Overview - Before Ebba- Family - Life - After Ebba - Common Questions
Ebba's Family
These Angles with their centre on Bamburgh Rock called their territory
Bernicia. When Aethelfrith (Ebba's father) was king of Bernicia, he conquered
the neighbouring Anglian kingdom of Deira immediately to the south and
based on York. This made a new united kingdom covering the lands north
of the River Humber so it was called Northumbria. The northern boundary
of Northumbria was the Forth estuary. In 616 Aethelfrith was killed in
battle by his brother-in-law, Edwin.
Ebba's Father - Aethelfrith
Ebba's Mother - Acha
Ebba's Brothers - Oswald, Oswy
When Aethelfrith conquered the Kingdom of Deira, he took the defeated King's daughter, Acha, to be his wife. It was Acha's brother Edwin who killed Aethelfrith.
It was usual for a defeated king's family to be killed by the conqueror so eliminating potential rival claims to the throne. Aethelfrith's family quickly left Northumbria, and went north. They joined the court of the Scots of Dalriada the Scots being a northern Irish (Ulster) people who had settled in part of the north western coast of Britain. At this time there is no specific mention of Ebba. It is quite possible that she was very young, perhaps so young as to have no memory of her father in her later years.