72:
787:, also said to have been a king of the Mercians, was killed in the battle along with Oswald. The possibility exists that he was subject to Oswald and fighting in the battle as his ally. It has been suggested that Eowa was the dominant king among the Mercians for a period prior to the battle, and it has also been suggested that he had ruled the northern Mercians while Penda ruled the southern Mercians. Since the
824:, Maserfield left Penda as "the most formidable king in England". He maintained this position until his death in battle against the Bernicians at the Battle of Winwaed in 655; at times in the years between the two battles, his power was sufficient that he could mount destructive raids into Bernicia itself, at one point besieging
812:
in the north (which had been dominant, with Oswald, a member of the
Bernician royal line, ruling both Bernicia and Deira prior to Maserfield) was ruled by Oswald's brother Oswiu. Thus the battle led to the internal weakening and fracturing of the Northumbrian kingdom, a situation which lasted until
740:
The outcome of the battle was defeat for the
Northumbrians. Bede mentions the story that Oswald prayed for the souls of his soldiers when he saw that he was about to die. Oswald's body was cut into pieces, and his head and arms mounted on poles; the parts were retrieved in the next year by his
791:
says Penda ruled for only ten years (Bede says 22 years: 633–655), this may mean that it was dating Penda's reign from the time of his victory at
Maserfield; this would make sense if Eowa's death removed an important rival to Penda, enabling him to claim or consolidate authority over all the
555:
in 634, and subsequently re-established
Northumbrian hegemony across much of Britain; although it is thought that Penda recognized Oswald's authority in some form after Hatfield, he may nevertheless have been hostile to Northumbrian power or at least perceived by Oswald as a threat."
767:
accredits Penda's victory to "diabolical agency", but the characterization of the battle as a clash between
Christians and pagans may be oversimplified if there were Welsh, who were Christian, fighting on Penda's side. The 20th-century historian,
705:; his desire to portray Oswald in a positive light may have led him to omit mention of Oswald's aggressive warfare. He says only that Oswald died fighting for his country at Maserfield, giving the impression that the battle was part of a "
580:("Oswald's Cross"); although an association with King Oswald of Northumbria is not certain, the name is popularly assumed to refer to him. In the mid -seventh century, Oswestry is thought to have probably still been in the territory of
587:
However, neither the Welsh nor
English names for the battle site have been securely identified with modern reflexes or localised, and site of the battle is still debated among scholars; in 2020,
236:
728:, thought to have been composed shortly after his death, says of him that "when the son of Pyd requested, how ready he was". This may be a reference to Penda, the son of
229:
1151:
Annales
Cambriae. A Translation of Harleian 3859; PRO E.164/1; Cottonian Domitian, A 1; Exeter Cathedral Library MS. 3514 and MS Exchequer DB Neath, PRO E
258:
222:
701:
The cause of the war that led to
Maserfield is unknown. The historian Bede, writing in the next century, portrayed Oswald as a saintly figure in his
1189:
1199:
1179:
1133:
614:
438:
32:
584:. If this location is correct, it would mean Oswald was in the territory of his enemies, which would suggest he was on the offensive.
995:
Barrie Cox, 'The Place-Names of the
Earliest English Records', Journal of the English Place-Name Society, 8 (1975–76), 12–66 (p. 24).
673:; and the battle described in these Welsh texts is agreed to be identical with the Battle of Maserfield known from Bede (albeit that
1194:
1158:
966:
910:
246:
511:
is generally considered incorrect in giving the year of the battle as 644. The site of the battle is traditionally identified with
1184:
772:, wrote that the battle left Penda as "without question the most powerful Mercian ruler so far to have emerged in the midlands".
