What is Cynewulf of Wessex?
{{Infobox royalty | type = monarch | name= Cynewulf | succession = King of Wessex | reign=757–786 | predecessor=[[Sigeberht of Wessex|Sigeberht]] | successor=[[Beorhtric of Wessex|Beorhtric]] | house = House of Wessex | birth_place= | death_date=786 <br/> Merton | burial_place=[[Winchester Cathedral]]<ref>John Crook, ''The Architectural Setting of the Cult of Saints in the Early Christian West c.300–c.1200'' (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), p. 331</ref> |image=Murder of Cenulph - King of Wessex 031.png|caption=Cynewulf being surprise attacked by Cyneheard and his men at his mistress's house}} '''Cynewulf''' (died 786) was a [[Wessex|West Saxon]] [[nobleman]], a member of the West Saxon [[:en:wikt:witan|witan]], and was [[List of monarchs of Wessex|King of Wessex]] from 757 until his death in 786. == Career == Cynewulf was a member of the West Saxon witan. He led that council in expelling [[Sigeberht of Wessex|Sigeberht]].<ref name=Ashley311>Mike Ashley, The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens (New york: Carroll & Graf, 1999), p. 311</ref> Cynewulf was elected by the witan to rule [[Wessex]] in place of Sigeberht. He attested a [[:en:wikt:charter|charter]] at the court of King Æthelbald of Mercia. The charter was for Cynewulf to grant land to an abbot in Wiltshire. This indicates Wessex was still a dependency of [[Mercia]].<ref>Frank Stenton, ''Anglo-Saxon England'' (Oxford University Press, 1971), p. 204</ref> Æthelbald died a few months later.<ref name=Ashley311/> Taking advantage of this Cynewulf took back lands he lost in [[Berkshire]] and [[Wiltshire]].<ref name=Ashley311/> Cynewulf was occupied during much of his [[reign]] in wars against the [[Wales|Welsh]] of Dumnonia. He was never able to conqueror [[Cornwall]] however.<ref name=Ashley311/> In 779, Cynewulf was defeated by [[Offa of Mercia]] at the Battle of Bensington.<ref name=Stenton209>Frank Stenton, ''Anglo-Saxon England'' (Oxford University Press, 1971), p. 209</ref> and Offa then retook Berkshire, and perhaps also [[Londo