Kingdom of Essex

The Kingdom of the East Seaxe (one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy) was founded around 500 AD, occupying territory to the north and east of London. Around 825 AD, the kingdom was merged with Wessex, and was eventually ceded by Wessex under the Treaty of Wedmore to the Danelaw control of the Danish kingdom of East Anglia. Essex is now a county in England.

Here are the Kings of Essex; the dates, names and achievements, like those of most early rulers in all countries of the Heptarchy, remain conjectural. This dynasty claimed descent from the god Seaxneat, not the god Woden (of which the other Saxon tribes claimed descent). This list of kings may omit whole generations.

This was a time when spellings varied widely, even within a document. A number of variations of the details below exist. Amongst these are the preference between þ and ð (hard and soft 'th').

Kings of the East Saxons (Essex)

Reign	Incumbent		Notes
527 to 587	Aescwine	Æscvvine Cenfusing EstSeaxna Cyning Æscvvine Rex Saxonum Orientalium
587 to ante604	Sledda	Sledda Æscvvining EstSeaxna Cyning Sledda Rex Saxonum Orientalium
ante604 to 616/7	Saebert	Sæbryht Sledding EstSeaxna Cyning Sæbryht Rex Saxonum Orientalium
616/7 to 617	Sexred	Sexred Sæbryhting EstSeaxna Cyning Sexred Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Joint king with Saeward; killed in battle against the West Saxons
616/7 to 617	Saeward	Sævvard Sæbryhting EstSeaxna Cyning Sævvard Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Joint king with Sexred; killed in battle against the West Saxons
617 to ante c.653	Sigeberht I the Little	Sigebryht Sævvarding EstSeaxna Cyning Sigebryht Parvus Rex Saxonum Orientalium
c.653 to 664	Sigeberht II the Good	Sigebryht Sævvarding EstSeaxna Cyning Sigebryht Sanctus Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Saint Sigeberht; Saint Sebbi (Feast Day 29 August)
660 to 664	Swithelm	Svviþelm EstSeaxna Cyning Svviþelm Rex Saxonum Orientalium
664 to 683	Sighere	Sighere Sigebryhting EstSeaxna Cyning Sighere Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Joint-king with Sebbi
664 to c.694	Sebbi	Sebbi EstSeaxna Cyning Sebbi Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Abdicated in favour of his son Sigeheard
c.694 to c.709	Sigeheard	Sigeheard Sebbing EstSeaxna Cyning Sigeheard Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Joint-king with his son Swaefred
c.695 to ante c.709	Swaefred	Svvæfred Sigehearding EstSeaxna Cyning Svvæfred Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Joint-king with his father Sigeheard
709 to 709	Offa	Offa Sighering EstSeaxna Cyning Offa Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Abdicated
c.709 to 746	Saelred	Sælred Sigebryhting EstSeaxna Cyning Sælred Rex Saxonum Orientalium	(aka Swebert) Probably joint-king with Swaefbert
c.715 to 738	Swaefbert	Svvæfbryht EstSeaxna Cyning Svvæfbryht Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Probably joint-king with Saelred
746 to 758	Svvithred	Svviþred Sigemunding EstSeaxna Cyning Svviþred Rex Saxonum Orientalium
758 to 798	Sigeric	Sigeric EstSeaxna Cyning Sigeric Rex Saxonum Orientalium	Abdicated
798 to 812	Sigered	Sigered Sigericing EstSeaxna Cyning 812 to 825	Sigered Dux Saxonum Orientalium	Rank reduced by Mercian overlords
c.825		Mercia defeated by Egbert of Wessex, sub-kingdom of Essex subsumed into Wessex

Sigered was the last king of Essex, and he ceded the kingdom to Egbert of Wessex.

Heptarchy

East Anglia | Essex | Kent | Mercia | Northumbria | Sussex | Wessex

Others: Lindsey, Hwicce