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[[Image:Dykemap.gif|right|thumb|200px|Map of Wales showing the route taken by Offa's Dyke]]
[[Image:Dykemap.gif|right|thumb|200px|Map of Wales showing the route taken by Offa's Dyke]]
Offa (757 -796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom in what is currently part of England, between the Trent/Mersey rivers in the North to the Thames Valley in the South, and from the Welsh border in the West to the Fens in the East. At the height of his power, however, he also controlled Kent, East Anglia and Lincoln, and had alliances with Northumbria and Wessex. These alliances were sealed by the marriage of two of his daughters to their Kings, Aethelred and Beorhtic respectively. He was, therefore, effectively one of the first Kings of England.
Offa (757 -796 AD) was King of [[Mercia]], a kingdom in what is currently part of [[England]], between the Trent/Mersey rivers in the North to the [[Thames]] Valley in the South, and from the Welsh border in the West to the Fens in the East. At the height of his power, however, he also controlled [[Kent]], [[East Anglia]] and [[Lincoln]], and had alliances with [[Northumbria]] and [[Wessex]]. These alliances were sealed by the marriage of two of his daughters to their Kings, Aethelred and Beorhtic respectively. He was, therefore, effectively one of the first Kings of England.
Offa was worried about heathen Welsh hoards rampaging and and pillaging, so he employed a dyke to protect his kindgom. This dyke ran along the borders of Offa's kingdom between Mercia and Wales, was earthy in nature, robust in appearance, relatively unattractive, and offered strong resistance to any Welsh man who attempted penetration. A Dyke is now a term of endearment in Wales for any object or person who puts up a strong resistance to the advances of Welshmen.
Offa was worried about heathen Welsh hoards rampaging and and pillaging, so he employed a dyke to protect his kindgom. This dyke ran along the borders of Offa's kingdom between Mercia and Wales, was earthy in nature, robust in appearance, relatively unattractive, and offered strong resistance to any Welsh man who attempted penetration. A Dyke is now a term of endearment in Wales for any object or person who puts up a strong resistance to the advances of Welshmen.