LIST OF MONARCHS OF KENT

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This is a list of the 'Kings of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Kent'.
The regnal dates for the earlier kings are known only from Bede, who piously expunged apostates (''Unde cunctis placuit regum tempora computantibus, ut ablata de medio regum perfidorum memoria, idem annus sequentis regis''), and seems also to have deliberately suppressed details of short or joint reigns in order to produce an orderly sequence (he had no place for Æðelwald or Eormenred). Generally more than one king ruled in Kent. Some kings are known mainly from charters, of which several are forgeries, while others have subjected to tampering in order to reconcile them with the erroneous king lists of chroniclers, baffled by blanks, and confused by concurrent reigns and kings with similar or identical names. Even modern historians are tempted to fill out the blank prehistoric period with mythological creatures, combine kings with similar names, and suppress multiple kingship, or at least reduce it down to some regular dyarchy. It is commonplace for the later kings to be referred to as subkings, but the actual rank used is always ''rex'', never ''regulus'' (except for a late legend concerning Eormenred). The usual style was simply King of Kent (''rex Cantiae'') or King of the Kentish Men (''rex Cantuariorum''). Territorial division within Kent is not alluded to, except by Eadberht I (''rex Cantuariorum terram dimidii'') and Sigered (''rex dimidie partis prouincie Cantuariorum'').
=== List of Kings of Kent ===

