593AD. Aethelfrith became King of Bernicia and it didn’t take him long to prove he was a true grandson of Ida the flame bearer.
598AD. Aethelfrith gathered his army and marched down to Catraeth (Catterick). There he was met by a huge coalition army of Britons that had been gathered together in Edinburgh with the sole purpose of marching down to meet the Saxons in battle. After feasting and drinking the night before the lords of the Britons came to the battle in a drunken state. The Britons were heavily defeated and over three hundred of those lords were killed in battle. The kingdom of Catraeth was taken and added to Northumbria.
603AD. Aethelfrith was on the march again. This time heading north to do battle with Aidan MacGabrain, King of The Dalriada Scots. During the battle at Degastan (?Liddersdale?) Aidan was assisted by a large contingent of Ulstermen. Despite their assistance Aidan’s forces were defeated by the army of Aethelfrith. (according to Bede, Hering the son of Hussa led Aiden’s men against his uncle Aethelfrith). With the defeat of Aiden, the River Forth became the northern boundary of Aethelfrith’s kingdom.After his success in the north Aethelfrith returned south, usurped the Deirian crown and formed the kingdom of Northumbria. Edwin,Aelle’s son fled to Mercia and Aethelfrith married Edwin’s sister Acha.
615AD. Aethelfrith took a new wife, Bebba and Din Guyardi was renamed in her honour as Bebbanburgh (Fort of Bebba). Later that year he ousted king Cearl from Mercia, placed a Mercian of his choice on the throne and took overall control. Edwin was forced to flee again this time to East Anglia.
In the same year Aethelfrith came into battle with the Britons at Chester. As well as warriors, there was a large contingent of monks with the Britons, sent there to pray for the outcome of the battle. Aethelfrith decided to attack the monks first and his men slaughtered 150 out of 200 of them before turning on the army of the Britons and defeating them. Cumbria was now added it to his kingdom.
616AD. Three times Aethelfrith offered Raedwald the king of East Anglia bribes to hand over or kill Edwin the son of Aelle, threatening war if he did not. Raedwald was tempted but in the end preferred to have a friend on the throne of Northumbria and rapidly prepared for war. Raising a large army he marched to confront Aethelfrith before he had time to gather all his forces.
The two sides met at Bawtry on the River Idle. Aethelfrith’s men with the more experienced warriors, in loose order, and Raedwalds army in three formations, one led by Raewald himself, another by Raegenhere, Raedwald’s son and the third by Edwin. Possibly mistaking him for Edwin, Aethelfrith’s men force their way into the centre of Raegenhere’s formation and kill the East Anglian prince. In a mindless rage at the death of his son Raewald stormed the Northumbrian centre and amid great slaughter killed Aethelfrith. Edwin the son of Aelle, seized the kingdom of Northumbria.
Catraeth (Catterick) part of the British kingdom of Rheged. Site of the Roman fort of Cataractunium that protected the River Swale crossing at the junction of the Great North Road and Dere Street. Because of its location the town, in later years, developed into a coaching and stopover town for travellers.
In 602AD Mynyddog Mnynfawr (Mynyddog the wealthy} king of the Britons of Goddodin ( Southern Scotland) invited warriors to join an army that would put pay to Anglo Saxon expansion plans. Over the next year 300 great warrior lords and their followers arrived at the court of Din Eidyn (Edinburgh), they came from: Wales, Elmet, Areon, Dumbarton, Pictland as well as Goddodin and all were welcomed with food and drink by the king.
In 603AD the army marched south to Catraeth where it came into battle with the Angles of Bernicia and their allies. The Battle was hard fought but the Britons had the worst of it and only one of the 300 great warrior lords survived the slaughter.
615ADAethelfrith and the Anglo Saxon army of Bernicia came against the combined armies of Powys, Gwyned and Rhos at Chester (Caerlleon). The Britons brought with them a large contingent of monks from Bangor on Dee to pray for a British victory. The monks, protected by Brochwell and his warrior were plainly visible as they overlooked the battle field. Despite the fact that the monks were unarmed Aethelfrith decided to attack them first, reasoning that since they were praying for his defeat they were participants in the battle. Brochwell is said to have deserted the monks as the Anglo Saxons attacked and the monks were slaughtered in droves; one source claiming 2000 monks and 1200 slain; another 200 monks of which 50 survived.
However many there were, the slaughter of the monks must have had an adverse effect on the Britons as they were beaten heavily by the Anglo Saxons and large numbers were killed. Amongst the dead were, King Selyf Sarffgadau (Battle-Serpent) of Powys, King Cadwal Crysban of Rhos and King Lago ap Beli of Gwyned. There may have been one other casualty if not of the battle, maybe of the campaign; that of king Cearl of Mercia, as he was deposed at about this time and a king of Aethelfrith’s choosing put in his place.
Archaeological excavations at Heronbridge just south of Chester have discovered graves containing bodies with what appear to be battle wounds. It is thought possible that they are bodies of the Northumbrian’s that died in the battle.
