Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely that he consolidated his control of midland peoples such as the Hwicce and the Magonsæte. Taking advantage of instability in the kingdom of Kent to establish himself as overlord, Offa was also in control of Sussex by 771, though his authority did not remain unchallenged in either territory. He extended Mercian supremacy over most of southern England and regained complete control of the southeast. Offa was a Christian king but came into conflict with the Church, and had long-running disputes with both the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Worcester. Many historians regard Offa as the most powerful Anglo-Saxon king before Alfred the Great. His reign was once seen by historians as part of a process leading to a unified England, but this is no longer the majority view. Offa died in 796 and was succeeded by his son, Ecgfrith, who reigned for less than five months before Coenwulf of Mercia took the throne.
Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offa_of_Mercia
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1250:
Seventh Crusade: Egyptian Ayyubids annihilated the crusader army and captured King Louis IX of France as a hostage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fariskur
1320:
The Declaration of Arbroath, a declaration of Scottish independence, was adopted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Arbroath
1812:
Peninsular War: After a three-week siege, the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington , captured Badajoz, Spain and forced the surrender of the French garrison. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Badajoz_%281812%29
1947:
The first Tony Awards, recognizing achievement in live American theatre, were handed out at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award
2008:
Egyptian workers staged an illegal general strike, two days before key municipal elections. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Egyptian_general_strike
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
lek (n): (biology) An aggregation of male animals for the purposes of courtship and display http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lek
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
11px
44px I believe neither in what I touch nor what I see. I only believe in what I do not see, and solely in what I feel. --Gustave Moreau http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gustave_Moreau