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{{short description|King of Bernicia (r. 642–670) and of Northumbria (r. 654–670)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Oswiu
| image        = 
| imagesize    = 
| caption      = 
| succession   = [[King of Northumbria]]
| reign        = 642–670
| predecessor  = [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]]
| successor    = [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]]
| succession1  = [[List of monarchs of Mercia|King of Mercia]]
| reign1       = 655 or 656–658
| predecessor1 = [[Peada of Mercia|Peada]]
| successor1   = [[Wulfhere of Mercia]]
| spouse       = [[Eanflæd]]<br>[[Fín]]<br>[[Rhiainfellt|Rieinmelth]]
| issue        = [[Alhfrith|Ealhfrith]]<br>[[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]]<br>[[Ælfwine of Deira|Ælfwine]]<br>[[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]]<br>[[Alhflæd|Ealhflæd]]<br>[[Ælfflæd of Whitby|Ælfflæd]]<br>[[Osthryth]]
| father       = [[Æthelfrith of Northumbria|Æthelfrith]]
| mother       = [[Acha of Deira]]
| birth_date   = c. 612
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = 15 February {{death year and age|670|612}}
| death_place  = 
| place of burial = [[Whitby Abbey]]
| religion     = [[Christianity]]
}}
'''Oswiu''', also known as '''Oswy''' or '''Oswig''' ({{langx|ang|Ōswīg}}; c. 612 – 15 February 670), was [[King of Bernicia]] from 642 and of [[Kingdom of Northumbria|Northumbria]] from 654 until his death. He is notable for his role at the [[Synod of Whitby]] in 664, which ultimately brought the church in Northumbria into conformity with the wider [[Catholic Church]].

One of the sons of [[Æthelfrith]] of Bernicia and [[Acha of Deira]], Oswiu  became king following the death of his brother [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]] in 642. Unlike Oswald, Oswiu struggled to exert authority over [[Deira]], the other constituent kingdom of medieval [[Northumbria]], for much of his reign.

Oswiu and his brothers were raised in exile in the Irish kingdom of [[Dál Riata]] in present-day Scotland after their father's death at the hands of [[Edwin of Northumbria]] (not by Edwin but possibly by [[Rædwald of East Anglia|Rædwald]] and his son Rægenhere at the [[Battle of the River Idle]]) only returning after Edwin's death in 633. Oswiu rose to the kingship when his brother Oswald was killed in battle against [[Penda of Mercia]]. The early part of his reign was defined by struggles to assert control over Deira and his contentious relationship with Penda, his overlord.<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 78–79, 105.</ref> In 655, Oswiu's forces killed Penda in a decisive victory at the [[Battle of the Winwaed]], establishing Oswiu as one of the most powerful rulers in Britain. He secured control of Deira, with his son [[Alhfrith]] serving as a sub-king,<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 79.</ref> and for three years, Oswiu's power extended over Mercia, earning him recognition as ''[[bretwalda]]'' over much of Great Britain.<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 82, 105.</ref> 

Oswiu was a devoted Christian, promoting the faith among his subjects and establishing a number of monasteries, including [[Gilling Abbey]] and [[Whitby Abbey]].<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 48, 80.</ref> He was raised in the [[Celtic Christianity|Celtic Christian]] tradition of much of the Irish world, rather than the [[Roman Rite|Roman]] tradition practiced by the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdoms as well as some members of the Deiran nobility, including Oswiu's queen [[Eanflæd]]. In 664, Oswiu presided over the [[Synod of Whitby]], where clerics debated over the two traditions, and helped resolve tension between the parties by decreeing that Northumbria would follow the Roman style.<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', pp. 79, 82.</ref> Oswiu died in 670 and was succeeded by his son, [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]].<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'' p. 82.</ref> His feast is 15 February in the East and in the West.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/menologyofenglan00stanrich/page/68|title = A menology of England and Wales, or, Brief memorials of the ancient British and English saints arranged according to the calendar, together with the martyrs of the 16th and 17th centuries|year = 1892}}</ref>

