Kings of Kent Eadberht Praen AD 796-798 Silver Penny

Kings of Kent Eadberht Praen AD 796-798 Silver Penny

Type 1

Monogram for REX/Five annulets, each containing a pellet, joined to form a cross

S873; 19mm, 1.39g

A fabulous coin, well struck in good silver with pleasing surfaces and crisp detail. The smallest of edge chips as can be seen in photos.

This coin comes with a collectors handwritten note stating that it was found at Tonbridge, Kent in 1980.

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Eadberht III Praen (796-798) – an obscure individual apparently residing at the court of Frankish King Charlemagne (who may well have sponsored his insurrection), Eadberht took power in late 796 following the death of Offa of Mercia. However, his attempt stalled when Pope Leo III refused to ratify his rule – ruling instead that Offa’s successor Coenwulf had every right to wage war on Eadberht and re-take Kent. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that Eadberht was quickly captured and brought back to Mercia, but his ultimate fate is unknown. One source states that he was mutilated and blinded, another that he was set free.