Who was Raedwald: The 7th-century king of East Anglia
HIstorians believe the magnificent helmet could have been buried with the former King of East Anglia, Raedwald
The haul of treasure discovered at Sutton Hoo was the richest ship burial site ever found in Britain.
In historical times warriors and leaders would have been buried with their ship as it was meant to carry them and their riches into the afterlife.
As the remains of a body were never found in Sutton Hoo, it is impossible to know who the burial site belonged to.
But historians say they believe it is the last resting place of a royal named Raedwald.
The Anglo-Saxon had been King of East Anglia from about 599 to his death in about 625.
Raedwald descended from the first King of the Angles, the Wuffingas, who claimed descent from the god Woden.
The royal dynasty ruled over Anglia, made up of Suffolk and Norfolk, for many generations.
Raedwald was revered for his victory over the Kingdom of Northumbria, a feat which made him one of the most powerful leaders south of the River Humber at the time.
But he was also criticised for allowing the worship of both Christianity and the traditional Anglo-Saxon religions.
When he died he was succeeded by his pagan son Eorpwald.
Raedwald was supposedly buried at Sutton Hoo. His grave narrowly missed being plundered decades later when grave robbers targeted the site.
But the Sutton Hoo archological dig found the thieves had missed the treadure by a couple of metres.
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