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WHO WAS CEOWULF II?

Ceowulf was King of Mercia, an Anglo saxon kingdom, and reigned at the same time as Alfred the Great who is widely thought to have defeated the Vikings and united England. 

He reigned between 874 to 879AD based on a Mercian ruler's list.

According to sources from Alfred's court, Ceowulf was described as 'a foolish king's thegn', where thegn means a minor noble. 

It has long been thought that Ceowulf was simply a 'puppet' King put on the throne and controlled by the Vikings. 

He ruled for five years and disappeared and disappeared without trace from history around AD 879, after which Alfred took over his kingdom.

However, recent coin finds show images of Ceowulf sitting side-by-side on the throne next to King Alfred which suggest that the alliance between the two was more significant than previously thought.

The coins show a working relationship with Alfred,which according to Dr Gareth Williams at the British Museum, sources in Alfred's court 'forgot' to mention. 

Ceowulf may well have been a legitimate descendant of earlier kings of Mercia possibly of his namesake Ceolwulf I (821-3), brother of Coenwulf (796-821).

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