a multitude of his subjects,
in a battle fought not far from Leeds, by Oswy king
of Northumberland. This battle, which the Saxon
chronicle tells us was fought at Winwidfeld, A. D.
655, made a great change in the Saxon affairs, which
the unbridled fury of Penda had thrown into great
confusion. He had the year before killed Anna king
of the East Angles in battle, whose brother Ethel-
red notwithstanding took part with Penda. On the
other hand, Penda, the eldest son of Penda, to whom
his father had given the ancient kingdom of the Mid
Angles, had two years before married the natural
daughter of King Oswy, and had been baptized at
his court. At that time it should seem that Oswy
and Penda were upon good terms; but after the lat-
ter had conquered the East Angles, he resolved to
turn his arms against the kingdom of Northumberland.
Oswy by no means had provoked this rupture; on the
contrary, Bede tells us that he offered large sums of
money, and jewels of great value, to purchase peace:
these offers being rejected, he was reduced to the ne-
cessity of deciding the quarrel by the sword. The
river near which the battle was fought overflowing,
there were more drowned than killed. Amongst these,
as the Saxon chronicle says, there were thirty princes
of the royal line, some of whom bore the title of
kings; and also Ethelred king of the East Angles,
who fought on the side of Penda against his family and
country.

His son Penda, who married the daughter of that
conqueror became a Christian, and was not long after
murdered, as is said, by the malice of his mother. His
brother Wolfer becoming king of Mercia, embraced
in process of time the faith of the gospel, and proved
a very victorious and potent monarch; and is, with no
fewer than seven of his immediate successors, commonly
styled king of the Anglo-Saxons, though none of them
are owned in that quality by the Saxon chronicle. But
though possibly none of them might enjoy this ho-
nour, they were undoubtedly very puissant princes,
maintaining great wars, and obtaining many advan-
tages over the sovereigns of other Saxon states, and
especially the East Angles, whom they reduced. The
extent of the Mercian territories was so ample as to
admit, and so situated as to require, the constituting
subordinate rulers in several provinces; to whom, espe-
cially if they were of the royal line, they gave the title
of kings; which occasions some confusion in their his-
tory. Besides the establishing episcopal sees and con-
vents, the Saxon monarchs took other methods for
improving and adorning their dominions; and as Mer-
cia was the largest, so these methods were most con-
spicuous therein. Coventry, as being situated in the
centre, was usually, but not always, the royal resi-
dence. Penda, who was almost continually in a state
of war, lived as his military operations directed, in
some great town on the frontiers. Wolfer built a
castle or fortified palace for his own residence, which
bore his name.—Offa kept his court at Sutton Walls
near Hereford.

In each of the provinces there resided a chief magi-
strate; and if he was of the royal blood, had usually
the title of king. Penda, at the time he married Os-
wy's daughter, had the title of king of Leicester.—
Ethelred

Mercia
Mercury. Ethelred made his brother Merowald king of Hereford; who, dying without issue, bequeathed it to his younger brother Mercelun. The like honours were sometimes conferred upon the princesses; and hence, in Mercia especially, we occasionally read of vice-queens. By these means the laws were better executed, the obedience of the subjects more effectually secured, and the splendour of these residences constantly kept up and augmented.

At length the crown devolving sometimes on minors and sometimes on weak princes, intestine factions also prevailing, the force of this hitherto mighty kingdom began sensibly to decline. This falling out in the days of Egbert, the most prudent as well as the most potent monarch of the West Saxons, he took advantage of these circumstances; and having encouraged the East Angles to make an attempt for the recovery of their independence, he, in a conjuncture every way favourable to his design, broke with the Mercians, and after a short war obliged them to submit. But this was not an absolute conquest, the kings of Mercia being allowed by him and his successors to retain their titles and dominions, till the invasion of the Danes put an end to their rule, when this kingdom had subsisted above 250 years; and when the Danes were afterwards expelled by the West Saxons, it sunk into a province, or rather was divided into many.