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Conversion of Æthelberht to Christianity
In 597 Æthelberht, King of Kent, was baptized under the influence of the Roman mission, becoming the first Anglo-Saxon ruler to openly embrace Christ…
Timeline
- 597Isle of Thanet · KentInfluenced by his Frankish Christian queen Bertha, Æthelberht cautiously but openly received Augustine's mission, allowing them to reside and preach in his kingdom; he did not convert immediately but promised not to force his subjects to do so.
- 597–601Canterbury · KentÆthelberht was baptized at Canterbury, becoming the first Christian king of the Anglo-Saxon world. He granted the church land and protection, his subjects followed in being baptized, and he provided political support for the mission's expansion into other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Sources
- Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Book II, ch. 5 — Bede https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/bede-book1.asp
- Law of Æthelberht — Æthelberht of Kent (attrib.) https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/560-775d-laws.asp