Hlothere
Hlothere fought long and hard to take what he considered to be his rightful place as king. After years of dynastic conflict and of fighting to gain a hold of neighbouring kingdoms, he finally achieved his goal. Once his position was secure, Hlothere proved to be a worthy ruler. His death in AD 865 plunged the country once again into a wilderness of foreign invasion and internal chaos.
In AD 673 Egbert, king of Wessex and other sub-kingdoms in the southwest, died. Overall, Egbert had been a successful ruler, and was the first person to be named bretwalda, meaning 'king of all England'. Although this was not strictly accurate, it nevertheless demonstrated that the seeds of the idea of a single nation had been sown. The pre-existing concept had been that of a series of divided provinces. In theory, he was succeeded by his brother, Hlothere, but in practice, the beginning of Hlothere's reign was marked by dispute over his succession and internal unrest.
Troublesome Relations
The first, and main, stumbling block to Hlothere's succession was the fact that Egbert had not died without male heirs. He had two healthy young sons, Eadric and Wihtred. They came under the care of their cunning grandmother, Seaxburh, at the death of their father. Seaxburh was effectively regent of Wessex. While she ruled with authority and determination Hlothere felt unable to challenge for the throne. The second thorn in Hlothere's side was Egbert's brother-in-law, Wulfhere. Wulfhere stepped in as a self-ordained active ruler until Eadric came of age. Wulfhere slowly began to bring many of the provinces under his influence, including western Kent and Surrey.
The People's Choice
It was some time, therefore, before Hlothere was given an opportunity to make his move. The chance came when the people of Kent mounted an uprising against Wulfhere and chose Hlothere as their king. It is likely that Hlothere agreed with the people that he would act as regent until Eadric could take his place. He immediately set about consolidating his position. When Wulfhere died in AD 675, Hlothere knew that this was the time to strike. He succeeded in extending his control to the middle of Kent. However, Wulfhere had his own successor, Ethelred, who objected to being usurped and sent an army into Kent.
Ethelred the Pious
Ethelred's army was intent on wanton destruction and it pillaged its way through Kent. In the process, the soldiers destroyed the church at Rochester, the centre of Hlothere's mid-Kent kingdom. As it turned out, this worked to Hlothere's advantage since Ethelred was a pious man and feared the possible consequences of the desecration of a holy building. Hlothere saw this weakness and seized the chance to re-establish his authority in the area. This time he extended his influence into parts of London and Surrey, previously under the jurisdiction of the Mercians.
Settling Down
His battle won, Hlothere could turn his hand to improving his newly conquered kingdom. He set in motion a new system of laws that were gradually developed over the succeeding years. He began the reconstruction of many churches and other buildings that had been destroyed in the fighting which had taken place in his and his predecessor's times. He also improved the situation in the royal coffers by imposing a trade toll at all the major Kentish ports.
As Eadric grew older, Hlothere officially recognised his nephew as his heir, but it seems that this was not enough for the young man. His uncle was not a regent; he was a king. Eadric, it seems, wanted to reclaim his promised title. He raised an army against Hlothere and battle was fought. In the course of this, Hlothere was mortally wounded. His death was widely mourned: despite unpromising beginnings, he had proved to be a worthy king.