Bretwalda
E456492
Bretwalda is an Old English term used in early medieval England to denote an overlord or high king who held supremacy over other Anglo-Saxon rulers.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Bretwalda (overlord of Britain) | 1 |
Statements (44)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Anglo-Saxon political concept
ⓘ
Old English term ⓘ historical title ⓘ |
| appliedToRuler |
Aelle of Sussex
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Aethelbert of Kent NERFINISHED ⓘ Ceawlin of Wessex NERFINISHED ⓘ Edwin of Northumbria NERFINISHED ⓘ Egbert of Wessex NERFINISHED ⓘ Oswald of Northumbria NERFINISHED ⓘ Oswiu of Northumbria NERFINISHED ⓘ Raedwald of East Anglia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
Anglo-Saxon ruler
ⓘ
high king ⓘ overlord ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Anglo-Saxon hegemony
ⓘ
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| culturalContext | Germanic kingship traditions ⓘ |
| denotes | supreme ruler over other Anglo-Saxon kings ⓘ |
| domain | Anglo-Saxon England NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstAttestedIn | Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, late 9th century ⓘ |
| frequencyOfUse | rare in surviving sources ⓘ |
| hasVariantSpelling |
Bretenanwealda
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Brytenwalda NERFINISHED ⓘ Brytenwealda NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalStatus | semi-legendary title ⓘ |
| language | Old English ⓘ |
| meaningEtymology | possibly "wide-ruler" or "Britain-ruler" ⓘ |
| mentionedIn | Anglo-Saxon Chronicle NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notEquivalentTo | formal legal office ⓘ |
| regionOfAuthority |
multiple Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
ⓘ
southern Britain ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
hegemony
ⓘ
imperium ⓘ overkingship ⓘ |
| role |
military leadership over multiple kingdoms
ⓘ
political supremacy among Anglo-Saxon kings ⓘ |
| scholarlyDebate |
extent of actual power implied
ⓘ
whether title was contemporary or retrospective ⓘ |
| sourceType | chronicle terminology ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
7th century
ⓘ
8th century ⓘ 9th century ⓘ early Middle Ages ⓘ |
| usedIn | early medieval England ⓘ |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Bretwalda (overlord of Britain)