==Background and early life==
[[File:Britain peoples circa 600.svg|thumb|right|Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of the early 7th century]]
Oswiu was born circa 612, as he was 58 at his death in 670, according to [[Bede]]. He was the third child of [[Æthelfrith]], then King of Bernicia; his siblings included older brothers [[Eanfrith of Bernicia|Eanfrith]] and [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]] and sister [[Æbbe of Coldingham|Æbbe]].<ref>Fryde et al., ''Handbook of British Chronology'', p. 5.</ref><ref name="HE IV 5">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book IV, Chapter 5.</ref> Oswiu's mother was likely Æthelfrith's only recorded wife, [[Acha of Deira|Acha]], a princess of Deira's royal line who is known to have been Oswald's mother.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 6, states that Oswald was Acha's son; Kirby, p. 89, and Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1, consider it probable that Oswiu was also her son.</ref> Regardless, his heritage did nothing to endear him to the Deiran nobility; while they accepted Oswald as king apparently on account of his mother, they resisted Oswiu throughout his reign.<ref>Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 78, 79.</ref>

At the time of Oswiu's birth, Æthelfrith was at the height of his power. In 604 he had taken control of Deira, evidently by conquest; he killed the previous king (apparently [[Æthelric of Deira|Æthelric]]), married Acha, a member of the kingly line, and exiled Acha's brother [[Edwin of Northumbria|Edwin]]. His authority ran from the lands of the [[Picts]] and the [[Dál Riata]] in modern [[Scotland]] to [[Wales]] and the [[English Midlands|Midlands]] in the south.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book I, Chapter 34 & Book II, Chapter 3.</ref> Æthelfrith's power rested on his military success, and this success came to an end in 616, when the exiled Edwin of Northumbria with the support of King [[Rædwald]], defeated and killed him in the [[battle of the River Idle]].<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book II, Chapter 12.</ref>

On Æthelfrith's death, his sons and their supporters fled [[Northumbria]], finding sanctuary among the [[Gaels]] and [[Picts]] of northern Britain and [[Ireland]]. Here they would remain until Edwin's death at the [[Battle of Hatfield Chase]] in 633.<ref name="HE III 1">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 1.</ref><ref>Æthelfrith's sons were not the first Anglian exiles to seek refuge in the kingdoms of the north. [[Hering son of Hussa|Hering]], son of King [[Hussa of Bernicia]], is said by the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' to have fought with [[Áedán mac Gabráin]], [[King of Dál Riata]], against Æthelfrith, at the [[Battle of Degsastan]]; ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', Ms. E, s.a. 603. The choice of a northerly exile, rather than flight to one of the southerly Anglo-Saxon kingdoms is discussed by Grimmer, §3–§6.</ref>

In exile, the sons of Æthelfrith were [[Christianisation of Northumbria|converted to Christianity]], or raised as Christians.<ref name="HE III 1"/> In Oswiu's case, he became an exile at the age of four, and cannot have returned to Northumbria until aged twenty-one, spending childhood and adolescence in a Gaelic milieu. Bede writes that Oswiu was fluent in the [[Old Irish language]] and Irish in his faith.<ref>"Oswy thought that nothing could be better than the Irish teaching, having been instructed and baptized by the Irish, and having a complete grasp of their language"; Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 25.</ref>

As well as learning the Irish language and being thoroughly Christianised, Oswiu may have fought for his Gaelic hosts, perhaps receiving his arms—a significant event—from a [[King of Dál Riata]], such as [[Eochaid Buide]], son of that [[Áedán mac Gabráin]] whom his father had defeated at the [[Battle of Degsastan]].<ref>Grimmer, §8.</ref> The [[Irish annals]] name one ''Oisiric mac Albruit, rigdomna Saxan''—[[ætheling]] Osric—among the dead, alongside [[Connad Cerr]], King of Dál Riata, and others of the [[Gabrán mac Domangairt|Cenél nGabráin]], at the [[Battle of Fid Eoin|Battle of Fid Eóin]].<ref>''[[Annals of Tigernach]]'', s.a. 631; Grimmer, §9.</ref> Whether Oswiu's marriage with the [[Uí Néill]] princess [[Fín]] of the [[Branches of the Cenél nEógain|Cenél nEógain]], and the birth of [[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]], should be placed in the context of his exile, or took place at a later date is uncertain.<ref>Grimmer, §25; Kirby, p. 143.; Williams, p. 18.</ref>

