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brýten-walda

  • noun [ masculine ]
  • adjective
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Grammar
brýten-walda, brýten-wealda, bréten-ánwealda, an; m: brýten-weald, es; m.
A powerful ruler or king; præpotens rex. It is affirmed [
  • Kmbl. Sax. Eng. ii. 21, and note i
] that the true meaning of brýten-walda, compounded of walda a ruler, and the adj. brýten, is totally unconnected with Brettas or Bretwalas, the name of the British aborigines; for brýten is derived from breótan to bruise, break, to break into small portions, to disperse; and, when coupled with walda, wealda a ruler, king, means no more than an extensive or powerful king, a king whose power is widely extended. Many similar compounds are found, thus in
  • Exon. 88 a
    • ;
  • Th. 331, 28
    • ;
  • Vy. 75
we have brýten-cyning a powerful king exactly equivalent to brýten-walda. Brýten-grúnd the wide expanse of earth,
  • 13a
    • ;
  • Th. 22, 25
    • ;
  • Cri. 357
    • .
Brýten-rice a spacious realm,
  • 54 b
    • ;
  • Th. 192, 17
    • ;
  • Az. 107.
Brýten-wong the spacious world,
  • 13 a
    • ;
  • Th. 24, 6
    • ; Cri. 380.
The uncompounded adj. is used in the same sense. Breoton bold a spacious dwelling,
  • Cd. 228
    • ;
  • Th. 308, 3
    • ;
  • Sae. 687.
Turner thinks that the Bret-walda [
  • Hist, of A. Sax. bk. iii. ch. 5, vol. i. pp. 318 and 378
] was a war-king, elected by the other Anglo-Saxon kings and their nobility, as their leader in the time of war. Lappenberg [
  • Th. Lapbg. i. 125-129
] takes the same view; while Kemble [
  • Sax. Eng. ii. 8-21
] opposes both Turner and Lappenberg, asserting that there was not any general ruler or superior war-king elected by the Anglo-Saxons, and that even Bret-walda [q. v.] does not refer to the Britons, that it is so written in only one MS. of the Chr. while each of the five others has the word brýten-, and therefore the word ought to be written as above, brýten-walda. Of these Brýten-waldan the Chronicle names the following eight, — Ðý geáre ge-eóde Ecgbriht cing Myrcna ríce, and eal ðæt be súþan Humbre wæs, and he wæs eahtoða cing, ðe brýtenwalda wæs. Ærest wæs Ælle, [Súþ-Seaxna] cing, se ðus mycel ríce hæfde. Se æftera wæs Ceawlin, West-Sexna cing. Se þridda wæs Æðelbriht, Cantwara cing. Se feórþa wæs Rǽdwald. Eást-Engla cing: fifta wæs Eádwine, Norþhymbra cing: syxta wæs Oswald, ðe æfter him ríxode: seofoða wæs Ósweo, Óswaldes bróðor: eahtoða Ecgbriht, West-Seaxna cing in this year [A. D. 827] king Ecgbriht subdued the kingdom of the Mercians, and all that was south of the Humber, and he was the eighth king, who was Brýtenwalda. The first was Ælle [A. D. 477-514], king of the South-Saxons, who had thus much sway. The second was Ceawlin [A. D. 560-593], king of the West-Saxons. The third was Æthelbriht [A. D. 593-616], king of the men of Kent. The fourth was Rædwald [A. D. 617 ?-515], king of the East-Angles: the fifth was Eadwine [A. D. 625-635], king of the Northumbrians: the sixth was Oswald [A. D. 635-642], who reigned after him: the seventh was Oswiu [A. D. 642-670], Oswald's brother: the eighth was Ecgbriht [A. D. 800-836], king of the West-Saxons,
  • Chr. 827
    • ;
  • Th. 112, 16-34, col. 2, 3
    • :
  • Brýten-, Th. 113, 21
    • :
  • Palgrv. Eng. Com. pp. CCXXXIV-V.
Entry information
Citation

Bosworth, Joseph. “brýten-walda.” In An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online, edited by Thomas Northcote Toller, Christ Sean, and Ondřej Tichy. Prague: Faculty of Arts, Charles University, 2014. https://bosworthtoller.com/5338.

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Word-wheel

  • brýten-walda, n.; adj.

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