Aella Deira (abt. 535 - 589)

Born about 0535 in Kingdom of Deira

Descendants

Died 0589 at about age 54 in Kingdom of Deira

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Biography

Name

• Aella of Deira. ^[1]
• Ælla., Ella, Ille ^[1]

535 Birth Year Estimation

Since his reign dates from about 560, make him aged 25 when he assumed rule, thus giving him an estimated birth year of 535.

Settlement

There is archaeological evidence for the settlement of Germanic people in eastern Yorkshire by the late fifth century. ^[2]

Ancestry

The Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies found in the Anglian Collection and Historia Brittonum make him son of Yffe, but differ somewhat in the remainder of pedigrees tracing back to Woden. Historia Brittonum highlights the role of Soemil who "first separated Deira from Bernicia" ^[2](presumably the British kingdom Bryneich was meant), as Ælla's great-great-great-grandfather. ^[1]

560 Reign

Aella is the is the first certain king of Deira. ^[1]

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he became king the same year as Ceawlin of Wessex (560) on the death of Ida of Bernicia, and ruled 30 years. However, the Chronicle records that Ælla died in the year 588, and was succeeded by Aethelric. Possibly this is the reason John of Worcester offered the date Ælla came to the throne as 559, which would harmonize with a reign of thirty years. ^[1]

588 Death

Aella died in 588.^[1]

597 Gregorian Mission

Bede claims that Ælla was one of the kings reigning at the time of the Gregorian mission in 597. ^[1] However, this would conflict with estimates of his death in 588 or 589.

Legend

Ælla appears to be mentioned in the legendary saga Gautreks saga, where he is visited by the peasant hero, Ref. He is also one of the main characters in Chaucer's "Man of Law's Tale" in the Canterbury Tales.

Issue

1. Edwin of Northumbria born about 560
2. Acha of Deira, a daughter, married Æthelfrith of Bernicia.
3. Unknown, father of Hererici born about 560

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Wikipedia: Ælla of Deira Accessed April 9, 2018 jhd
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Cramp, Rosemary. "Ælla (d. in or after 597?)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 23 Jan 2014. Cited by Wikipedia: Ælla of Deira Accessed April 9, 2018 jhd