Person

Æthelfrith of Northumbria

d. 616 · 7th century · Also known as Æthelfrith, Æthelfrith of Bernicia

Æthelfrith was king of Bernicia from about 593 and, from about 604, also of Deira, uniting them as the first ruler of Northumbria. He defeated Áedán mac Gabráin of Dál Riata at Degsastan in 603 and the Britons at Chester around 615, but was killed by Rædwald of East Anglia at the River Idle in 616. His sons later ruled Northumbria.

Æthelfrith of Northumbria
Image: User:Hel-hama · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 3 profiles

Kingdom of PowysMilitary, SummaryDal RiataMilitary, SummaryKingdom of NorthumbriaFoundation, Military, Summary

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Cenel nGabrainKingdom of Bernicia

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Æthelfrith of Northumbria. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aethelfrith-of-northumbria
MLA
“Æthelfrith of Northumbria.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aethelfrith-of-northumbria. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Æthelfrith of Northumbria.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aethelfrith-of-northumbria.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Æthelfrith of Northumbria’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aethelfrith-of-northumbria (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