BRETWALDA THE STRUGGLE FOR SUPREMACY IN THE ANGLO-SAXON HEPTARCHY For the entire heptarchy period the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms fought and traded with each other and their Scot and Celtic neighbours. Sometimes one king would emerge more powerful than the others and could command their allegiance. He was known as a Bretwalda. In this exercise you are going to learn what made a Heptarchy kingdom strong and hence more likely to produce a Bretwalda. Turn over for instructions.

INSTRUCTIONS Using the information on the attached map complete the table below. To be a Bretwalda, a king would have to possess adequate crops, metal ore from mines, timber and trade routes. Marshes and mountains were a mixed blessing, they didn’t produce crops or timber but they could serve tod defend the kingdom. Also having lots of borders meant it was easier to trade but it also meant you could be attacked from lots of places at once. Thus a strength can also be a weakness. 1. Based on what you can see on the map compile the strengths and weaknesses of each kingdom on the table below and give each one a score out of ten. NAME OF KINGDOM STRENGTHS e.g. resources and protection WEAKNESSES e.g. lack of resources, borders SCORE OUT OF 10 1. Northumbria 2. Mercia 3. Wessex 4. East Anglia 5. Essex 6. Sussex 7. Kent 2. Explain which kingdom you think was most likely to produce a Bretwalda and why. Write a paragraph explaining who the Bretwalda should trade with and whom he should wage war on to develop his power.

Scots Celtic Wales Celtic Cornwall KEY: Border with Anglo-Saxons Border with Celts & Scots Good farmland Ports with trade routes Timber Mining areas Marshland Mountains Scots NORTH- UMBRIA EAST ANGLIA Celtic Wales MERCIA ESSEX WESSEX SUSSEX Celtic Cornwall KENT