Oswald of Northumbria

Oswald Of Northumbria

Oswald (c 604 – 5 August 642) was King of Northumbria from 634 until his death, and was venerated as a saint in the Middle Ages.

Oswald was the son of Æthelfrith of Bernicia and came to rule after spending a period in exile; after defeating the British ruler Cadwallon ap Cadfan, Oswald brought the two Northumbrian kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira once again under a single ruler, and promoted the spread of Christianity in Northumbria. He was given a strongly positive assessment by the historian Bede, writing a little less than a century after Oswald's death, who regarded Oswald as a saintly king; it is also Bede who is the main source for present-day historical knowledge of Oswald. After eight years of rule, in which he was the most powerful ruler in Britain, Oswald was killed in the Battle of Maserfield.

Read more about Oswald Of Northumbria:  Background, Youth, and Exile, Victory Over Cadwallon, Overlordship, Christianity, Downfall, After Death