Sæberht,SaberhtorSæbert[1](d.c.616) was anAnglo-SaxonKing of Essex(r.c.604 –c.616), in succession of his father KingSledd.He is known as the first East Saxon king to have beenconverted to Christianity.
| Sæberht | |
|---|---|
 Depiction of Sæberht fromJohn Speed's map of theHeptarchy(The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine,1611) | |
| King of the East Saxons | |
| Reign | c.604 –c.616 |
| Predecessor | Sledd |
| Successor | his three sons |
| Died | 616 |
| Issue | Sexred Sæward another son |
| Father | Sledd |
| Mother | Ricula, sister of KingÆthelberht of Kent |
The principal source for his reign is the early 8th-centuryHistoria Ecclesiastica gentis AnglorumbyBede(d. 735), who claims to have derived his information about the missionary work ofMellitusamong the East Saxons from Abbot Albinus of Canterbury through the London priestNothhelm,later Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 739).[2]Other sources include theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle,an East Saxon genealogy possibly of the late 9th century (British LibraryAdd MS 23211), and a handful of genealogies and regnal lists written down by Anglo-Norman historians.
Family
editThe genealogies and regnal lists are unanimous in describing Sæberht as the son ofSledd,who may have been regarded as the founder of the East Saxon dynasty.[3]According to Bede, Sæberht's mother was Ricula, a sister of KingÆthelberht of Kent.[4]Bede omits the names of Sæberht's three sons, who succeeded him[5]but two,SexredandSæward,are named in the genealogy of Add MS 23211.[6]
Conversion and succession
editIn 604, the churchmanMellituswas consecrated byAugustine[7]as bishop in the province of theEast Saxons,which had a capital at London, making him the first SaxonBishop of London.[8]Bede tells that Sæberht converted toChristianityin 604[5][9]and was baptised by Mellitus, while his sons remained pagan.[10]Sæberht then allowed the bishopric to be established. The episcopal church which was built in London was probably founded by Æthelberht, rather than Sæberht, though a charter which claims to be a grant of lands from Æthelberht to Mellitus is a forgery.
Death and burial
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Both Æthelberht and Sæberht died in 616, leaving theGregorian missionwithout strong patrons.[12]Sæberht's pagan sons drove Mellitus from London.[13]According to Bede's explanation, this happened because Mellitus refused the brothers' request for a taste of thesacramental bread.[12]
Westminster Abbey
editLater medieval legend claimed that Sæberht and his wife Ethelgoda had founded a monastery in London dedicated to St Peter at the site of the presentWestminster Abbey,and that they had been buried in the church there.[14]In the reign ofHenry III,during rebuilding work in 1245-1272, their supposed remains were transferred into a tomb which the king had especially erected for them in the Chapter House, close to the entrance of the Royal Chapels.[15]The King's remains were reportedly still clothed in royal robes and a ruby thumb ring was seen. In 1308, the bones were said to have been relocated once again to a marble tomb which still stands today in the southambulatory.There is no genuine evidence to support this tradition however, and modern scholars cast doubt on the claim that Sæberht's bones were ever genuinely entombed here.[14][16][17]
Great Burstead
editThere is a local tradition that Sæberht lived, and was buried atGreat Bursteadin Essex.[18][19]
Prittlewell burial
editIn 2003 a high-status Anglo-Saxon tomb was discovered atPrittlewell,just north ofSouthendin Essex. The artefacts found were of such a quality that archaeologists surmised that Prittlewell was a tomb of one of the Kings of Essex, and the discovery of golden foil crosses indicates that the inhabitant was an early Christian. As the initial evidence pointed to an early seventh-century date, Sæberht was considered the most likely candidate for the burial,[20][21]although other possibilities such as his Christian grandsonSigeberht the Good,or an unknown individual of high status, were not ruled out.[22][23]However,carbon datingtechniques later indicated a revised date in the late 6th century. In May 2019, it was reported that a team of 40 specialists from theMuseum of London Archaeology(MOLA) now believe the tomb could have belonged to Seaxa, Sæberht's brother. Carbon dating had indicated that the tomb was built between 575 and 605, at least 11 years before Sæberht's death.[24][25][26]Further details of the latest research have been published on the MOLA website.[27]
References
edit- ^His name is alternatively written as Saebert, Sabert or Sebert.
