Succession707
Succeeds as King of the East Saxons
Historical person
Offa Biography
Historical biography and chronological timeline for Offa, based on 36 World History Database records associated with England.
36 records707–83030 events16 places
Chronological biography
707
757
Capture of Mercia757
Offa seeks to establish Mercian hegemony in England
Rule of England757
Offa seeks to establish Mercian hegemony in England
Succession757
Elected King of Mercia, a patrician of the Royal Line of Mercia descended from Wibba
772
Capture of Sussex772
Offa captures Sussex & it ceases to exist as a kingdom
774
Capture of London774
Subdues the East Saxons & captures London in open battle
776
Battle of Otford776
Offa is forced to leave Kent for 9 years. Egbert II defeats Offa near Sevenoaks, despite having a much smaller army
777
Capture of Mercia777
Captures Powysland
778
Reform of Currency778
A new silver coin called the Sceatta is minted, becomes the Anglo Saxon coinage
779
Battle of Bensington779
Strikes a crippling blow against Wessex in Oxfordshire
Unification779
1st Anglo Saxon King to call himself "Rex Anglorum", King of the English
780
Offas Dyke780
Completes 150 mile dyke from the Wye to the Dee. A border with the Welsh territories, extends from the Severn to the Dee Estuary
785
Rule of Kent785
Reasserts his right to Overlordship over Kent
786
Exile of Offa786
Drives the King of Kents son, Egbert, into exile
Holds the only council in the Anglo-Saxon period to be attended by786
Holds the only council in the Anglo-Saxon period to be attended by papal legates
787
Annointment787
Offa has his son Egfrith annointed as the next King to ensure his succession
Bishop787
Pope Adrian I creates the Bishopric at Lichfield to challenge Canterbury
Recognition of Offa as the King of the English787
The Pope recognizes Offa as the "King of the English"
Rule of Mercia787
Has his son Egfrith made King of the Mercians
Succession787
The Pope recognizes Offa as the "King of the English"
Succession787
Offa has his son Egfrith annointed as the next King to ensure his succession
789
Capture of Kent789
Offas Capture of Kent forces Egbert to live with Charlamagne until 802
Charlamagne closes Frankish ports to English merchants789
Charlamagne closes Frankish ports to English merchants
Invasion of Great Britain789
1st recorded Viking raid in Britain
Siege of Dorchester789
1st recorded Viking raid in Britain
793
Assassination of Ethelbyrht793
Ethelbyrht is killed in Offas court while selecting 1 of Offas daughters as a bride
Capture of East Anglia793
East Anglia quickly submits to Mercian rule
Martyrdom793
Offa establishes a monastery on the site where Alban was martyred
Siege of Lindesfarne793
The Vikings lay siege to Lindesfarne
794
Death of Offa794
Has King Ethelbert of East Anglia beheaded
Execution794
Has King Ethelbert of East Anglia beheaded
Siege of Jarrow794
The Vikings lay siege to Jarrow
795
Siege of Iona795
The Vikings lay siege to Iona
796
Alliance Offa and Charles of the Franks to protect merchants on both sides of the Channel29 July 796
Allies with Charles of the Franks to protect merchants on both sides of the Channel
Death of Offa29 July 796
Marks the end of Mercian dominance in England & the beginning of the rise of Wessex. Death of Offa
830
Capture of Mercia830
Wins back Mercia from Egbert of Wessex who is weakened by Viking invasions
Titles and roles
King
Record provenance
This biography is assembled from World History Database records filtered by country and personal-name fields. Exact duplicate display records are removed. The database is an index rather than a complete narrative biography; formal research should verify entries against relevant primary or specialist sources.