Wessex (Old English West seaxe, West Saxons), kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England

The chalk uplands of Wessex form an archaeological province, the distinctive cultures of which can be demonstrated from the time of the Bronze Age. There was a natural route for sea traffic between Normandy and Hampshire, with a western spread to Dorset, which was used in Neolithic times. The heart of Wessex, and the key to its archaeology, is Salisbury Plain.

The historical kingdom of Wessex is said to have been founded by West Saxons or Gewissas, under Cerdic and his son, Cynric, in 519. The invaders were defeated at Mons Badonicus (c.520), but won a great victory at Cerdcolea (527). Cerdic died in 534, and Cynric extended his kingdom beyond what is now Hampshire. His son, Ceawlin (560-592), was a warlike king and made repeated inroads on his British neighbours. But his reign ended in confusion and disaster. In 592 his own subjects rebelled against him at Woddesbeorg, and Ceawlin died in exile the following year. The territory he had conquered beyond the Thames was seized by the Mercians, and Wessex ceased to be a powerful state.

In the 7th century the West Saxons were converted to Christianity. During the reign of Cuthred (c.741-756), the Mercians were defeated at Burford (752) and a code of laws drawn up. Egbert (802-839), who had spent his youth in exile at the court of Charlemagne, restored Wessex to its former power, and ultimately brought the whole of England into submission. He defeated the men of Cornwall in 815 and 835, subdued Mercia (825-829), annexed Kent, Sussex, and Essex, and before 828 was acknowledged overlord by all the peoples south of the Tweed.

Wessex's territory was increased and its power strengthened under Alfred; he and his son, Edward the Elder, transformed the kingship of Wessex into that of England. Although no longer a separate kingdom, Wessex retained its identity until the Norman period: Cnut (Canute) made Godwin Earl of Wessex and his son, who became Harold II of England, succeeded him. On his death the earldom ceased and Wessex has since been a geographical term.

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