- ^Bede,Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum,Book 2, chapters 3, 5 and 6.
- ^Yorke, "The Kingdom of the East Saxons", pp. 15-6.
- ^Bede,Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum.Book 2, chapter 3.
- ^abBede,Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum.
- ^Yorke, "The Kingdom of the East Saxons", p. 4.
- ^Fryde, et al.Handbook of British Chronologyp. 219.
- ^BrooksEarly History of the Church of Canterburyp. 11–13a
- ^Hindley, GeoffreyA Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons: The beginnings of the English nationNew York: Carrol & Graf Publishers 2006ISBN978-0-7867-1738-5p. 33-36
- ^Bede,Historia Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum;Anglo-Saxon Chronicle(MSS A,B and C) s.a. 604.
- ^Smith, Mrs A. Murray; Bradley, E.T. (1903).The Roll-Call of Westminster Abbey.Smith # Elder. p. 405.Retrieved15 May2019.
- ^abBrooks "Mellitus (d. 624)"Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^HindleyA Brief History of the Anglo-Saxonsp. 36
- ^abMason, Emma (1996).Westminster Abbey and its people, c.1050-c.1216.Boydell & Brewer. p. 2.
- ^Thornbury, Walter(1878).Old and New London.Vol. 3. London. pp. 431–450.Retrieved25 January2011.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Jenkyns, Richard (2011)."The Medieval Church".Westminster Abbey.Harvard University Press. p. 10.ISBN9780674061972.Retrieved15 May2019.
- ^"Sebert, King of the East Saxons & Ethelgoda".Westminster Abbey.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2019.Retrieved15 May2019.
- ^A History and Guide to the church of St Mary Magdelene Great Burstead
- ^K.D. Box, 24 Essex Churches (Letchworth, 1965), p.48.
- ^Channel 4 Time Team, Prittlewell Southend, The name of the king
- ^Holland, Jennifer S., 2005, "Crossing Over,"National Geographic"Geographica," March 2005
- ^Blair, I., Barham, E., and Blackmore, L. (2004). My Lord Essex.British Archaeology76:10-17,Online text
- ^"MoLAS":MoLAS ReportArchived2009-01-19 at theWayback Machine,Museum of London
- ^"Southend burial site 'UK's answer to Tutankhamun'".BBC. 9 May 2019.Retrieved9 May2019.
- ^Smith, Roth (9 May 2019)."New research questions famed burial of 'first' Christian Anglo-Saxon king".National Geographic. Archived fromthe originalon 9 May 2019.Retrieved9 May2019.
- ^Brown, Mark (8 May 2019)."Britain's equivalent to Tutankhamun found in Southend-on-Sea".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 9 May 2019.Retrieved9 May2019.
- ^"Prittlewell Princely Burial".MOLA.Archivedfrom the original on 9 May 2019.Retrieved9 May2019.
Sources
edit- Bede,Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum,ed. and tr.Colgrave, Bertram;Mynors, Roger AB(1969).Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People.Oxford Medieval Texts. Oxford: Clarendon Press.ISBN0-1982-2202-5.III.22, pp. 280–5.
- Higham, N.J.The Convert Kings. Power and Religious Affiliation in Early Anglo-Saxon England.Manchester, 1997.
- Kirby, D.P.The Earliest English Kings.London, 1991.
- Yorke, Barbara. "The Kingdom of the East Saxons."Anglo-Saxon England14 (1985): 1-36.
- Yorke, Barbara.Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England.London, 1990.
- Thornbury, Walter.Westminster Abbey: Chapels and royal tombs', Old and New London: Volume 3 (1878), pp. 431–450.
Further reading
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- Hirst, S. and S. Lamb.The Prittlewell Prince: The Discovery of a Rich Anglo-Saxon Burial in Essex.London, 2004.
External links
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