King Offa I came to the Mercian throne in 793 at the age of 36. As a young prince he
had acquired a reputation as a skilled attacker and this coupled with his sharp mind and
steely gaze marked him out a true King of Royal blood. The kingdom he inherited was of a
medium size and contained several rich and fertile provinces. These prosperous lands
were further enhanced by the many talented administrators and rulers that Offa was lucky
enough to have in his service. The most talented he immediately put to work improving
the productivity of his lands and swelling the coffers of the Mercian treasury. Mierce
itself, home to Offas capital was an area with a well developed infrastructure and, best of
all, deposits of Iron, which enabled Offa to equip his army with the best armour available.
Only one province, Lindissi, had access to the sea, but Offa wisely realised the importance
of having a Navy and the building and training of a fledgling Mercian fleet was to continue
throughout his reign.
Mercia was bordered by the Northumbrians to the North, the Welsh to the West and the Saxons to the
South. His Eastern borders faced several smaller kingdoms, that individually were too small
to pose a threat, but nevertheless needed to be watched carefully. Surrounded on all sides,
Offa knew that he needed to secure his borders if he and his kingdom were to survive and
prosper. Immediately he sent emmisaries North, West and South. The Saxons gladly agreed to
a peace treaty, sandwiched as they were between Welsh territories. The Northumbrians also
readily agreed to sign a treaty. Only the welsh proved awkward, however Offa's proposal
that his eldest daughter should marry the Welsh king was met with hearty approval. With
his 3 main rivals signed to peace deals, Offa was able to turn his attention east, towards
the weaker kingdoms of East Seaxe, East Engle, Cantware and South Seaxe.
East Seaxe was the first to receive his attention and by 799 Offa felt confident enough to
invade, leading his army into battle for the 1st time as King. The enemy, outnumbered,
retreated to their fort and Offa, confidant that they wouldn't hold out for long, settled
to await their surrender. He was in for a rude shock. Led by their ruler, Edred the Homilist,
the soldiers from Eastern Seaxe didn't surrender, and through the Autumn, Winter and Spring
Offa's men suffered from cold, hunger and disease. A quarter of his men died in the siege.
By the time the weather turned warmer the following year, Offa had learnt his lesson and
ordered the assault. The fort, weakly defended as it was, fell quickly.
As he pondered his next move, Offa decided that he should move south. By taking South Seaxe
he realised that East Engle and Cantware would be isolated from the rest of England, moreover,
the Saxons would not be able to get their hands on those Eastern lands without going through
Mercian lands first. In 802 Offa struck and the small army defending South Seaxe melted away
in the face of Offas army, retreating estwards, its leader Sithric Aegen swearing an oath of
fealty to the ruler of Cantware, Cenewulf the Confessor. Cenewulf, realising that he was likely
to be next on Offas hit list was building his army up in preparation for the inevitable assault.
In 804 Offa led his army into Cantware. As he prepared to engage Cenewulf in battle, his
scouts came back with strange news. A large army of savages from across the sea were in
Cantwere. Who were they? Were they allies of Cantware? If so, Offa would have to fight
them. Or were they enemies of Cantware who happened to have attacked at the same time as he?
If so, Offa reasoned, he would still have to fight them for control of the land. Not feeling
confidant in his ability to tackle 2 opponents at once, Offa withdrew.
In 806, with Cantware still in the hands of Cenewulf, Offa invaded again. Once more his
scouts reported an army of foreign savages, this time, even larger than before. Offa was
greatly disturbed by this news, and couldn't decide on the correct course of action.
Eventually, after much dithering, he withdrew without an arrow being fired for the second time
in 3 years - a course of action that did not inspire confidence in his army.
In 811, having continued to build up his army in the intervening years, Offa once more crossed
into Cantware. This time, there were no foreign armies and Offa was able to join battle.
As he advanced on Cenewulfs army, they retreated into a nearby wood. Offa split his forces,
sending his son, Prince Offa to the right with the Prince's cavalry bodyguard and a unit of
frydmen, while King Offa went to the left with the archers, Gallowglass mercenaries and
the remaining frydmen. Suddenly, Cenefwulfs Huscarls came charging out of the wood into
Prince Offas Frydman, who they tore into. Prince Offa, sensing the danger, led his cavalry
round and charged into the rear of the attaking Huscarls. By the time he got there,
his infantry had been decimated and were on the brink of fleeing and to compound matters,
more Cantware infantry was charging out of the woods into Prince Offas rear. From a
hillside on the other side of the hill, King Offa could see what was happening - his son was trapped on other side
of the wood by the enemy. He watched, knowing that he would not be able to get there in time to
help - his son must fight and die alone. As he watched, Prince Offa and his men put up a brave
fight, but eventually his sons banner fell and the Cantware infantry started moving back into the
forest below him. With half his cavalry and almost half his infantry gone, King Offa knew that the
battle had swunng against him. Now *he* was the defender.
On the hillside overlooking the wood he drew his men up into a defensive formation. To attack
into the woods would be madness, so he waited, trying to draw the enemy out into the open
where he knew he still had a chance. And Cenewulf, sensing the tide had turned too, attacked
out of the wood, up the hill. Offas archers poured arrows down on the peasants on Cantwares
left. Under the withering fire, they broke and ran, leaving the right flank exposed.
Offa sensed his chance. His Frydman attacked Cenewulfs isolated right while Offa led his
cavalry into a flanking maneuver. Cenewulfs peasants, caught in the pincer were decimated.
Now Offas gallowglass joined the fray, charging into the remnants of Cenewulfs infantry and
archers on the edge of the wood. Offa's archers, now out of arrows, also joined the melee,
hoping to get their share of the prisoners and booty. Unfortunately for them, they got
themselved isolated in the wood and were badly mauled by a small remnant of Cantware Huscarls
before the Gallowglass arrived to save them and finish off the last remnants of the Cantware
army. Cenewulf the Homilist himself was captured along with 170 of his army, 400 more lay dead on the
battlefield. Offa had lost 160 men, most of them from Prince Offa's detachtment that had
got themselves isolated and trapped. Miraculously, Prince Offa was not among them He had
been captured alive and after the battle was over had rejoined his father, who naturally
rejoiced to see alive the son he thought he had lost.
A small remnant of Cenewulfs army, under the leadership of Coenwulf Cudelt, managed to escape back to their fort.
It was while arranging to attack this fort that King Offa was struck by illness and died a few days later, he was 54.
His 19 year reign had been a good one. He had expanded the borders of his kingdom , secured alliances with his neighbours, built up the army, started a fledgling navy, developed the economy and begun building a string of fortifications throughout his kingdom to protect his borders, should any of his neighbours begin to eye his lands covetously. A skilled attacker on the battlefield
and a magnificent builder in his realm, his great reputation is somewhat marred by his hesitant behaviour during his 2 aborted attempts to take South Seaxe. Nevertheless, as he lay on his deathbed, he must have been comforted that the kingdom
that would soon be ruled by his son, King Aethelbert I, was one that had a firm foundation thanks to him.
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