Kings of Wessex Ecgberht AD 802-839 Silver Penny Winchester mint Rare

Kings of Wessex Ecgberht, AD 802-839 Silver Penny, Winchester mint, Rare.

SAXONIA monogram in centre / Cross.

S1041, 21mm, 1.14g

Edge split at 2 o’clock and small rim perforation at 6 o’clock, stable. Seldom offered monarch.

Recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Early Medieval Coinage Database held at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Reference numbers will be provided with coin.

Ecgberht (802-839) – An exile of Kentish descent who returned to rule after the death of Mercian-backed Beorhtric, Ecgberht has become better known to popular history in recent years – perhaps as a result of his depiction (though somewhat inaccurate) in the TV series ‘Vikings’. A strong ruler, he secured his western borders against the Cornish through two campaigns in 815 and 825. Emerging victorious after the Battle of Ellandun against Beornwulf of Mercia, his reign marked the end of the so-called ‘Mercian Hegemony’ over the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. He can be effectively seen as the founding member of the so-called ‘House of Wessex’.