The commencement of dominant Kings

613-731.

Northumbria Kings rule over the whole of England except Kent. The three great Northumbrian Kings were:

Ethelfrith. 607. Noted for a decisive victory against the Welsh at Chester

Edwin 617. Noted for being persuaded to become a Christian by his wife Ethelburga who was the daughter of the Christian King of Kent. Edwin was defeated by the Mercian overlord Penda at a battle near Doncaster.

Egfrith 685. The last dominant King of Northumbria and England, defeated by a joint raiding party of Picts and Scots.

Christianity spreads across England

682 The Venerable Bede moves (682) to a monastery in Jarrow in North East Northumbria and becomes the most important historical scholar and recorder of early Anglo Saxon History.

688 Theodore of Tarsus is sent to England by the Pope to fill the vacancy of Archbishop of Canterbury. Theodore was a junior monk on a visit to Rome from his native town of Tarsus (birth place of St Paul). Interestingly at this time Tarsus (in the very south east of present day Turkey) was under the Byzantium theological umbrella which they considered the font of Christian doctrine. Further Tarsus was then no longer in Byzantium territory but had been overrun by the Muslim invaders. It should be noted that at that time Muslims were taught to respect other “religions of the book”. Theodore was over 70 when he arrived in Canterbury but he quickly reorganised and revitalised the Church and unified the Roman school in Canterbury with the Irish school in Jarrow. He died aged 90.

The Franks keep Islam out of continental Europe save for Spain.

Charlemagne rules Europe with Napoleonic success.

700 Franks developed Feudal System

711 Islamic invasion of Europe via Spain by North African Moors.

732 Muslim invaders turned back by Frankish leader Charles Martel. They retreat to Spain where they remain as a civilising, peaceful and cultured society for the next 800 years.

742 Charlemagne 742-814 reigns as King of the Franks from his headquarters in Aix La Chapelle now called Aachen in present day Germany. In 800 the Pope appoints him to a new role of “Holy Roman Emperor” and immediately the Roman Christian Church has found its self with an army to defend both Christianity and Western Europe from the pagans in the North and the Muslims in the south.

751 Paper making commences in Europe. Introduced by Muslims from their visits to China.

Note at this time newspapers are already being distributed in China who have also opened up the “Silk Route” to Byzantium to sell their silk clothes.

The Chinese and the Byzantiums then lead the world in art and culture.

The Kings of Mercia rule England

679 England, the Mercians now become the most powerful Kingdom and by 757 rule all of Wessex. Mercia is populated by Angles. Their first notable King is Penda 735-55.

757 Offa 757-96 becomes King of Mercia and overlord of all England below Northumbria. Noted for having a good trading and religious relationship with Charlemagne, introducing a new currency, the Penny with the same silver content as a French coin thus being interchangeable for trade. Noted also for building a formidable, 26 foot high, 120 mile long earth dyke to defend England from the “Britains” in Wales. Some say the first King of all England.

800-1000 AD