Succession
Succeeds as King of Kent
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
685 in England
Explore 26 historical events and records for England in 685.
Historical records for England in 685
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 26 of 26 unique records.
26Unique records
1 of 1Page
15Named events on this page
14Named people on this page
11Places on this page
February
May
Battle of Nechtansmere
Defeat leads to the creation of a Kingdom of the Picts in northern Britain.
Battle of Nechtansmere
Defeated by the Picts under Brude mac Bili south east of Forfar.
Battle of Nechtansmere
Drawn by the Picts into unfavourable country & defeated south east of Forfar.
Battle of Nechtansmere
Egfrith & most of his army are slain.
Battle of Nechtansmere
Egfriths army is trapped between the shore of the loch between Dunnichen & Letham.
Battle of Nechtansmere
The Northumbrians are forced to retreat to Lothian & the Tweed Valley.
Death of Ecgfrith
Death of Ecgfrith, killed at the Battle of Nechtansmere
Succession
Succeeds as King of Northumbria
Other events (month unknown)
Andhun Organizes Sussex Resistance
Bede names Andhun as one of the ealdormen who opposed Caedwalla's first assault on Sussex.
Berhthun Resists West Saxons
Berhthun was among the South Saxon leaders who resisted Caedwalla after the death of Aethelwealh and temporarily preserved local autonomy.
Bishop
Appointed Bishop of Hexham
Bishop
Appointed Bishop of Ripon, its 1st Bishop
Burial
Buried at Repton
Caedwalla Attacks South Saxons
Caedwalla of Wessex invaded Sussex and killed its king Aethelwealh, but local leaders subsequently drove the invader away.
Caedwalla Seizes Royal Power
Caedwalla gained the West Saxon throne after factional struggles and began extending his authority into Sussex and Kent.
Capture of Sussex
Caedwalla captures Sussex killing Berthun
Eadric Challenges Hlothhere
Eadric fought his uncle Hlothhere with external assistance and briefly obtained royal authority in Kent.
Invasion of Picts
Ecgfrith leads an army against the Picts
Invasion of Sussex
Caedwalla invades Sussex & Athelwalh is killed, Caedwalla is driven out of Sussex
Restoration of Ceawlin's House
A later historical account states that Ceawlin's dynastic house returns to the West Saxon throne with Caedwalla in 685.
Rule of Kent
Defeats Hlothhhere in battle
Succession
Succeeds as King of the South Saxons
Succession
Succeeds as King of Wessex
Succession
Succeeds as King of Magonsaete
Succession
Succeeds as King of Hwicce
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.