Creoda of Wessex

Creoda (493? – 534?) is a shadowy figure from early Wessex history whose existence is disputed.

The name Creoda appears in the Anglian king-list and the (possibly derived) West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List, where he is stated to have been the son of Cerdic and father to Cynric.^[1][2] However, the main annalistic section of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle omits any mention of Creoda, and describes Cynric as the son of Cerdic. Similar contradiction occurs in surviving copies of the now-lost The Life of King Alfred, which Asser commenced with a paternal ancestry of Alfred the Great that includes the name Creoda between Cerdic and Cynric,^[3] but the following section relating Alfred's maternal ancestry calls Cynric the son of Cerdic.

If he existed, Creoda may have ruled Wessex for a short period of time immediately after Cerdic's death.

If the historical existence of Creoda is admitted, there are a number of theories as to his identity and why he appears in some primary sources, but not others:

1. His inclusion in the genealogies was original, and his name was removed from some lists at a late date for dynastic and political reasons.^[4][2]
2. He was a contemporary of Cerdic and Cynric, but ruled the Thames Valley Saxons, while they ruled the Hampshire Saxons. He is seen as the ancestor of the later kings: Ceawlin, Cædwalla and Ine. At some late date, Creoda was inserted into the Cerdicing line as the son of Cerdic, when descent from Cerdic became necessary for any king of Wessex.^[5]
3. Creoda has been confused with Cerdic and some of Cerdic's later activities have been misassigned in the texts, and were originally those of Creoda and Cynric.^[6]

• Asser (trans. Giles, J.A.) (2000) Annals of the Reign of Alfred the Great, In parentheses Publications: Medieval Latin Series, Cambridge, Ontario.
• Kirby, D.P. (1965) "Problems of Early West Saxon History", The English Historical Review, January 1965, Vol. 80, No. 314, Oxford University Press, pp. 10–29.
• Stevenson, W.H. (1899) "The Beginnings of Wessex", The English Historical Review, January 1899, Vol. 14, No. 53, Oxford University Press, pp. 32–46.
• Walker, H. E. (1956). "Bede and the Gewissae: The Political Evolution of the Heptarchy and Its Nomenclature". The Cambridge Historical Journal. Vol. 12 No. 2. Cambridge University Press. pp. 174–186. Retrieved 7 May 2023 – via JSTOR.

• Creoda 1 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (Single entry for both Creoda of Wessex and Creoda of Mercia).