Tame Weorth, 755 AD
A combination of circumstances saved Æthelbald from the plotters. Weeks slipped into months and into years, bringing with them external events of significance. In 754, Boniface suffered martyrdom in Frisia. Æthelbald would receive no more condemnatory letters from that source. More important to his position in Mierce, the following year, Cuthred died, putting an end, after just five years, to the independence of West Seax. Never one to spurn an opportunity, Æthelbald studied the situation in the south-west. Who could he turn to in an attempt to bring that kingdom once more under his control? Who, if not the “miracle worker”, Leofwig? A messenger sent to summon the Lord of Grantebrycge, Æthelbald spent his time waiting for the ealdorman to arrive by plotting how best to