Reign	Incumbent	Style	Notes
unknown	'Hengest'	no charters	father of Oisc
unknown	'Horsa'	no charters	brother of Hengest
unknown	'Oisc' (Oesc, Aesc, Oeric)	no charters	son of Hengest
unknown	'Octa' (Octha)	no charters	son of Oisc
unknown	'Eormenric'	no charters	father of Æðelberht I
died 24 February 616 (Bede)	'Æðelberht I'	no genuine charters	first Christian King of Kent
February 616 to 20 January 640 (Bede)	'Eadbald'	no genuine charters	son of Æðelberht I
unknown	'Æðelwald'	no charters	contemporary with Pope Boniface V (619-625)
January 640 to 14 July 664 (Bede)	'Eorcenberht'	no charters	son of Eadbald
unknown	'Eormenred'	''Irminredus''	brother of Eorcenberht
July 664 to 4 July 673 (Bede)	'Ecgberht I'	no charters	son of Eorcenberht
acceded 674 or 675,died 685	'Hlothhere'	''Lotharius rex Cantuariorum''Lotharius rex Cancie''Clotharius''Hlotharius''	son of Eorcenberht; reigning jointly with Eadric
685 to 686 (Bede)	'Eadric'	''Eadricus rex Cantuariorum''Ædricus rex''Edricus''	son of Ecgberht I; reigning jointly with Hlothhere
killed 687	'Mul'	''Mulo rege regnum Cantie''	brother of Cædwalla, King of Wessex
acceded 687 or 688,still reigning 692	'Swæfheard'	''Suebhardus rex Cantuariorum''Sueaberdus rex Cantie''	son of Sæberht, King of Essex, reigning jointly in Kent with Oswine and Withred
''fl.'' 689	'Swæfberht'	''Gabertus''Suebertus rex Cantuariorum''	jointly with Oswine
''fl.'' 689 to 690	'Oswine'	''Oswynus rex Cantie''Oswinus rex Cantuariorum''	jointly with Swæfberht and Swæfheard
acceded 691 or 692,died 23 April 725	'Wihtred'	''Wihtredus rex Cantie''Wythredus rex Cantuariorum''Wihtredus rex Cantuariorum''	son of Ecgberht I; reigned jointly with Swæfheard
succeeded 725	'Ælfric'	no charters	son of Wihtred; succeeded jointly with his brothers Æðelberht II and Eadberht I
725 to 748	'Eadberht I'	''Eadbertus rex Cantuariorum terram dimidii''Ædbeortus rex Cantie''	son of Wihtred; reigned jointly with his brothers Æðelberht II and Ælfric
''Subject to Mercian overlordship''
725 to 762	'Æðelberht II'	''Æthilberhctus rex Cantie''Athelbertus rex''	son of Wihtred; reigned jointly with his brothers Eadberht I and Ælfric, and nephew Eardwulf
unknown	'Eardwulf'	''Earduulfus rex Cantuariorum''Eardulfus rex Cantiae''	son of Eadberht I; reigned jointly with Æðelberht II; contemporary with Archbishop Cuðbert (740-760)
''fl.'' 762	'Eadberht II'	''Eadberht rex Cantiae''Ædbertus rex''Eadbertus rex Cantie''	jointly with Sigered
''fl.'' 762	'Sigered'	''Sigiraed rex Cantiae''Sigeredus rex dimidie partis prouincie Cantuariorum''	jointly with Eadberht II
unknown	'Eanmund'	''Eanmundus rex''	contemporary with Archbishop Bregowine (761-764)
''fl.'' 764 to 765	'Heaberht'	''Heaberhtus rex Cantie''Heaberhtus rex''	jointly with Ecgberht II
''fl.'' 765 to 779	'Ecgberht II'	''Ecgberhtus rex Cantie''Egcberhtus rex Cantiae''Egcberht rex Cantie''Egcberth rex Cantie''Egcberhtus rex''	jointly with Heaberht
''fl.'' 784	'Ealhmund'	''Ealmundus rex Canciæ''	father of Ecgberht III
''Under the direct rule of Osfrith of Mercia (785–796)''.
796 to 798, deposed	'Eadberht III Præn'	no charters; coins:EADBEARHT REX	Deposed and mutilated by Cœnwulf
acceded 797 or 798,died 807	'Cuðred'	''Cuthredus Rex Cantiae''Cuðred rex Cantiae''Cuðredus rex cantwariorum''	brother of Cœnwulf and Ceolwulf
''fl.'' 809	'Cœnwulf'	''Ceonulfus Christi gracia rex Merciorum atque provincie Cancie''	brother of Cuðred and Ceolwulf; also King of Mercia (796-821)
''fl.'' 822 to 823	'Ceolwulf'	''Ceolwulf rex Merciorum vel etiam Contwariorum''Ceolwulf rex Merciorum seu etiam Cantwariorum''	brother of Cuðred and Cœnwulf; also King of Mercia (821-823)
deposed in 825	'Baldred'	no charters; coins:BALDRED REX CANT	expelled by Æðelwulf in 825
825 to 839	'Ecgberht III'	''Ecgberht rex occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum''	son of Ealhmund; reigned in Kent jointly with his son Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (802-839)
825 to 858	'Æðelwulf'	''Aetheluulf rex''Æðeluulf rex Cantrariorum''Æthelwolf gratia Dei rex Kanciae''Ætheluulf rex Cancie''Aeðeluulf Rex Cancie''Aetheluulf gratia Dei rex occidentalium Saxonum seu etiam Cantuuariorum''Aeðeluulf gratia Dei rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non 7 Cantuariorum''Eðelwulf rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non et Cantuariorum''Eðeluulfus rex Occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum''Æðelulf rex misericordia Dei occidentalium Saxonum ; necnon & Cantuuariorum''	jointly with his father Ecgberht III and son Æðelstan; also King of Wessex (839-856)
''fl.'' 839 to 851	'Æðelstan I'	''Edelstan rex Kancie''Ethelstan Rex''Aeðelstan rex''Aedelstan rex''	jointly with his father Æðelwulf
''fl.'' 855 to 866	'Æðelberht III'	''Aeðelberht rex''Eþelbearht rex''Eðelbearht rex''Æthelbertus occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum rex''Aeðelbearht rex Occidentalium Saxonum seu Cantuuariorum''Aeðælberht rex Occidentalium Saxonum seu Cantuariorum''Eðelbearht rex occidentalium Saxonum nec non et Cantuariorum''	jointly with his father Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (860-866)
866 to 871	'Æðelred I'	''Eðelred rex occidentalium Saxonum . non et Cantwariorum''Aeðered rex Occidentalium Saxonum necnon et Cantuariorum''	son of Æðelwulf; also King of Wessex (866-871)

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See also

See also

Chronology of Kentish Kings