Anglo-Saxon England

The Kentish Royal Legend

Apr 26, 2023

Explore the Kentish Royal Legend and its supernatural components that make it difficult to verify. Discover the murder of two children, the founding of the Monastery on Thanet, and the confusion surrounding succession in Kent. Delve into King Aorkenbert's role in religious politics and Archbishop Deus Dettit's activities. Learn about Edgbert's close ties with the church and the legend of the royal martyrs. Discover the origins and evolution of the legend, including family history and the foundation of Thanet.

20:25

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Quick takeaways

The Kentish Royal Legend contains supernatural elements and complex narratives about the foundation of the Monastery of Minster in Thanet, offering potential insights into Kent's history in the 7th century.

The translation of relics, particularly those of Ethelred and Athelbert, to the Monastery of Ramsey contributed to the creation and evolution of the Kentish Royal Legend, serving as a national saga of early Christian Kent and preserving early traditions.

Deep dives

The Kentish Royal Legend

The podcast episode delves into the Kentish Royal Legend, which is a complex narrative regarding the foundation of the Monastery of Minster in Thanet. It explores the various versions of the legend and discusses its potential historical significance for understanding Kent in the 7th century. The legend contains supernatural elements and details about the murder of two children, which forms a central point of the story. The podcast highlights the conflicting historical accounts and the uncertainties surrounding the succession of Aedbold and Aorkenbert.

Introduction

3min

The Kentish Royal Legend

5min

Connections with the Church and Notable Figures in Edgbert's Reign

3min

The Legend of the Royal Martyrs

5min

The Origins and Evolution of the Kentish Royal Legend

5min

With the death of Eadbald, we find ourselves square in the middle of a complicate textual history regarding the foundation legend of the monastery of Minster-in-Thanet. The various narratives which make up this history are all collectively known as the ‘Kentish royal legend’ or sometimes as the ‘Mildreth legend’ after St Mildreth (sometimes Mildred), the great-granddaughter of King Æthelberht who was the first abbess of the royal monastery on the island of Thanet. Despite being mainly concerned with the foundation of Minster-in-Thanet, the legend also contains a lot of details and family legends about the descendants of King Æthelberht, making it a potentially rich source for the history of Kent in the 7th C. However, as the title ‘legend’ should make clear, the story contains much that is supernatural and many of its components are difficult to corroborate as historical facts.

Credits –

Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8Ddening

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