kingdom · British Isles

Kingdom of the Middle Angles

653 CE – 656 CE (approx.)

A brief sub-kingdom in the east Midlands created for Penda's son Peada, notable as the place where Christianity first entered Mercian lands.

Origins

The Middle Angles were a group of peoples in the east Midlands, around the Fens and the Nene and Welland valleys. Around 653 Penda of the Kingdom of Mercia made his son Peada their king. Peada married Alhflaed, a daughter of Oswiu of Northumbria, and accepted baptism as a condition of the marriage.

Rule and society

Peada brought four priests, including Cedd and Diuma, who preached among the Middle Angles, the first Christian mission in Mercian territory. Tradition links Peada to the foundation of Medeshamstede, later Peterborough Abbey. The many small peoples of the region, listed in the Tribal Hidage, kept their own identities.

Decline and legacy

After Penda's death in 655 Oswiu let Peada rule southern Mercia, but he was murdered in 656, allegedly through his wife's treachery. The Middle Angles were absorbed into Mercia, though they later had their own bishopric at Leicester.

Lineage

Kingdom of the Middle AnglesKingdom of Mercia 527 CE – 918 CE

More states of British Isles →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of the Middle Angles. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-the-middle-angles
MLA
“Kingdom of the Middle Angles.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-the-middle-angles. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of the Middle Angles.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-the-middle-angles.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of the Middle Angles’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-the-middle-angles (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