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>
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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>
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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>
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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>
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