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'''Egbert''' (died 839), (named as ''"Ecgbryht"'' in some editions of the [[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]) [[king]] of [[Wessex]] 802-839, is considered to be the greatest of the West Saxon kings before [[Alfred the Great]].

'''Egbert''' (died 839), (named as ''"Ecgbryht"'' in some editions of the [[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]) [[king]] of [[Wessex]] 802-839, is considered to be the greatest of the West Saxon kings before [[Alfred the Great]].

He came to the West Saxon throne in 802 after some years at the court of [[Charlemagne]]. Not a lot is known of his early reign, but by 827 he had expanded his own kingdom with victory over [[Celt]]ic [[Cornwall]] in the west, conquest and union with [[Jutes|Jutish]] [[Kent]] to the east and, in 825, a decisive defeat of the recently dominant [[Mercia]]ns to the north.  Two years later he was in control of all Anglo-Saxon lands south of the [[River Humber]] and the Chronicle was describing him as [[bretwalda]](overlord).  In 829 he marched into [[Northumbria]] and that kingdom submitted.

He came to the West Saxon throne in 802 after some years at the court of [[Charlemagne]]. Not a lot is known of his early reign, but by 827 he had expanded his own kingdom with victory over [[Celt]]ic [[Cornwall]] in the west, conquest and union with [[Jutes|Jutish]] [[Kent]] to the east and, in 825, a decisive defeat of the recently dominant [[Mercia]]ns to the north.  Two years later he was in control of all Anglo-Saxon lands south of the [[River Humber]] and the Chronicle was describing him as [[bretwalda]](overlord)rr.  In 829 he marched into [[Northumbria]] and that kingdom submitted.

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For a brief periodrr (830-831) hrre controlled all of non-Celtic Britain. It cannot be called a united country however. Soon the Mercians would regain autonomy, and the land, at least north of the [[River Thames|Thamesrr]], reverted to corrmpeting kingdoms. Despite this, Egbert had made Wessex the dominant force in the land, where it would remain well into the next century. It is from Egbert and his line of West Saxon kings that the present monarch, [[Elizabeth II]] is descended.

For a brief periodrr (830-831) hrre controlled all of non-Celtic Britain. It cannot be called a united country however. Soon the Mercians would regain autonomy, and the land, at least north of the [[River Thames|Thamesrr]], reverted to corrmpeting kingdoms. Despite this, Egbert had made Wessex the dominant force in the land, where it would remain well into the next century. It is from Egbert and his line of West Saxon kings that the present monarch, [[Elizabeth II]] is descended.