Cnebba

King of Mercia

Cnebba was king of Mercia from c. 535 – c. 545.^[1]

Cnebba was the only son of Icel of Mercia.^[2]^[3] He had a son called Cynewald who succeeded him as king and reigned from c. 554 – c. 584.^[4]

It has been suggested that the village of Knebworth was named after Cnebba as Ickleton is suggested to be named after Icel of Mercia.^[5]

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

A "Cnebba" is listed in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle in 568, but it is unknown whether or not this refers to Cnebba of Mercia:^[6]

Here Ceawlin and Cutha fought against Æthelberht and drove him into Kent; and they killed two ealdormen, Oslaf/Oslac and Cnebba, on Wibba's Mount

^ "Kingdom of Mercia Timeline". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
^ Ben Johnson. "Kings and Queens of Mercia". Historic UK. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
^ Robbie Mitchell (21 February 2023). "Mercia: Lost Great Kingdom of the Britons". Retrieved 22 January 2023.
^ Carol A. Farr; Michelle P. Brown (2005). Mercia: An Anglo-Saxon Kingdom in Europe. Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781441153531.
^ Timothy Venning (2013). The Kings & Queens of Anglo-Saxon England. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445624594.
^ G. A. Points (2013). The Combined Anglo-Saxon Chronicles: A Ready-reference Abridged Chronology. Rihtspell Publishing. ISBN 9780955767920.