A portrait of Cynegils at his theatre in a 17th-century Heptarchy map by John Speed
King of Wessex
Reign
c. 611 – c. 642
Predecessor
Ceolwulf
Successor
Cenwalh
Died
c. 642
Burial
Winchester Cathedral
Issue
Cenwalh Kyneburga (Cyneburg)?
House
Wessex
Map of British peoples c. 600
Cynegils (Old English pronunciation:[ˈkynejiɫs]) was King of Wessex from c. 611 to c. 642. Cynegils is traditionally considered to have been King of Wessex, even though the kingdoms of the Heptarchy had not yet formed from the patchwork of smaller kingdoms in his lifetime.[1] The later kingdom of Wessex was centred on the counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire but the evidence of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is that the kingdom of Cynegils was located on the upper River Thames, extending into northern Wiltshire and Somerset, southern Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and western Berkshire, with Dorchester-on-Thames as one of the major royal sites. This region, probably connected to the early tribal grouping known as the Gewisse, a term used by Bede for the West Saxons, lay on the frontier between the later kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia.[2]
As for a number of other members of the ruling house of Wessex (including Cerdic, Ceawlin and Caedwalla) a Celtic, rather than Germanic, etymology for Cynegils's name has been suggested, with the literal meaning of 'grey dog'.[3]
^The Kingdom of Kent may have been the exception. S.E. Kelly, "Kent, Kingdom of", in M. Lapidge et al. (eds), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England; D.P. Kirby, The Earliest English Kings, p. 30ff.; Ann Williams, Kingship and Government in Pre-Conquest England, c.500–1066, p. 5ff.; Barbara Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England, p. 25ff.
^Kirby, p. 48ff.; Yorke, pp. 135–137; Barbara Yorke, "Gewisse", in M. Lapidge et al.; Barbara Yorke, "Wessex", in M. Lapidge et al., in M. Lapidge et al.
^Roberts, Alice (26 May 2022). Buried: An alternative history of the first millennium in Britain. London: Simon and Schuster. p. 253. ISBN 978-1-3985-1004-3.
Cynegils (Old English pronunciation: [ˈkynejiɫs]) was King of Wessex from c. 611 to c. 642. Cynegils is traditionally considered to have been King of Wessex...
(predecessors of the West Saxons), under Kings Cynegils and Cwichelm. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (A) states: 628. Here Cynegils and Cwichelm fought against Penda at...
succeeded by Grimoald the Elder, the eldest son of Pepin of Landen. King Cynegils of Wessex dies after a 32-year reign, and is succeeded by his son Cenwalh...
Northumbria and Cynegils of Wessex. Edwin's forces occupied Win Hill, while Cynegils' men camped on Lose Hill. As the battle progressed, Cynegils' forces advanced...
West Saxons under Cynegils, who has tried to thwart the growing strength of Edwin by having him assassinated. Edwin obliges Cynegils to acknowledge Northumbria's...
Northumbria and Cynegils of Wessex. Edwin's forces occupied Win Hill, while Cynegils' men camped on Lose Hill. As the battle progressed, Cynegils' forces advanced...
West Saxons: he stood as sponsor to the baptism of their king, Cynegils, and married Cynegils' daughter. Her name is reported by only one source, Reginald...
ruined by defeat and corruption, offers only half-hearted opposition. Cynegils becomes king of the West Saxons, or Wessex, after the death of his uncle...
West Saxons. In 635, he persuaded the West Saxon king Cynegils to allow him to preach. Cynegils was trying to create an alliance with Oswald of Northumbria...
Northumbria (Northern England). Birinus, Frankish missionary, converts King Cynegils of Wessex and becomes the first Bishop of Dorchester. Benedict II, pope...
gīsl = "hostage" in many old Germanic personal names, such as Ēadgils, Cynegils, Gīslheard, and Gīslbeorht. This has been imported into placenames derived...
converted the Gewisse to Christianity in AD 636 by baptising their king Cynegils and establishing the Diocese of Dorchester. The Gewisse killed the three...
succeeds his brother Ceol as king of Wessex. He becomes regent of Ceol's son Cynegils who is too young to inherit the throne. Mangalesha becomes king of the...
the West Saxons" and converted Wessex, whose first Christian king was Cynegils. The West Saxons begin to emerge from obscurity only with their conversion...
Æthelberht of Kent before 601 (see Gregorian mission) Cenwalh of Wessex Cynegils of Wessex Sigeberht of East Anglia Riderch I of Alt Clut Peada of Mercia...
after a 2-year reign, and is succeeded by Centwine, son of the late king Cynegils. He reasserts the power of his Anglo-Saxon kingdom over the Welsh. Emperor...
dynasty. Birinus, Bishop of Dorchester, converts Cwichelm (son of king Cynegils of Wessex) to Christianity. He dies soon afterward, and is supposedly buried...
the walled palace, which is able to hold out. Battle of Bampton: King Cynegils of Wessex defeats the invading Britons in Dumnonia (modern Devon). They...
Winchester Cathedral, providing the clergy for the church. Cenwealh son of Cynegils is credited with constructing the Old Minster of Winchester in the 640s...
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