Equally uncertain is the date of Oswiu's return to Northumbria. He may have returned with his brother [[Eanfrith of Bernicia|Eanfrith]] on Edwin's death in 633, as Bede appears to write.<ref name="HE III 1"/> Eanfrith [[Apostasy in Christianity|apostatised]] and was killed by [[Cadwallon ap Cadfan]], who was defeated and killed in turn by another brother, [[Oswald of Northumbria|Oswald]], who became king of Bernicia and probably succeeded to his father's old dominance of northern and central Britain.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapters 1–2; Adomnán, ''Life of Saint Columba'', Book I, Chapter 1; Stancliffe, pp. 46–61.</ref>

==Eanflæd and Oswine==
Oswald died in battle against Penda of Mercia at the [[Battle of Maserfield]], dated by Bede to 5 August 642.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 9.</ref> Oswald's son [[Œthelwald of Deira|Œthelwald]] may have been his preferred successor, but Œthelwald cannot have been an adult in 642. So, the kingship came to Oswiu. Unlike Eanfrith and Osric, Oswiu held to the Christian faith in spite of his brother's defeat by the pagan Penda. This may have been due to his more thoroughly Christian upbringing, but the influence of Bishop [[Aidan of Lindisfarne]], by then a major figure in Bernicia, could also have been significant.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 220–221.</ref>

Bede summarises Oswiu's reign in this way:<blockquote>Oswald being translated to the heavenly kingdom, his brother Oswy, a young man of about thirty years of age, succeeded him on the throne of his earthly kingdom, and held it twenty-eight years with much trouble, being harassed by the pagan king, Penda, and by the pagan nation of the Mercians, that had slain his brother, as also by his son Alfred [i.e. [[Ealhfrith of Deira|Ealhfrith]]], and by his [[wikt:cousin-german|cousin-german]] Ethelwald [i.e. Œthelwald of Deira], the son of his brother who reigned before him.<ref name="HE III 14">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 14.</ref></blockquote>

Oswiu's first recorded action as king of Bernicia was to strengthen his position, and perhaps his claims to Deira, by marrying Edwin's daughter [[Eanflæd of Deira|Eanflæd]], then in exile in the [[Kingdom of Kent]].<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 15.</ref> This marriage took place between 642 and 644.<ref>Their son Ecgfrith was born no later than May 645.</ref>

Oswiu is known to have been married three times. Eanflæd, his Queen, bore him two sons and two daughters. The sons were [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]] (644/645–685) and [[Ælfwine of Deira|Ælfwine]] (c. 660–679), the daughters [[Osthryth]] (died 697) and [[Ælfflæd of Whitby|Ælfflæd]] (c. 654–714). The Irish princess [[Fín]] was the mother of [[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]] (died 705). Finally, the [[Celtic Britons|British]] princess [[Rhiainfellt|Rieinmelth]] of [[Rheged]] is named as a wife of Oswiu in the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]''.<ref>Rieinmellt also appears, as Rægnmæld, in the ''[[Durham Liber Vitae|Liber Vitae Ecclesiae Dunelmensis]]'', among the Queens, immediately preceding Eanflæd; Grimmer §28.</ref> It is thought that Ealhfrith was her son,<ref>Stancliffe & Cambridge, p. 13, figure 1.</ref> and Eahlflæd may have been her daughter.<ref>Eahlflæd is said to have arranged the murder of Peada, in 657 or 658, suggesting that she was not Eanflæd's daughter; Bede, ''H. E.'', Book III, chapter 24. See also Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 252–253.</ref>

