Between 500 and 850 AD, often referred to as the Dark Ages, the 7 kingdoms into which England was supposedly divided (the Heptarchy) were Wessex, Mercia, Kent, Essex, East Anglia, Sussex and which other?
Heptarchy Heptarchy The Heptarchy is a collective name applied to the seven petty kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England from the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain in the 5th century until their unification into the Kingdom of England in the early 10th century. The term "Heptarchy" (from the Greek "heptarchia", from "hepta" "seven", "arche" "reign, rule" and the suffix "-ia") alludes to the tradition that there were seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, usually enumerated as: East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex, and Wessex. The historiographical tradition of the "seven kingdoms" is medieval, first recorded by Henry of Huntingdon in his "Historia Anglorum" (12th century); the
England in the Middle Ages rulers, including those of Wessex, East Anglia, Essex, and Kent, had begun to term themselves kings, living in "villae regales", royal centres, and collecting tribute from the surrounding "regiones"; these kingdoms are often referred to as the Heptarchy. In the 7th century, the kingdom of Mercia rose to prominence under the leadership of King Penda. Mercia invaded neighbouring lands until it loosely controlled around 50 "regiones" covering much of England. Mercia and the remaining kingdoms, led by their warrior elites, continued to compete for territory throughout the 8th century. Massive earthworks, such as the defensive dyke built by Offa of