Summary: The episode covers 664 to 670 and the major characters are… King Oswiu, ruler of Northumbria, son of AEthelfrith, and all around terrifying fellow King Alhfrith of Deira, Oswiu’s son and one of his probable rivals Wilfrid, abbott of Ripon, guy who argued for Rome at Whitby, and all around ambitious guy. and King Wulfhere, ruler of Mercia and son of Penda. When we last left off, it was still 664 and we just saw the end of the Synod of Whitby and despite King Oswiu’s ties and loyalties to Iona, in the end Canterbury won out… quite possibly due to the support of Oswiu’s son, King Alhfrith of Deira. And we can surmise that Oswiu didn’t appreciate it because that was the last time we hear of Alhfrith… He just vanishes from the record, as Oswiu’s family members are wont to do. Now Bede tells us that Alhfrith sought Oswiu’s permission to visit Rome, but the dating is spotty, so it’s tough to pin down. And then we have this thing in the Historia that speaks about Alhfrith leading a rebellion against his father… So what’s the deal there? Well, there’s a theory that Alhfrith might have gone to war over matters regarding who was the bishop of York. And what’s that old rule… never discuss religion or politics? I’m guessing it was hard in that family. So here’s the theory…
