The Bishops of Winchester, the Kings of Wessex, and the Development of Winchester in the Ninth and Early Tenth Centuries

Abstract

The ensuing relations between the bishops of Winchester and the house of Egbert in the ninth century and first decade of the tenth century are one of the major concerns of this paper. Greater understanding of both these developments can be reached through a study of relations between Winchester's two major patrons, the bishops of Winchester and the kings of Wessex. Swithun's successors in the ninth century found themselves obliged to lose temporarily or permanently further estates to the kings or their officials, and thelwulf's sons apparently tried to prevent the Old Minster from receiving estates left to it in thelwulf's will. Indeed, the question of the control of Winchester may have been a cause of additional dispute between kings and bishops. Rivalries between different branches of the royal house were replaced by the hostility of factions centered around different members of the house of Egbert.