19 Facts About Oswiu

Oswiu, known as Oswy or Oswig, was King of Bernicia from 642 and of Northumbria from 654 until his death.

Oswiu is notable for his role at the Synod of Whitby in 664, which ultimately brought the church in Northumbria into conformity with the wider Catholic Church.

Unlike Oswald, Oswiu struggled to exert authority over Deira, the other constituent kingdom of medieval Northumbria, for much of his reign.

Oswiu rose to the kingship when his brother Oswald was killed in battle against Penda of Mercia.

In 655, Oswiu's forces killed Penda in a decisive victory at the Battle of the Winwaed, establishing Oswiu as one of the most powerful rulers in Britain.

Oswiu secured control of Deira, with his son Alhfrith serving as a sub-king, and for three years, Oswiu's power extended over Mercia, earning him recognition as bretwalda over much of Great Britain.

Oswiu was a devoted Christian, promoting the faith among his subjects and establishing a number of monasteries, including Gilling Abbey and Whitby Abbey.

In 664, Oswiu presided over the Synod of Whitby, where clerics debated over the two traditions, and helped resolve tension between the parties by decreeing that Northumbria would follow the Roman style.

Oswiu died in 670 and was succeeded by his son, Ecgfrith.

Oswiu was born circa 612, as he was 58 at his death in 670, according to Bede.

Oswiu's authority ran from the lands of the Picts and the Dal Riata in modern Scotland to Wales and the Midlands in the south.

Unlike Eanfrith and Osric, Oswiu held to the Christian faith in spite of his brother's defeat by the pagan Penda.

The first half of Oswiu's reign was spent in the shadow of Penda, who dominated much of Britain from 642 until 655, seemingly making and breaking kings as it suited him.

Penda's son Peada was installed as king of southern Mercia, while Oswiu took the north of the kingdom.

Oswiu remained a force to be reckoned with, and political settlement rather than open warfare appears to have resolved the crisis.

Welsh sources suggest that Oswiu campaigned in Wales in the late 650s, imposing tribute on the Welsh kings who had previously been Penda's allies such as Cadafael, the battle-dodging King of Gwynedd.

In 664 at the synod of Whitby, Oswiu accepted the usages of the Roman Church, which led to the departure of Bishop Colman of Lindisfarne.

Oswiu was buried at Whitby Abbey, alongside Edwin of Deira.

Alcuin, writing about a century after Oswiu's death, describes him as "very just, with equitable laws, unconquered in battle but trustworthy in peace, generous in gifts to the wretched, pious, equitable to all".