Arwald: Difference between revisions
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Though King Arwald was, as you say, killed on the Isle of Wight this is a Saint Infobox, referring to Saint Arwald (his sons/brothers) and not the king himself - Undid revision 1135436268 by SmugglerNotPirate (talk) |
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{{Short description|Last king of the Isle of Wight}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
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'''Arwald'''{{refn|group=note|This name may have been "Aruald",{{sfn|Yorke|1997|p=66}} "Arwald" or "Atwald" – [[Bede]]'s script is often difficult to read. [[Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England|PASE]] has "Arwald"}} (died 686 CE) was the last [[heathen Anglo-Saxon]] king and the last king of the [[Wihtwara]], a people group that inhabited the [[Isle of Wight]]. He was killed by [[Cædwalla of Wessex]] during an invasion of his kingdom, at which point the island was [[Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England|Christianised]]. During the invasion, his two brothers were baptised before also being killed and are now [[Veneration|venerated as saints]]. |
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{{Use British English|date=September 2022}} |
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{{Infobox saint |
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|name= Saint Arwald |
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|image= Arwald.png |
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|caption= Image of King Arwald by local Isle of Wight artist Paul A.T. Wilson |
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|birth_place= The [[Isle of Wight]] |
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|death_place= The [[New Forest]], or [[Redbridge, Southampton]] |
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|venerated_in= Roman Catholicism, Anglican Communion, Orthodox Church |
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|feast_day= 22 April |
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|major_shrine= |
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}} |
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==Invasion of Wihtwara== |
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'''King Arwald'''{{efn|His name may have been "Aruald",<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yorke |first=Barbara |title=Wessex in the Early Middle Ages|location=London |publisher=Routledge |year=1997 |authorlink=Barbara Yorke |isbn=0-415-16639-X|page=66}}</ref> "Arwald" or "Atwald" – [[Bede]]'s script is often difficult to read. [[Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England|PASE]] has "Arwald"}} (died 686 AD) was the last King of the [[Isle of Wight]] and last [[Anglo-Saxon paganism|pagan]] king in Anglo-Saxon England. '''Saint Arwald''' is the name collectively given to King Arwald's sons or brothers who, being baptised before their execution, were later canonised and are considered in some Christian traditions to be martyr saints. |
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According to ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle A'', [[Wihtwara]] was invaded by [[Cædwalla of Wessex]] invaded in 686 during the rule of Arwald. [[Bede]]'s ''[[Ecclesiastical History of the English People]]'' states that at the time of this the island's whole population was [[Anglo-Saxon heathen|heathen]] and the invader sought to slaughter every inhabitant of Wihtwara without mercy and to populate the island afresh with West Saxons. He also promised that if he was successful in conquering the island, he would give a fourth of it to the Church.{{sfn|Kirby|2000|pp=120-121}} |
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Arwald was killed during the West Saxon invasion, and his two younger brothers fled to mainland Britain where they were betrayed by those there and captured by Cædwalla's forces.{{sfn|Kirby|2000|pp=120-121}}{{sfn|Sellar|1907|loc=Book 4, chapter 16}} It is unclear how old the brothers were at this time but the use of {{lang|la|puer}} to describe them suggests an age around 7-14.{{sfn|Lemke|2018|pp=136-137}} Cædwalla, who had been wounded during the fighting, ordered them to be executed but Cynibert, a bishop from [[Hreutford]], convinced him to have the boys baptised first. Bede records that these were the first from the island were [[Salvation in Christianity|saved]].{{sfn|Kirby|2000|pp=120-121}}{{sfn|Sellar|1907|loc=Book 4, chapter 16}} He then writes that when "the executioner came, they joyfully underwent the temporal death, through which they did not doubt they were to pass to the life of the soul, which is everlasting" and that Christianity was then imposed on Wight.{{sfn|Sellar|1907|loc=Book 4, chapter 16}}{{refn|group=note|The original text in Latin is as follows: "Moxque illi instante carnifice mortem laeti subiere temporalem, per quam se ad uitam animae perpetuam non dubitabant esse transituros"{{sfn|Bede_Latin|}}}} After taking control of Wight, he upheld his former oath, giving large estates to Wilfrid and from this point onwards, the inhabitants were under West Saxon domination, being administered in Church matters by the [[bishop of Winchester]] by 731.{{sfn|Kirby|2000|pp=6,120-121}} |