626:
in present-day
English. The first element is debated: it has been taken as a possibly unique Old English attestation of the word
1214:
398:
318:
479:
allied with Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment. The location was also known as
845:
757:. Bede reports a number of miracles attributed to Oswald's bones and to the spot where he died. (In the 12th century,
278:
308:
71:
528:
358:
353:
288:
1174:
628:
433:
283:
595:
in Powys, particularly on the basis of place-names that seem to be associated with the battle in the Welsh
564:
The Battle of Maserfield was assumed for much of the twentieth century to have taken place at what is now
418:
393:
136:
814:
552:
472:
373:
363:
348:
343:
303:
298:
263:
169:
761:
wrote of the battle: "It is said the plain of Maserfeld was white with the bones of the Saints".) The
746:
742:
524:
443:
423:
383:
214:
758:
548:
540:
468:
388:
333:
273:
1050:
763:
682:
658:
428:
413:
328:
127:
677:
s account may owe little to historical reality). Andrew Breeze has etymologised this name as a
1154:
962:
906:
724:
378:
338:
313:
268:
1085:
653:
581:
507:
408:
173:
156:
131:
77:
805:
801:
729:
706:
476:
403:
323:
293:
148:
27:
Battle between the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Bernicia and various Welsh kingdoms (c. 641/642)
1071:
576:
of this name is "Oswald's Tree", while the traditional Welsh name for the same place is
1138:
1023:
922:
Clare Stancliffe, "Where Was Oswald Killed?", in C. Stancliffe and E. Cambridge (ed.),
784:
484:
460:
152:
1168:
821:
678:
588:
1209:
1204:
1143:
936:
1055:
769:
619:
597:
532:
493:
569:
47:
34:
713:
573:
164:
531:
in 633, the Mercians under Penda had presented an obstacle to the power of
17:
825:
809:
565:
512:
488:
1099:
Nicholas Brooks, "The Formation of the Mercian Kingdom", in S. Bassett,
979:
467:) was fought on 5 August 641 or 642 (642 according to Ward) between the
544:
732:, meaning that Cynddylan was eager to fight in battle alongside him.
750:
749:
and Oswald was Christian, the latter was subsequently venerated as a
592:
536:
498:
491:
participating in the battle (according to the probably ninth-century
123:
874:
754:
76:
A twelfth-century painting of St Oswald, killed at Maserfield, in
1128:
804:, in the southern part of Northumbria, chose a king of its own,
718:
502:
941:
The Heroic Age: A Journal of Early Medieval Northwestern Europe
218:
459:
a corruption of the Welsh Maes Elferth (Elferth's field, also
505:
reports the commonly accepted date given above; the Welsh
817:, despite Oswine's murder on the orders of Oswiu in 651.
657:
record a battle for 644 at a site which they call by the
875:"Historia Cymru: History of Early Wales from Prehistory"
986:, 3rd edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001).
612:) in the principal source for the battle, Bede's
248:Anglo-Saxon invasions and the founding of England
64:
937:Oswald, King and Saint: His Britain and Beyond
902:(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), s.v.
230:
8:
665:; the same name is found in a later form as
1146:(attribution) (c.9th century). Canu Heledd.
924:Oswald: Northumbrian King to European Saint
846:"The Battle of Maserfeld 5th August AD 642"
632:; a word having something to do with Welsh
1116:(1943, 1971, 1998 paperback), pages 81–83.
636:('field'); or to be the Welsh female name
237:
223:
215:
61:
640:(an argument supported by the place-name
618:. The second element of this name is the
1056:The History of Early English Literature
1005:
1003:
1001:
836:
828:, prior to his final, doomed campaign.
712:Penda's Welsh allies may have included
535:over the lands of Britain south of the
1134:Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
1025:Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
703:Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
615:Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
1067:
1065:
7:
961:(London: Anthem Press, 2020), ch. 9
953:
951:
949:
1101:The Origins of Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
900:A Dictionary of English Place Names
523:"Since the death of Oswald's uncle
25:
984:Oxford English Dictionary Online
689:- ('rock') and a personal name *
604:The site of the battle is named
70:
693:, thus meaning 'hill of Boia'.
