🦌 House of Lindsey — The Kingdom of Lindsey (between the: 6th - 8th Centuries)

Discover the fascinating history of Lindsey, one of the lesser-known kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England, with this beautifully illustrated historical genealogy and dynastic record.

Centred broadly around the region of modern-day Lincolnshire, the Kingdom of Lindsey occupied an important position between the Humber and the Trent, placing it at the crossroads of some of the most powerful kingdoms of early medieval England.

Unlike many traditional family trees, this poster does not attempt to fill the gaps in the historical record with speculation. Instead, it presents the surviving evidence surrounding Lindsey's royal tradition, political history, Christianisation and eventual incorporation into the wider Mercian kingdom.

The Lindsey Royal Pedigree

At the heart of the design is the remarkable royal pedigree preserved within the Anglian Collection, an eighth-century collection of Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies and regnal traditions.

The pedigree traces a line of remembered royal ancestry through:

Geat → Woden → Winta → Cretta → Cuelgils → Cædbæd → Bubba → Beda → Biscop → Eanferth → Eata → Aldfrith

However, the surviving pedigree does not prove that every individual named was a king of Lindsey. Their inclusion is therefore presented as a record of royal ancestry rather than a straightforward succession of kings.

This distinction is central to the design and reflects the House of Histories commitment to preserving history without inventing what cannot be known.

The Christianisation of Lindsey

The poster also explores the arrival and development of Christianity within Lindsey.

Following the conversion of King Edwin of Northumbria, the missionary Paulinus travelled to Lindsey around 628. At Lincoln, he converted Blæcca, a prominent official of the city, along with members of his household.

The establishment of the See of Lindsey later in the seventh century demonstrates the continuing importance of Christianity to the region and its people.

Between Northumbria and Mercia

Lindsey's history was shaped by its position between two powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

The poster follows the changing political influence of:

• Edwin of Northumbria

• Wulfhere of Mercia

• Ecgfrith of Northumbria

• Æthelred of Mercia

  
  

The pivotal Battle of the Trent in 679, in which Æthelred of Mercia defeated Ecgfrith of Northumbria, marked an important moment in Lindsey's political history and helped secure the region within the Mercian sphere.

By the later seventh and eighth centuries, Lindsey increasingly existed within the wider political structure of Mercia.

Poster Features

• House of Lindsey — The Kingdom of Lindsey

• Anglo-Saxon Lincolnshire

• The Lindsey royal pedigree preserved in the Anglian Collection

• Geat, Woden, Winta and the traditional ancestral line

• Eata and Aldfrith

• Paulinus and the Christianisation of Lindsey

• Edwin of Northumbria and Blæcca of Lincoln

• The See of Lindsey and its early Christian history

• The political struggle between Northumbria and Mercia

• The Battle of the Trent, 679

• Lindsey's eventual place within the Mercian kingdom

• Approximate geographical map of Lindsey

• Historical notes distinguishing evidence from uncertainty

• Medieval parchment, heraldic and Anglo-Saxon-inspired design

• Ideal for historians, genealogists, students, collectors and lovers of early English history

• Perfect for studies, libraries, reading rooms, offices and heritage-inspired interiors

  
  

The Evidence of Lindsey

No complete contemporary genealogy or definitive succession of kings survives for Lindsey.

The royal pedigree preserved in the Anglian Collection provides an invaluable glimpse into the dynastic traditions of the period, while Bede, ecclesiastical records, charters and archaeology help reconstruct the political and religious history of the kingdom.

Where the evidence is strong, it is presented clearly.

Where relationships, identities or royal status remain uncertain, those uncertainties are deliberately preserved.

Where history gives us certainty, we preserve it.

Where history leaves questions, we leave them visible.

A Kingdom Remembered

Lindsey may not be as famous as Wessex, Mercia or Northumbria, but it was an important part of the political and cultural landscape of Anglo-Saxon England.

Its people lived between the Humber and the Trent. Its rulers navigated the competing powers of Northumbria and Mercia. Its churches became part of the developing Christian landscape of England.

Much has been lost.

But what remains is enough to tell a story.