The first half of Oswiu's reign was spent in the shadow of Penda, who dominated much of Britain from 642 until 655, seemingly making and breaking kings as it suited him.<ref>[[Cenwalh of Wessex]] was driven from his country when he set aside Penda's sister. [[Anna of East Anglia]], Cenwalh's host, was also driven into exile, and later defeated and killed by Penda at Bulcamp, near [[Blythburgh]] in 653 or 654, when he returned to [[Kingdom of the East Angles|East Anglia]].</ref> The future kingdom of Northumbria was still composed of two distinct kingdoms in Oswiu's lifetime. The northerly kingdom of [[Bernicia]], which extended from the [[River Tees]] to the [[Firth of Forth]], was ruled by Oswiu. The kingdom of [[Deira (kingdom)|Deira]], lying between the [[North York Moors]] and the [[Humber]], was ruled by a series of Oswiu's kinsmen, initially as a separate kingdom, later as a form of [[appanage]] for Oswiu's sons.<ref>Deira was ruled by Oswine from 642 to 651, then by Œthelwald until 655 or later, then by Ealhfrith   to after 664, and finally by Ecgfrith. See Kirby, p. 226, figure 7; Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 75, table 8.</ref>

For the first decade of Oswiu's reign, Deira was ruled by an independent king, [[Oswine of Deira|Oswine]], son of the apostate [[Osric of Deira|Osric]], who belonged to the rival Deiran royal family.<ref>Oswine was Oswiu's maternal second cousin; Yorke, ''Kings and Kingdoms'', p. 76, table 9.</ref> Oswine and Oswiu came into conflict circa 651. Bede blames Oswiu for the troubles and writes:<blockquote>For when they had raised armies against one another, Oswin perceived that he could not maintain a war against one who had more auxiliaries than himself, and he thought it better at that time to lay aside all thoughts of engaging, and to preserve himself for better times. He therefore dismissed the army which he had assembled, and ordered all his men to return to their own homes, from the place that is called Wilfaresdun, that is, Wilfar's Hill, which is almost ten miles distant from the village called Cataract [i.e. [[Catterick, North Yorkshire|Catterick]]], towards the north-west. He himself, with only one trusty soldier, whose name was Tonhere, withdrew and lay concealed in the house of Earl [''comes''] Hunwald, whom he imagined to be his most assured friend. But, alas! it was otherwise; for the earl betrayed him, and Oswy, in a detestable manner, by the hands of his commander [''praefectus''], Ethilwin, slew him...<ref name="HE III 14"/></blockquote>

In order to expiate the killing of Oswine, who was later reckoned a [[saint]], Oswiu established [[Gilling Abbey]] at [[Gilling East|Gilling]], where prayers were said for Oswine and for Oswiu.<ref name="HE III 14"/> Oswine was followed as king of the Deirans by Oswald's son Œthelwald.

==Penda==
Oswiu's relations with [[Penda]] were not entirely peaceful between 642 and 655. Bede appears to place a major assault on Bernicia by Penda, which reached the gates of [[Bamburgh]], at some time before 651 and the death of Bishop [[Aidan of Lindisfarne]].<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 16.</ref> An entry in the Irish annals recording "[t]he battle of Oswy against Penda" circa 650 may refer to this campaign.<ref>Fraser, p. 20; ''[[Annals of Ulster]]'', s.a. 650.</ref>

[[David Peter Kirby|D.P. Kirby]] suggests that the killing of Oswine may have led to an improvement in relations between Penda and Oswiu in the early 650s. Oswiu's son Ealhfrith married Penda's daughter [[Cyneburh]], while his daughter Ealhflæd married Penda's son [[Peada]]. Peada was [[baptised]] at ''Ad Murum''—in the region of [[Hadrian's Wall]]—by Aidan's successor [[Finan of Lindisfarne|Finan]]. Peada and Ealhflæd took a missionary group, including [[Cedd]] and [[Diuma]], to establish a church in their lands.<ref>Kirby, pp. 93–94; Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 21.</ref>

In 655 Bede reports that Penda invaded Bernicia at the head of a large army. Bede states that Oswiu offered "an incalculable quantity of regalia and presents as the price of peace", but that Penda refused. Oswiu vowed to give his daughter Ælfflæd to the church, and to found a dozen monasteries if he was granted the victory, and assisted by Ealhfrith he engaged Penda with a small army in the [[Battle of the Winwæd]], which took place in the region of ''Loidis'', which is to say [[Leeds]]. He was successful, and Penda was killed, along with many of his allies, including King [[Æthelhere of East Anglia|Æthelhere]] of the East Angles. Œthelwald had assisted Penda, but stood aside from the fighting.<ref name="HE III 24">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 24. The Winwæd is thought to be the [[River Went]]; Keynes, "Penda".</ref>

