The Kingdom of the East Seaxe (one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy) was founded around AD500, occupying territory to the north and east of London. Around AD825, the kingdom was merged with Wessex, and was eventually ceded by Wessex under the Treaty of Wedmore to the Danelaw control of the Danish kingdom of East Anglia . Essex is now a county in England.
The dates, names and achievements, like those of most early rulers in the Heptarchy, remain conjectural. The dynasty claimed descent from the god Seaxneat, rather than the god Woden (from whom the other Saxon tribes claimed descent). The list of kings may omit whole generations.
This was a time when spellings varied widely, even within a document. A number of variations of the details below exist. Amongst these are the preference between þ and ð (hard and soft "th").
List of Kings of the East Saxons (Essex)
| Reign
| Incumbent
|
| Notes
|
| 527 to 587 | Aescwine | ÆSCVVINE CENFVSING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
ÆSCVVINE REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM |
|
| 587 to ante604 | Sledda | SLEDDA ÆSCVVINING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SLEDDA REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM |
|
| ante604 to 616/7 | Saebert | SÆBRYHT SLEDDING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SÆBRYHT REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM |
|
| 616/7 to 617 | Sexred | SEXRED SÆBRYHTING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SEXRED REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Joint king with Saeward ; killed in battle against the West Saxons
|
| 616/7 to 617 | Saeward | SÆVVARD SÆBRYHTING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SÆVVARD REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Joint king with Sexred ; killed in battle against the West Saxons
|
| 617 to ante c.653 | Sigeberht I the Little | SIGEBRYHT SÆVVARDING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SIGEBRYHT PARVVS REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM |
|
| c.653 to 664 | Sigeberht II the Good | SIGEBRYHT SÆVVARDING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SIGEBRYHT SANCTVS REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Saint Sigeberht; Saint Sebbi (Feast Day 29 August)
|
| 660 to 664 | Swithelm | SVVIÞELM ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SVVIÞELM REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM |
|
| 664 to 683 | Sighere | SIGHERE SIGEBRYHTING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SIGHERE REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Joint-king with Sebbi
|
| 664 to c.694 | Sebbi | SEBBI ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SEBBI REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Abdicated in favour of his son Sigeheard
|
| c.694 to c.709 | Sigeheard | SIGEHEARD SEBBING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SIGEHEARD REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Joint-king with his son Swaefred
|
| c.695 to ante/c.709 | Swaefred | SVVÆFRED SIGEHEARDING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SVVÆFRED REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Joint-king with his father Sigeheard
|
| 709 to 709 | Offa | OFFA SIGEHERING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
OFFA REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Abdicated
|
| c.709 to 746 | Saelred | SÆLRED SIGEBRYHTING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SÆLRED REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | (aka Swebert) Probably joint-king with Swaefbert
|
| c.715 to 738 | Swaefbert | SVVÆFBRYHT ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SVVÆFBRYHT REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Probably joint-king with Saelred
|
| 746 to 758 | Svvithred | SVVIÞRED SIGEMVNDING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SVVIÞRED REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM |
|
| 758 to 798 | Sigeric | SIGERIC ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SIGERIC REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Abdicated
|
| 798 to 812 | Sigered | SIGERED SIGERICING ESTSEAXNA CYNING
SIGERED REX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | then:-
|
| 812 to 825 | SIGERED DVX SAXONVM ORIENTALIVM | Rank reduced by Mercian overlords
|
| c.825 | Mercia defeated by Egbert of Wessex, sub-kingdom of Essex subsumed into Wessex
|
Sigered was the last king of Essex, and he ceded the kingdom to Egbert of Wessex.
