Coenwulf was King of Mercia, in Anglo-Saxon England, from December 796
until his death in 821. He ascended the throne five months after the
death of Offa, one of the most powerful kings of early medieval England,
when Offa's son, Ecgfrith, died after a brief reign. In the early years
of Coenwulf's reign he had to deal with a revolt in Kent, which had been
under Offa's control. After Eadberht Præn returned from exile in
Francia to claim the Kentish throne, Coenwulf invaded and retook the
kingdom. He probably lost control of the kingdom of East Anglia during
the early part of his reign, as evidenced by an independent coinage
appearing under King Eadwald, but Coenwulf's coinage reappeared in 805.
Coenwulf was the last king of Mercia to exercise substantial dominance
over other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms; within a decade of his death, the rise
of Wessex had begun under King Ecgberht, and Mercia never recovered its
former position of power.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coenwulf_of_Mercia>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1850:
Brigham Young announced his decision to go to war against
Timpanogos who were hostile to the Mormon settlement at Fort Utah.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_at_Fort_Utah>
1920:
The signing of the Treaty of Tartu ended the Estonian War of
Independence, with Russia agreeing to recognize the independence of
Estonia and renounce in perpetuity all rights to that territory.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Tartu_%28Russian%E2%80%93Estonian%29>
1974:
The F-16 Fighting Falcon, the most numerous fixed-wing aircraft
in military service, made its first flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16_Fighting_Falcon>
2004:
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer became the top-ranked men's
singles player, a position he held for a record 237 consecutive weeks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Federer>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
Imbolc:
(Britain, Ireland) A Gaelic and Wiccan festival celebrated on 1 or 2
February which marks the beginning of spring.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Imbolc>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark
and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the
cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and
basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a
better fate than a long and lustrous winter.
--Groundhog Day
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day_%28film%29>