| History of Wessex |
| Date | Reign | Events |
| 494 - 559 | Cerdic | Wessex founded by Cerdic and his son (or grandson) Cynric. They arrived in Hampshire in 494 or 495 and were crowned kings in 500 or 519. However, most of Cynric's time was spent trying to control the resistance he faced from native Britons |
| | | 530 - 530 | conquest of the Isle of Wight in 530 |
| | | 552 - 552 | battles at Salisbury (552) |
| | | 556 - 556 | Battle of Barbury Castle, Wiltshire, in 556. |
| 560 - 592 | Ceawlin | Ceawlin, who reigned from 560 to 592, won a number of victories |
| | | 577 - 577 | Caewlin won victories at Dyrham, Gloucestershire, in 577 which in turn led to the capture of Bath, Cirencester, and Gloucester. Ceawlin had, therefore, managed to expand the power of Wessex above the River Thames. |
| 592 - 597 | Ceol | Ceol had a short reign |
| 598 - 611 | Ceolwulf | He has been given the title "king of the Gewisse" |
| | | 607 - 607 | Battle against the South Saxons in 607, perhaps for control of the Isle of Wight and south Hampshire |
| 611 - 643 | Cynegils | Then Ceol's son Cynegils who ruled between 611 to 643. It was during this period that Wessex began to experience threats not only from the north but also the growing midland kingdom, Mercia. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 611 states |
| 643 - 672 | Cenwalh | Cynegils was succeeded by his youngest son Cenwalh, who took the throne between 643 and 72, the latter agreed to marry the sister of Penda, the ruler of Mercia. |
| | | 645 - 648 | Cenwalh into exile for three years in East Anglia between 645 and 648 because he had gone back on his word to marry the siyster of Penda. When he took the throne he married a local woman called Seaxburh |
| 673 - 685 | Seaxburh | Seaxburh, the wife of Cenwalh, took the throne after he died in 673 and was the only queen to ever rule over the Kingdom of Wessex. Penda had managed to seize South Hampshire and the Isle of Wight which were then held by Mercia between 661 |
| 685 - 688 | Ceadwalla | For one, the Isle of Wight and West Hampshire were reclaimed by Ceadwalla, who was King of Wessex from 685 to 688 |
| 689 - 728 | Ine | Ine of Wessex, who took the throne from 689 to 728, emerged as a prominent nobleman who managed to secure the crown for himself. He ruled, uninterrupted, for 37 years. |
| 802 - 839 | Egbert | The Mercian dominance over most of Wessex eventually ended with the accession of King Egbert of Wessex who reigned from 802 to 839. |
| | | 825 - 825 | The struggle for independence from Mercia came to a head when the two sides fought at the Battle of Ellandun near what is now Swindon in 825. |
| 839 - 858 | Aethelwulf | King Aethelwulf who reigned from 871 to 899 was the father of Alfred the Great. Date of his death is known |
| 865 - 871 | Various | In 865 the Danes arrived with a great army. By this point, the raids had transformed into an invasion. |
| | | 865 - 865 | The West Saxons did not only face competition and rivalry from their Mercian neighbours, however. In the 700s the Danes began raiding the coastal towns of what is now Britain and in 865 they arrived with a great army. By this point, the ra |
| 871 - 899 | Alfred | A team of archaeologists have applied for permission to excavate the churchyard of St Bartholomew's Church in the city of Winchester, England, in the hope of finding the remains of 'Alfred the Great', a Saxon king who ruled from 871 to 899 |
| 899 - 924 | Edward the Elder | Edward the Elder, his son, reigned from 899 to 924 and became the King of the West Saxons after his father's death |
| 924 - 927 | Aethelstan | The first individual to control the entire area of England was Edward's son, Aethelstan. Luckily for him, his sister had married the Viking Sihtric, who was the ruler of the Northumbrians. So, when Sihtric died in 927, Aethelstan inherited. |
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