Ludeca of Mercia facts for kids

Ludeca ( 827) was a Mercian nobleman and ealdorman. At the death of Beornwulf in 826 he became the King of Mercia. He ruled what was left of Mercia after Beornwulf's defeat by Egbert of Wessex at the Battle of Ellandun. He ruled Mercia until his own death, barely a year later.

King of Mercia

In 824 two of King Beornwulf are witnessed by Ludeca, then a member of his court. His title on those charters is Latin: dux. Nothing else is known of Ludeca. At Beornwulf's death he became king. But the kingdom Ludeca now ruled was just Mercia, Lindsey, Middle Anglia and the Mercian provinces of the Hwicce and Magonsæte. All of southern England was in disorder. Egbert of Wessex now had control of Essex and Kent. He had the revolt by the East Anglians that resulted in Beornwulf's death. The East Anglians saw this as a chance for their independence from Mercia. A few months later Ludeca led his army against them but he was killed. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 825 (actual year 827) recorded: "In this year Ludecan, king of the Mercians, was slain, and his five aldormen [ealdormen] with him, and Wiglaf succeeded to the kingdom."

See also

In Spanish: Ludeca de Mercia para niños