1190:Military history of Shropshire
551:(Penda's ally at Hatfield) at
1:
1200:Battles involving Northumbria
1180:Battles involving the Britons
497:), probably as allies of the
206:600 Powysian fighters killed
608:(with the variant spelling
1231:
1139:Book III, Chapters IX–XII.
1041:, Book III, chapters 9–12.
1013:(1991, 2000), pages 76–77.
1011:The Earliest English Kings
279:Treason of the Long Knives
256:
198:
183:
142:
117:
109:Mercian-Brittonic victory
83:
69:
1195:Battles involving Mercia
959:British Battles, 493–937
560:Location and place-names
1185:Battles involving Wales
1028:, Book III, chapter 12.
1215:7th century in England
844:Ward, Richard (2020).
800:Following the battle,
741:brother and successor
539:. Oswald had defeated
464:
143:Commanders and leaders
137:Kingdom of Northumbria
815:Battle of the Winwaed
714:Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn
487:, with Welshmen from
473:Oswald of Northumbria
457:Battle of Maserfield,
264:Groans of the Britons
199:Casualties and losses
191:1,200 Powysian forces
745:. Since Penda was a
525:Edwin of Northumbria
189:2,000 Mercian forces
65:Battle of Maserfield
1114:Anglo-Saxon England
873:Morritt, Robert D.
759:Henry of Huntingdon
549:King of the Britons
541:Cadwallon ap Cadfan
204:100 Mercians killed
91:5 August 641 or 642
44: /
1073:Historia Brittonum
1051:Stopford A. Brooke
789:Historia Brittonum
783:, Penda's brother
777:Historia Brittonum
764:Historia Brittonum
128:Kingdom of Gwynedd
1103:(1989), page 166.
1059:(1905), page 118.
775:According to the
725:Marwnad Cynddylan
622:word that became
452:
451:
213:
212:
209:Heavy, 800 killed
124:Kingdom of Mercia
113:
112:
16:(Redirected from
1222:
1117:
1110:
1104:
1097:
1091:
1087:Annales Cambriae
1083:
1077:
1069:
1060:
1048:
1042:
1035:
1029:
1020:
1014:
1007:
996:
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987:
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927:
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914:
896:
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781:Annales Cambriae
654:Annales Cambriae
508:Annales Cambriae
251:
249:
239:
232:
225:
216:
178:
165:Prince Cynddylan
161:
132:Kingdom of Powys
85:
84:
78:Durham Cathedral
74:
62:
59:
58:
56:
55:
54:
49:
48:52.860°N 3.054°W
45:
42:
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37:
21:
1230:
1229:
1225:
1224:
1223:
1221:
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1165:
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1125:
1120:
1112:Frank Stenton,
1111:
1107:
1098:
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1070:
1063:
1049:
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1036:
1032:
1021:
1017:
1008:
999:
994:
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977:
973:
957:Andrew Breeze,
956:
947:
935:Tim Clarkson, '
934:
930:
921:
917:
897:
893:
883:
881:
872:
871:
867:
857:
855:
853:sthelens.gov.uk
848:
843:
842:
838:
834:
798:
738:
699:
697:Outbreak of war
562:
521:
477:Penda of Mercia
453:
448:
309:Argoed Llwyfain
252:
247:
245:
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205:
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75:
52:
50:
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38:
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15:
12:
11:
5:
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1202:
1197:
1192:
1187:
1182:
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1175:640s conflicts
1167:
1166:
1163:
1162:
1149:Remfry, P.M.,
1147:
1141:
1124:
1121:
1119:
1118:
1105:
1092:
1078:
1061:
1043:
1030:
1015:
997:
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971:
945:
928:
915:
891:
865:
835:
833:
830:
797:
794:
737:
734:
716:of Powys: the
698:
695:
642:Dyffryn Meiser
561:
558:
529:Hatfield Chase
520:
517:
465:Cad Maes Cogwy
450:
449:
447:
446:
441:
436:
431:
426:
421:
416:
411:
406:
401:
399:2nd Wodensburh
396:
391:
386:
381:
376:
371:
366:
361:
359:Hatfield Chase
356:
351:
346:
341:
336:
331:
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319:1st Wodensburh
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289:Mercredesburne
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67:
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53:52.860; -3.054
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1227:
1216:
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1211:
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1159:1-899376-81-X
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1109:
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1079:
1076:, Chapter 65.