The ''Historia Brittonum'' gives a somewhat different account. Here, Oswiu's offer of treasure is accepted, and is associated with the siege of a place named ''Iudeu''. It is assumed that [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]] was given over as a hostage, into the keeping of Penda's queen Cynewise, at this time.<ref>Kirby, pp. 90, 94–95 accepts that ''Iudeu'', also ''Giudi'', may have been the site of modern [[Stirling]], and proposes that Ecgfrith became a hostage as a result of Oswiu's submission to Penda.</ref> The ''Historia'' suggests that many of Penda's allies were British kings, and notes that [[Cadafael ap Cynfeddw]] joined Œthelwald in avoiding the battle, so gaining the [[epithet]] ''Cadomedd'' (the Battle-Shirker). The decisive battle is located at "Gaius's field".<ref>''Historia Brittonum'', Chapters 64–65.</ref>

==Overlord of Britain==
The surprising defeat of the hitherto dominant Penda, and the death of the East Anglian king Æthelhere left Oswiu as the dominant figure in Britain. Œthelwald's ambivalent stance during the campaign which led to the Winwæd appears to have led to his removal as he disappears from the record at this time. Oswiu installed his adult son Ealhfrith as king of Deirans in Œthelwald's place. Penda's son Peada was installed as king of southern Mercia, while Oswiu took the north of the kingdom. Other subject rulers seem to have been established elsewhere in Mercia.

Further south, Æthelhere's brother [[Æthelwold of East Anglia|Æthelwold]] may have been established with Oswiu's assistance, as well as that of his kinsman by marriage King [[Eorcenberht of Kent]]. [[Cenwalh of Wessex]], who had been driven out of his lands by Penda for putting aside his marriage to Penda's sister, may also have returned to power in this period, again with Oswiu's assistance. King [[Sigeberht the Good]] of the East Saxons was Oswiu's ally.<ref>Kirby, pp. 96–97.</ref> Oswiu's nephew, Eanfrith's son [[Talorgan I|Talorcan]], may have also been established as a leading king among the Picts at this time.<ref>Or not, needed.</ref>

Oswiu's total domination lasted only a short time, around three years. The proximate cause was the death of Peada, supposedly poisoned by his wife, Oswiu's daughter Eahlflæd.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 252–253, sees Ealhfrith's hand in his sister's murder of her husband.</ref> This probably occurred at [[Easter]] 656, and Oswiu proceeded to install governors or subject kings in Mercia. Probably in late 659, but perhaps in 657, a revolt led by three Mercian noblemen—Immin, Eata, and Eadberht—installed Penda's son [[Wulfhere of Mercia|Wulfhere]] as ruler of the Mercians and drove out Oswiu's supporters.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 24.</ref> Oswiu remained a force to be reckoned with, and political settlement rather than open warfare appears to have resolved the crisis. Oswiu's kinsman [[Trumhere]] was named to be Wulfhere's bishop.<ref>Trumhere was a relation of Queen Eanflæd and first abbot of Gilling, established to expiate the killing of Oswine of Deira; Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 24.</ref> While Wulfhere extended Mercian influence and authority in southern Britain, he apparently continued to recognise Oswiu's primacy.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 245–247. Kirby notes Wulfhere's marriage to [[Eormenhild]], daughter of the Kentish King Eorcenberht, the one ruler over whom Oswiu held no sway; Kirby, p. 114.</ref>

Welsh sources suggest that Oswiu campaigned in Wales in the late 650s, imposing tribute on the Welsh kings who had previously been Penda's allies such as [[Cadafael Cadomedd ap Cynfeddw|Cadafael]], the battle-dodging [[King of Gwynedd]].<ref>Kirby, p. 96.</ref> Elsewhere in the south, Oswiu's ally Sigeberht of the East Saxons was murdered and replaced by his brother [[Swithelm of Essex|Swithhelm]], who remained a Christian, but distanced himself from Oswiu and the Irish-Northumbrian church. Switthelm was probably subject to the East Angles.<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 22; Higham, ''Convert Kings'', p. 249; Kirby, p. 97.</ref>

