Eadbert II of Kent
Eadbert II Praen was a King of Kent (796 - 798). His brief reign marked the last time that Kent existed as an independent kingdom; it was thereafter ruled by Mercia or Wessex.
Following the conquest of Kent by Offa of Mercia in 785, it was ruled directly by Offa, but in 796 a revolt broke out under Eadbert, a former priest. At about the same time, Offa died, leaving Mercia temporarily in a weak position.
The pro-Mercian Archbishop of Canterbury, Aethelheard, was compelled to flee during the rebellion, and this antagonized the Church. Coenwulf, Offa's eventual successor, exploited this in his negotiations with Pope Leo III, who excommunicated Eadbert, effectively approving a Mercian reconquest of Kent. This was accomplished in 798, when Coenwulf defeated Eadbert and captured him. Some sources state that Eadbert was blinded and mutiliated, but it is also said elsewhere that he was released by Coenwulf at some point as an act of clemency.
