Saint Oswald

Saint Oswald d. 641, king of Northumbria (633-41), son of Æthelfrith . In exile during the reign of Edwin , Oswald and his brother Oswy became Christians. After Edwin's death Oswald defeated (633) Cadwallon, king of North Wales, and recovered his father's kingdom. He brought from Iona a group of Scottish monks, led by St. Aidan, who established their base at Lindisfarne (see Holy Island ) and introduced Celtic Christianity to Northumbria. Oswald was for a time the strongest ruler in England, being acknowledged overlord of Wessex and other southern kingdoms. Killed in battle by Penda of Mercia, he came to be revered as a Christian martyr. Feast: Aug. 5 in the Roman martyrology; Aug. 9 in Britain.

Oswald, Saint (605–42) King of Northumbria (633–42). He became a Christian and converted his people with the help of St Aidan. Oswald became King of Northumbria in 633 and was eventually killed in battle. His feast day is August 5.

Oswald male forename, name of two saints.
St Oswald (d. 642), king of Northumbria and martyr, killed in battle against the pagan king Penda of Mercia; his body was mutilated as a sacrifice to Odin, and his relics were subsequently dispersed. His head was buried at Lindisfarne, and was taken with the body of Cuthbert when the monks evacuated the island in 875.

Oswald was venerated as a warrior king who combined traditional Anglo Saxon heroism with Christian fortitude and sacrifice; his feast day was celebrated from the late 7th century. He is a patron saint of soldiers, and his emblems are a head and a raven. His feast day is 5 August.
St Oswald of York (d. 992), English prelate and Benedictine monk. As Archbishop of York, he founded several monasteries and, with St Dunstan, revived the Church and learning in 10th-century England. His feast day is 28 February.