== Ealhfrith and the Synod of Whitby ==
{{main|Synod of Whitby}}

In 664 at the [[synod of Whitby]],<ref>The dating is discussed by Kirby, p. 101, who concludes that the synod can confidently be placed in 644.</ref> Oswiu accepted the usages of the Roman Church, which led to the departure of Bishop [[Colmán of Lindisfarne]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} Bede writes that the dispute was brought to a head by Oswiu's son Ealhfrith, who had adopted Roman usages at the urging of [[Wilfrid]].<ref name="HE III 25">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 25.</ref> Ealhfrith had been brought up with Irish-Northumbrian usages, and his rejection of these, along with the expulsion of the future saints [[Cuthbert of Lindisfarne]] and [[Eata of Hexham]] from [[Ripon]], is considered to have had a strong political component.<ref>Higham, ''Convert Kings'', pp. 250–275. For an overview of the [[Easter controversy]], see Stevens.</ref> Equally, 665 would be a year, as Bede writes, "that Easter was kept twice in one year, so that when the King had ended [[Lent]] and was keeping Easter, the Queen and her attendants were still fasting and keeping [[Palm Sunday]]".<ref name="HE III 25"/>

==Ecgfrith==
In 660, Oswiu married his son Ecgfrith to [[Æthelthryth]], daughter of the former East Anglian king [[Anna of East Anglia|Anna]].<ref>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book IV, Chapter 19</ref>

==Death==
Even in his final years, Oswiu remained a major figure in Britain. The newly appointed [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], [[Theodore of Tarsus]], came north to meet him in 669. Bede writes that Oswiu had intended to undertake a [[pilgrimage]] to [[Rome]] in the company of Bishop Wilfrid. However, he fell ill and died, aged 58, on 15 February 670.<ref name="HE IV 5"/> His elder son by Queen Eanflæd, [[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]], succeeded him as [[King of Bernicia]], while their younger son, [[Ælfwine of Deira|Ælfwine]], succeeded Ecgfrith as [[King of Deira]]. He was buried at [[Whitby Abbey]], alongside [[Edwin of Deira]]. His widow and their daughter Ælflæd were later Abbess of Whitby and were also buried there.<ref name="HE III 24"/>

[[Alcuin]], writing about a century after Oswiu's death, describes him as "very just, with equitable laws, unconquered in battle but trustworthy in peace, generous in gifts to the wretched, pious, equitable to all".<ref>Proposography of Anglo-Saxon England, quoting Alcuin's ''The Bishops, Kings and Saints of York''.</ref>

== Family ==
*[[Alhfrith of Deira|Alhfrith]]
*[[Ecgfrith of Northumbria|Ecgfrith]]
*[[Ælfwine of Deira|Ælfwine]]
*[[Osthryth]]
*[[Ælfflæd of Whitby|Ælfflæd]]
*[[Aldfrith of Northumbria|Aldfrith]]
*[[Alhflæd|Ealhflæd]]

