Eorpwalds

Eorpwald was a king of the East Angles, a Germanic people who settled in the region of East Anglia in what is now eastern England. He reigned in the early 7th century AD, following his father Raedwald's conversion to Christianity. Eorpwald's reign is primarily noted for his own conversion to Christianity, which was a significant event in the Christianization of England.

According to the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Eorpwald was baptized in the kingdom of the East Saxons, likely at the urging of King Sebert of London. This conversion, however, was met with opposition from some of his subjects who remained pagan. Bede records that Eorpwald was eventually killed by a pagan named Ricberht, who then seems to have ruled in his place for a short period before Eorpwald's brother Sigebert, who had been exiled, returned and reclaimed the throne, continuing the Christianization of the kingdom. The exact dates of Eorpwald's reign and death are uncertain, but he is generally placed in the period between approximately 616 and 627 AD. His conversion marks a crucial step in the establishment of Christianity among the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.