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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Nap, post: 8324540, member: 73099&quot;]Here is an English Anglo-Saxon penny of Ceolwulf II</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1474978[/ATTACH] </p><p>Ceolwulf II, king of Mercia 874-879(?)</p><p>Moneyer: Leofwald</p><p>Mint: London (?)</p><p>Cross-and-lozenge type</p><p>S. 944</p><p><br /></p><p>Ceolwulf II, the last king of an independent Mercia, is largely forgotten to history, and his mention in the Anglo-Saxon chronicle is certainly not auspicious.&nbsp; It records that, in 874, the Vikings defeated the Mercians at Repton, drove out Burgred, king of Mercia, and placed Ceolwulf on the throne.&nbsp; Ceolwulf is called an &quot;unwise king&#039;s thegn.&quot;&nbsp; This was high medieval slander!&nbsp; The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles is a production of the Wessex court of Alfred &quot;the great&quot; and certainly has its agenda and viewpoint, if not outright propaganda.</p><p><br /></p><p>For centuries it was presumed that Ceolwulf II was a Viking puppet as there really aren&#039;t any other written sources.&nbsp; However, the numismatic evidence somewhat argues against this.&nbsp; Both Ceolwulf and Alfred produced coins of the cross-and-lozenge types, and they circulated together, having been found together in hoards.&nbsp; Also, both kings issued a very rare type featuring two seated emperors, copied from the old Roman design, and possibly representing the two monarchs themselves.&nbsp; If Ceolwulf were considered a pretender far inferior to Alfred, it is highly unlikely that these coins would have been issued.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rather, Ceolwulf was probably a short-lived ruler who did not have the military success, written legacy, or fame of Alfred, but it is highly doubtful he was a fool and a pretender.&nbsp; Ceolwulf II was likely a relative of a prior Mercian king of the same name, who was ruler about 50 years previously.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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