== Holy relics ==
Oswy and his wife [[Eanflæd]] were gifted [[relic]]s of several saints from [[Pope Vitalian]] around 665: [[Saint Peter]], [[Saint Paul]], [[Saint Laurentius]], [[John the Apostle]], [[Saint Gregory]], and [[Pancras of Rome|Saint Pancras]]. [[Eanflæd]] was also granted "a cross, with a gold key to it, made out of the most holy chains of the apostles, Peter and Paul". This gift is documented by [[Bede]] in ''[[Ecclesiastical History of the English People]]'' as part of a returning delegation from Rome, which had been led by [[Wighard]].<ref name="HE III 29">Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Chapter 29.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Kings of Mercia family tree]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/G100002/index.html |title=The Annals of Tigernach |access-date=22 April 2007 |publisher=CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts |language=mga }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100001A/index.html |title=The Annals of Ulster, volume 1 |access-date=22 April 2007 |publisher=CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts }}
* [[Bede]], ''[[Ecclesiastical History of the English People]]''. Translated by [[Leo Sherley-Price]], revised [[R.E. Latham]], ed. D.H. Farmer. London: Penguin, 1990. {{ISBN|0-14-044565-X}}
* Blair, Peter Hunter, ''The World of Bede.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, reprinted 1990. {{ISBN|0-521-39138-5}}
* Charles-Edwards, T.M., ''Early Christian Ireland.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0-521-36395-0}}
* [[Stephen of Ripon|Eddius]], "Life of Wilfrid" in D.H. Farmer (ed.) & J.H. Webb (trans.), ''The Age of Bede.'' London: Penguin, 1998. {{ISBN|0-140-44727-X}}
* Fraser, James, ''The Pictish Conquest: The Battle of Dunnichen 685 & the birth of Scotland.'' Stroud: Tempus, 2006. {{ISBN|0-7524-3962-6}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.heroicage.org/issues/9/grimmer.html |title=The Exogamous Marriages of Oswiu of Northumbria |access-date=6 April 2007 |last=Grimmer |first=Martin |date=October 2006 |work=The Heroic Age, issue 9.}}
* Higham, N.J., ''The Convert Kings: Power and religious affiliation in early Anglo-Saxon England.'' Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7190-4828-1}}
* Higham, N.J., ''The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350–1100.'' Stroud: Sutton, 1993. {{ISBN|0-86299-730-5}}
* Holdsworth, Philip, "Oswiu" in M. Lapidge, et al., (eds), ''The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England''. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. {{ISBN|0-631-22492-0}}
* Keynes, Simon, "Penda" in M. Lapidge, et al., (eds), ''The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England''. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. {{ISBN|0-631-22492-0}}
* Kirby, D.P., ''The Earliest English Kings.'' London: Unwin Hyman, 1991. {{ISBN|0-04-445691-3}}
* [[Frank Stenton|Stenton, Sir Frank]], ''Anglo-Saxon England.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 1971. {{ISBN|0-19-280139-2}}
* Stevens, Wesley M., "Easter Controversy" in M. Lapidge, et al., (eds), ''The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England''. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. {{ISBN|0-631-22492-0}}
* {{cite web |url=http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/PSAS_2002/pdf/vol_127/127_627_647.pdf |title=The Columban Church in northern Britain, 664–717: a reassessment |access-date=6 April 2007 |last=Veith |first=Kenneth |year=1997 |work=Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume 127}}
* Williams, Ann, ''Kingship and Government in Pre-Conquest England, c. 500–1066.'' Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1999. {{ISBN|0-333-56798-6}}
* [[Barbara Yorke|Yorke, Barbara]], ''Kings and Kingdoms in Early Anglo-Saxon England.'' London: Seaby, 1990. {{ISBN|1-85264-027-8}}
* Yorke, Barbara, ''The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain c. 600–800.'' London: Longman, 2006. {{ISBN|0-582-77292-3}}
* Zaluckyj, Sarah, ''Mercia: The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Central England.'' Logaston: Logaston Press, 2001. {{ISBN|978-1-873827-62-8}}.
* {{cite web |url=http://www.heroicage.org/issues/4/ziegler.html |title=Oswald and the Irish |access-date=22 April 2007 |last=Ziegler |first=Michelle |date=Winter 2001 |work=The Heroic Age, issue 4.}}

== External links ==
{{wikisource|''Ecclesiastical History of the English People''}}
* {{PASE|3235|Oswiu 1}}
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Oswio|volume=20|page=365}}

{{Bretwalda}}
{{Kings of Northumbria}}
{{Kings of Mercia}}
{{Deira Monarchs}}
{{Bernicia Monarchs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oswiu of Northumbria}}
[[Category:610s births]]
[[Category:670 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Anglo-Saxon warriors]]
[[Category:Bernician monarchs]]
[[Category:7th-century English monarchs]]
[[Category:Royal House of Northumbria]]
[[Category:Idings]]