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==King Arwald== |
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Nearly all that is known of him is from Bede's ''[[Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum]]'', which describes the invasion of the Isle of Wight by [[Cædwalla of Wessex|Cædwalla]], King of [[Wessex]]. A [[Jutes|Jutish]] King of the Isle of Wight and the [[Wihtwara]] tribe, he claimed descent from the legendary founders of the island, Stuf and Whitgar. He was killed in battle during the invasion.<ref>[http://shropshirehistory.com/religion/religionchristian.htm "Timeline of Christianity"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303062302/http://shropshirehistory.com/religion/religionchristian.htm |date=2014-03-03 }}, Shropshire Christian Religion</ref> |
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Bede describes Arwald's brothers as "among the first fruits of the island who believed".{{sfn|Lemke|2018|pp=136-137}} They are now venerated as saints, however as their names are unknown they are called collectively "St. Arwald" after their father. Their feast day is 22 April.<ref>[http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/stdapr.htm "April"], Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome</ref><ref>[http://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-arwald/ Monks of Ramsgate]. "Arwald". ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 August 2012</ref>{{Better source needed|date=October 2024}} It has been suggested that the brothers were depicted by Bede as willingly being killed and receiving a heavenly reward in order to appease those who sympathised with Arwald's family, which had no recorded survivors of the conquest.{{sfn|Lemke|2018|pp=136-137}} |
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==Saint Arwald== |
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Though King Arwald was killed in battle, his two sons (or in some versions his brothers) escaped to the Great Ytene Forest (now called the [[New Forest]]).<ref>[http://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-arwald/ Monks of Ramsgate]. "Arwald". ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 August 2012</ref> They were betrayed to [[Cædwalla of Wessex|Cædwalla]], and in some versions were then taken to a place where he "was in hiding with his wounds" at [[South Stoneham|Stoneham]], near [[Southampton]]. Shortly before they were put to the sword they allegedly converted to [[Christianity]] by the intervention of Abbot Cynibert of Hreutford,<ref name=Stanton>Stanton, Richard (1892). [https://books.google.com/books?id=CFpCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA176 ''A Menology of England and Wales'']. Burns & Oates.</ref> being described by Bede as "the first fruits" of the massacre because of this conversion. Cædwalla later died of wounds sustained during his invasion. |
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==Modern influence== |
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Though venerated as saints, their names are unknown, but they are called collectively "St. Arwald" after their father (or brother). Their feast day is 22 April.<ref>[http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/stdapr.htm "April"], Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome</ref> |
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==Folklore== |
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A version of the story of Arwald survives in the folklore of the nearby [[New Forest]], a neighbouring area with similarly [[Jutes|Jutish]] heritage to the Isle of Wight. In this tradition the two brothers escape to the Ytene, where they encounter various mysterious figures (which have been theorised by some as representing gods of [[Anglo-Saxon paganism]]), before finally being betrayed by a wealthy [[Ealdorman]]. They are then forced to convert to Christianity, before being killed in the forest by [[Cædwalla of Wessex|Cædwalla]], but the elder brother is able to impale himself on a tree before being murdered, dedicating his death to [[Woden]] and thus redeeming himself to the old gods. The ghost of the younger brother is said to walk the forest still, and on April 22nd has been seen with the ghosts of his brother, King Arwald and Woden himself, feasting on the site of their deaths.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stratford |first=Brice |title=New Forest Myths and Folklore |publisher=History Press |location=UK |year=2022 |pages=42–50 |isbn=978-0-75099-989-2}}</ref> |
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==Legacy== |
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Arwald's unnamed sister survived, as the wife of the king of [[Kingdom of Kent|Kent]], who went on to become a direct ancestor of Alfred the Great.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stratford |first=Brice |title=New Forest Myths and Folklore |publisher=History Press |location=UK |year=2022 |page=49 |isbn=978-0-75099-989-2}}</ref> |
