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Penda

9 bytes added, 02:40, August 10, 2009
'''Penda''' was a powerful [[king]] in [[Britain]] in the 7th century AD. His kingdom, covering much of the [[English]] Midlands, was probably called the 'Marc' in English, '[[Mercia]]' in Latin, and meant 'border land' (probably in reference to its border with [[Wales]]). The Mercians were probably mainly [[Angles]] in origin. Penda was a [[pagan]] and fought against the Christian kingdom of [[Northumbria]], defeating its king Edwin in around AD 632. Oswy of [[Northumbria]] led an army that slew Penda at Winwaed (thought to be in or near the city of Leeds) in AD 655, so Penda was the last significant [[pagan]] King of an English kingdom (though when the [[Vikings]] took over parts of England (including East Mercia) from the mid 9th century AD, their Kings/Earls were heathen at first).
[[Category:Medieval History]]
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