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Mercia
Mercia , one of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England, consisting generally of the region of the Midlands. It was settled by Angles c.500, probably first along the Trent valley. Its history emerges from obscurity with the reign of Penda , who extended his power over Wessex (645) and East Anglia (650) to gain overlordship of England S of the Humber River. After his death Mercia suffered a three-year loss of ascendancy during which it was converted to Christianity by a Northumbrian mission. Penda's son, Wulfhere, then reestablished a Greater Mercia that finally, under Æthelbald in the 8th cent., extended over all S England. This hegemony was strengthened by Offa (reigned 757-96), who controlled East Anglia, Kent, and Sussex and maintained superiority of a sort over Wessex and Northumbria. He had the great Offa's Dyke built to protect W Mercia from the Welsh. After his death, Mercian power gradually gave way before that of Wessex. The victories of Egbert of Wessex in Mercia established him briefly as overlord. In 874, Mercia weakly succumbed to the invading Danish army, and ultimately the eastern part became (886) a portion of the Danelaw , while the western part was controlled by Alfred of Wessex. Thereafter Mercia had no independent history, although it had one more distinguished ruler in Æthelflæd , Lady of the Mercians.
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"Mercia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Mercia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Mercia.html "Mercia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Mercia.html |
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Mercia
Mercia A former kingdom of central England. It was established by invading Angles in the 6th century AD in the border areas between the new Anglo-Saxon settlements in the east and the Celtic regions in the west. Becoming dominant in the 8th century under OFFA, it expanded to cover an area stretching from the Humber to the south coast. Its decline began after Offa's death in 796 and in 926, when ATHELSTAN became king of all England, it finally lost its separate identity. In modern times the name has been revived, for example, in the ‘West Mercia Authority’, an area of police administration covering the counties of Hereford and Worcester, and Shropshire.
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"Mercia." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Mercia." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Mercia.html "Mercia." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Mercia.html |
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Mercia
Mercia, England/UK One of the seven kingdoms in Anglo‐Saxon England, predominant during the 8th century. Bordering the Welsh lands in the west, the name means ‘(People of) the Marches’ from the Old English merce or mearc ‘boundary’. At its height Mercia stretched from the Welsh border to the border with East Anglia between the Humber and Thames Rivers. It lost its separate identity when Athelstan (d. 939) became king of all England in 925.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Mercia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Mercia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Mercia.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Mercia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Mercia.html |
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Mercia
Mercia a former kingdom of central England. It was established by invading Angles in the 6th century ad in the border areas between the new Anglo-Saxon settlements in the east and the Celtic regions in the west.
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Mercia." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Mercia." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Mercia.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Mercia." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Mercia.html |
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Mercia
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Mercia." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Mercia." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Mercia.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Mercia." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Mercia.html |
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Mercia
Mercia •cassia, glacier
•apraxia, dyspraxia
•banksia • eclampsia
•estancia, fancier, financier, Landseer
•intarsia, mahseer, Marcia, tarsier
•bartsia, bilharzia
•anorexia, dyslexia
•intelligentsia • dyspepsia
•Dacia, fascia
•Felicia, Galicia, indicia, Lycia, Mysia
•asphyxia, elixir, ixia
•dossier • nausea
•Andalusia, Lucia
•overseer • Mercia • Hampshire
•Berkshire • Caernarvonshire
•Cheshire • differentia • Breconshire
•Devonshire • Ayrshire
•Galatia, Hypatia, solatia
•alopecia, godetia, Helvetia
•Alicia, Leticia
•Derbyshire • Berwickshire
•Cambridgeshire • Warwickshire
•Argyllshire • quassia • Shropshire
•Yorkshire • Staffordshire
•Hertfordshire • Bedfordshire
•Herefordshire • Oxfordshire
•Forfarshire • Lancashire
•Lincolnshire • Monmouthshire
•Buckinghamshire • Nottinghamshire
•Northamptonshire • Leicestershire
•Wigtownshire • Worcestershire
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Cite this article
"Mercia." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Mercia." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Mercia.html "Mercia." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Mercia.html |
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