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The Quay Arts Centre in [[Newport, Isle of Wight|Newport]] exhibited an Isle of Wight Hidden Heroes exhibition which included a sculpture of a mask of Arwald by Nigel George. This is now on permanent display at Newport Roman Villa, and local celebrations of Arwald recur on the Isle of Wight annually on his Saints Day.<ref>{{cite web|author=Nigel George |url=https://iwhiddenheroes.org.uk/stec_event/isle-of-wight-hidden-heroes-at-quay-arts-2/ |title=Isle of Wight Hidden Heroes at Quay Arts – Isle of Wight Hidden Heroes |publisher=Iwhiddenheroes.org.uk |date= |accessdate=2021-02-06}}</ref><ref>[https://onthewight.com/last-jutish-king-of-the-isle-of-wight-celebrated-on-st-arwalds-day/ Jutish King of the Isle of Wight Celebrated onSt Arwalds Day], OntheWight.com</ref> |
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''Arwald's Kingdom; Tales from the Isle of Wight'' (2018) by Mark Francis is a book of poetry, stories and hiking around the Isle of Wight.<ref>{{cite book|author=Mark Francis |title=Arwald's Kingdom: ~ Tales from the Isle of Wight: Amazon.co.uk: Francis, Mark, guys, & some dead: 9781540776266: Books |date=2019-03-29 |id={{ASIN|1540776263|country=uk}} }}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{reflist|group=note}} |
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{{notelist}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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== |
==Bibliography== |
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===Primary=== |
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*[[St. Bede|Bede]], ''[[Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum|History of the English Church and People]]'' [[:s:Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation (Jane)/Book 4#16|4, 16]] |
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{{refbegin}} |
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*{{cite book |ref={{SfnRef|Bede_Latin}}|title=Bede: Book IV |url=https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/bede/bede4.shtml#16}} |
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* {{cite book |last1=Sellar |title=Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England - Christian Classics Ethereal Library |date=1907 |publisher=George Bell and Sons |location=London |url=https://ccel.org/ccel/bede/history/history.i.html}} |
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*[[Eddius Stephanus]], ''Vita Wilfridi'' |
*[[Eddius Stephanus]], ''Vita Wilfridi'' |
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{{refend}} |
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*[[Kings of the Isle of Wight]] |
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===Secondary=== |
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{{refbegin}} |
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* {{cite book |last1=Kirby |first1=David Peter| author-link= David Peter Kirby |title=The earliest English kings |date=2000 |publisher=Routledge |location=London; New York |isbn=9780415242110 |edition=Rev.}} |
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* {{cite book |last1=Lemke |first1=Andreas |title=Childhood & Adolescence in Anglo-Saxon Literary Culture |chapter=6. Children and the Conversion of the Anglo-Saxons in Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum |date=1 March 2018 |pages=120–138 |doi=10.3138/9781487514433-009 |chapter-url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.3138/9781487514433-009/html |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-1-4875-1443-3 |language=en}} |
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* {{Cite book |last=Yorke |first=Barbara |title=Wessex in the Early Middle Ages|location=London |publisher=Routledge |year=1997 |isbn=0-415-16639-X}} |
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{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* {{PASE|1528|Arwald 1}} |
* {{PASE|1528|Arwald 1}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Arwald}} |
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[[Category:686 deaths]] |
[[Category:686 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Jutish people]] |
[[Category:Jutish people]] |
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[[Category:Year of birth unknown]] |
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]] |
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[[Category:Germanic warriors]] |
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[[Category:New Forest folklore]] |
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[[Category:People from the Isle of Wight]] |
[[Category:People from the Isle of Wight]] |
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[[Category:Anglo-Saxon pagans]] |
[[Category:Anglo-Saxon pagans]] |
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Latest revision as of 16:30, 4 December 2024
Arwald[note 1] (died 686 CE) was the last heathen Anglo-Saxon king and the last king of the Wihtwara, a people group that inhabited the Isle of Wight. He was killed by Cædwalla of Wessex during an invasion of his kingdom, at which point the island was Christianised. During the invasion, his two brothers were baptised before also being killed and are now venerated as saints.
