The political integration of England and the Mercian assemblies under the Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the process of the political integration of England, by examining the Mercian assemblies and charters issued during the period of the Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons (c. 880‐927). The conventional view of the position of the Mercians at that time is that they were under the control of West Saxon kingship and became an integral part of the new polity together with the West Saxons. The way in which they were actually governed within that polity has, however, yet to be given the proper attention it deserves. Therefore, by focusing on assemblies, which were the main arena of governance in the polities of early medieval Europe, this article attempts to clarify the realities of the control of Mercia and explore the factors which prompted the integration of the two peoples.
The article begins with an examination of the places, times, attendants, business and process of the Mercian assemblies. While reflecting on such political changes as the invasion of the Vikings and the subordination to Wessex, the assemblies functioned generally in the same way as they did under the previous kingdom of the Mercians.
Next, the author turns to the expansion of West Saxon kingship to include Mercia, in the context of the assemblies. The West Saxon kings became involved in the Mercian assemblies only when their commercial rights, territorial ambition to the Oxford and London areas, and claims of the affinity to the Mercian royal family were concerned. By letting the Mercians convene their own assemblies and taking part in them intermittently, the West Saxon kings succeeded in securing control over Mercia, while at the same time injecting their kingship into its politics. The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons differed from the assemblies of the Kingdom of the English (927‐), where both secular and ecclesiastical orders from all over England gathered,in that the assemblies of the Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons were normally convened separately by the two peoples, and thus never provided the opportunity for West Saxon and Mercian aristocrats to interact and never contributed to full political integration.
Finally, the author takes up the charters which contained the names and titles of the West Saxon kings as a medium to infuse their influence into the consciousness of the Mercians. Church councils, military campaigns and the West-Saxon court are also reviewed. It was within these spheres that the Mercians built up relationships with the West Saxons and acquired interests which embraced both Wessex and Mercia. The Mercians and their West Saxon counterparts who benefited from these new circumstances were the true driving force in the political integration of England.