Edwin

views updated Jun 11 2018

Edwin (d. 633), king of Northumbria (617–33). The son of Ælle, king of Deira, Edwin was driven into exile during the reign in Northumbria of Æthelfryth, head of a rival dynasty. With East Anglian aid he defeated and killed Æthelfryth in 617. His marriage to a Kentish princess in 625 had momentous consequences in a Christian mission to Northumbria led by Paulinus, who converted Edwin with many of his subjects and founded a church at York. According to Bede, Edwin gained authority over the whole of Britain, excluding Kent, but including Anglesey and Man. He successfully invaded Wessex in 626. In 633 he was defeated and killed by Penda, king of Mercia, and Cadwallon, king of Gwynedd, at Heathfield. His body was later (allegedly) taken to Whitby abbey, where he was venerated as a saint.

James Campbell

Edwin

views updated May 14 2018

Edwin ★★½ 1984

Sir Fennimore Truscott (Guinness) is a retired High Court Judge who suspects that his neighbor once had an affair with Truscott's wife. These long-fermenting fears assert them-self as Truscott presents his case (to the audience) and even suspects the paternity of his son, Edwin. When Edwin comes for a visit, Truscott's obsessions are forced into the open. 78m/C VHS, DVD . GB Alec Guinness, Paul Rogers, Renee Asherson; D: Rodney Bennett; W: John Mortimer. TV

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