Invasion of Wihtwara
[edit]According to Anglo-Saxon Chronicle A, Wihtwara was invaded by Cædwalla of Wessex invaded in 686 during the rule of Arwald. Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People states that at the time of this the island's whole population was heathen and the invader sought to slaughter every inhabitant of Wihtwara without mercy and to populate the island afresh with West Saxons. He also promised that if he was successful in conquering the island, he would give a fourth of it to the Church.[2]
Arwald was killed during the West Saxon invasion, and his two younger brothers fled to mainland Britain where they were betrayed by those there and captured by Cædwalla's forces.[2][3] It is unclear how old the brothers were at this time but the use of puer to describe them suggests an age around 7-14.[4] Cædwalla, who had been wounded during the fighting, ordered them to be executed but Cynibert, a bishop from Hreutford, convinced him to have the boys baptised first. Bede records that these were the first from the island were saved.[2][3] He then writes that when "the executioner came, they joyfully underwent the temporal death, through which they did not doubt they were to pass to the life of the soul, which is everlasting" and that Christianity was then imposed on Wight.[3][note 2] After taking control of Wight, he upheld his former oath, giving large estates to Wilfrid and from this point onwards, the inhabitants were under West Saxon domination, being administered in Church matters by the bishop of Winchester by 731.[6]
Bede describes Arwald's brothers as "among the first fruits of the island who believed".[4] They are now venerated as saints, however as their names are unknown they are called collectively "St. Arwald" after their father. Their feast day is 22 April.[7][8][better source needed] It has been suggested that the brothers were depicted by Bede as willingly being killed and receiving a heavenly reward in order to appease those who sympathised with Arwald's family, which had no recorded survivors of the conquest.[4]
Modern influence
[edit]Arwald is portrayed as the pagan antagonist to the Christian Caedwalla in the fiction book Caedwalla by Frank Cowper (1888).[9]
Notes
[edit]- ^ This name may have been "Aruald",[1] "Arwald" or "Atwald" – Bede's script is often difficult to read. PASE has "Arwald"
- ^ The original text in Latin is as follows: "Moxque illi instante carnifice mortem laeti subiere temporalem, per quam se ad uitam animae perpetuam non dubitabant esse transituros"[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Yorke 1997, p. 66.
- ^ a b c Kirby 2000, pp. 120–121.
- ^ a b c Sellar 1907, Book 4, chapter 16.
- ^ a b c Lemke 2018, pp. 136–137.
- ^ Bede_Latin.
- ^ Kirby 2000, pp. 6, 120–121.
- ^ "April", Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome
- ^ Monks of Ramsgate. "Arwald". Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 August 2012
- ^ "Cædwalla". Gutenberg.org. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
Bibliography
[edit]Primary
[edit]- Bede: Book IV.
- Sellar (1907). Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England - Christian Classics Ethereal Library. London: George Bell and Sons.
- Eddius Stephanus, Vita Wilfridi
Secondary
[edit]- Kirby, David Peter (2000). The earliest English kings (Rev. ed.). London; New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415242110.
- Lemke, Andreas (1 March 2018). "6. Children and the Conversion of the Anglo-Saxons in Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum". Childhood & Adolescence in Anglo-Saxon Literary Culture. University of Toronto Press. pp. 120–138. doi:10.3138/9781487514433-009. ISBN 978-1-4875-1443-3.
- Yorke, Barbara (1997). Wessex in the Early Middle Ages. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-16639-X.