The road to Winwæd? Penda's wars against Oswiu of Bernicia, c. 642 to c. 655

Abstract

Bede's Historia ecclesiastica allows the historian to reconstruct a sporadic narrative of relations between Penda of Mercia and Oswiu of Bernicia in the years leading up to the battle of the Winwæd. This article re-evaluates Bede's presentation of these interactions, with a focus on narrative structure and various geographical and chronological points of interest, and also taking account of Welsh and Irish sources. In light of this discussion, an alternative reconstruction of events before and after the battle of Winwæd is proposed; this derives primarily from a suggested re-reading of a passage in Historia ecclesiastica iii. 24, where Bede addresses Oswiu's post-war settlement.