What is Wulfhere of Mercia?
[[File:Chad Peada Wulfhere at Lichfield.jpeg|thumb|right|350px|{{Center|Statues of Bishop Chad of Mercia, Kings Peada and '''Wulfhere''' at the [[Lichfield]] Cathedral}}]] '''Wulfhere''' or '''Wulfar''' (died 675) was an early [[List of monarchs of Mercia|King of Mercia]]. Although his father was [[pagan]] Wulfhere was a [[Christian]]. His older brother [[Peada of Mercia|Peada]] ruled [[Mercia]] south of the [[River Thames]] under [[Oswiu of Northumbria]]. When Peada was murdered Oswiu held Mercia until the [[Ealdorman|ealdormen]] of Mercia rebelled and placed Wulfhere on the [[throne]]. Wulfhere ruled Mercia from 658 until his death. He was the first Mercian [[:en:wikt:bretwalda|bretwalda]] (overlord) of England.{{efn|Bede does not mention Wulfhere in his list of the first seven overlords of the [[Anglo-Saxons]]. But Wulfhere was the supreme authority in southern England for several years before his death.<ref>Frank Stenton, ''Anglo-Saxon England''(Oxford University Press, 1971), p. 34</ref>}} == King of Mercia == Wulfhere was a younger son of [[King]] [[Penda of Mercia|Penda]].<ref name=Bede185>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People'', trans. Leo Sherley Price, revsd. R. E. Latham (London; New York: Penguin, 1990), p. 185</ref> His older brother Peada accepted [[Christianity]] to marry the daughter of King Oswiu of Northumbria. After their father was killed by Oswiu, Peada was set up as a king of southern Mercia. Peada's wife murdered him within five months. Oswiu then took [[:wikt:control|control]] of all Mercia and ruled it three years.<ref name=Bede185/> The Mercian ealdormen Immin, Eafa and Eadbert rose up in rebellion against king Oswiu. Wulfhere, who had been kept hidden, was then proclaimed king.<ref name=Bede185/> Wulfhere had little [[:wikt:opposition|opposition]] from Oswiu as he was dealing with a rebellion in [[Northumbria]].<ref name=Ashley253>Mike Ashley, ''The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens'' (New York: Carroll & Graf, 1999), p. 253</ref> Wulfhere began building alliance