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1052:
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1009:D. P. Kirby,
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989:
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972:
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967:9781785272257
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942:
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932:
929:
926:(1995, 1996).
925:
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911:9780199609086
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898:A. D. Mills,
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823:
822:Frank Stenton
820:According to
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19:
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1144:Llywarch Hen
1132:
1113:
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1086:
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1072:
1054:
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983:
974:
958:
940:
931:
923:
918:
903:
899:
894:
882:. Retrieved
878:
868:
856:. Retrieved
852:
839:
819:
799:
788:
780:
776:
774:
762:
739:
723:
717:
711:
702:
700:
690:
686:
675:Canu Heledd'
674:
670:
666:
662:
652:
650:
645:
641:
637:
633:
627:
623:
613:
609:
605:
603:
596:
586:
577:
563:
522:
506:
492:
480:
456:
454:
394:Nechtansmere
368:
175:
158:
118:Belligerents
29:
980:mazer, n.1.
943:, 9 (2006).
770:D. P. Kirby
671:Canu Heledd
646:Canu Heledd
620:Old English
598:Canu Heledd
578:Croesoswald
553:Heavenfield
533:Northumbria
494:Canu Heledd
469:Anglo-Saxon
364:Heavenfield
349:Cefn Digoll
344:Cirencester
304:Alclud Ford
170:King Oswald
51: /
1169:Categories
1123:References
813:after the
792:Mercians.
606:Maserfelth
591:suggested
570:Shropshire
519:Background
444:Brunanburh
424:Bensington
384:Two Rivers
369:Maserfield
149:King Penda
36:52°51′36″N
18:Maserfelth
796:Aftermath
683:Brittonic
659:Old Welsh
610:Maserfeld
574:etymology
354:Caer-Uisc
334:Degsastan
299:Beranburh
274:Aylesford
153:King Eowa
39:3°03′14″W
904:Oswestry
884:10 April
879:Academia
858:5 August
826:Bamburgh
810:Bernicia
808:, while
779:and the
707:just war
679:compound
566:Oswestry
513:Oswestry
499:Mercians
489:Pengwern
439:Scotland
429:Ellandun
414:Hereford
329:Catraeth
259:Timeline
184:Strength
100:Oswestry
96:Location
681:of the
545:Gwynedd
379:Peonnum
374:Winwaed
339:Chester
314:Deorham
269:Guoloph
176:†
159:†
1157:
1090:, 644.
1037:Bede,
1022:Bede,
965:
909:
806:Oswine
751:martyr
736:Battle
722:-poem
685:word *
663:Cocboy
638:Meiser
593:Forden
572:. The
537:Humber
471:kings
419:Otford
409:Pencon
172:
155:
106:Result
1039:H. E.
849:(PDF)
832:Notes
802:Deira
755:saint
747:pagan
743:Oswiu
730:Pybba
667:Cogwy
661:name
629:mazer
624:field
582:Powys
485:Welsh
481:Cogwy
461:Welsh
404:Hehil
389:Trent
324:Raith
294:Badon
194:1,000
1155:ISBN
1129:Bede
963:ISBN
907:ISBN
886:2017
860:2021
785:Eowa
753:and
719:awdl
691:Boia
651:The
634:maes
503:Bede
475:and
455:The
88:Date
1210:642
1205:641
982:",
939:',
709:".
687:kok
669:in
648:).
644:in
568:in
543:of
527:at
515:.
483:in
1171::
1137:,
1131:,
1064:^
1053:,
1000:^
948:^
877:.
851:.
601:.
547:,
501:.
463::
1161:)
1153:(
978:"
969:.
913:.
888:.
862:.
238:e
231:t
224:v
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
