During the period of the Christianisation of the previously heathen Germanic peoples the Church initially used deception as a tool to win over the hearts and minds of the people as they lacked the power at that stage to use violence and force. Only after the introduction of Christianity in certain regions with the assistance of chieftains and petty kings did they resort to more overt methods to establish and enforce the Christian religion.
The conversion of the Anglo-Saxons started relatively early, only a century and a half after the 'coming of the English' in 449 CE, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. I realise of course that there was a Germanic presence in England centuries before this date but for convenience I am referring to this date. Pope Gregory I made the decision to send missionaries to the Anglo-Saxons and the mission began in 597 with the arrival of a mission under the leadership of a Benedictine monk, Augustine to Canterbury in the kingdom of Kent. Kent was colonised by Jutes from northern Germany and southern Denmark. The king at that time, Aethelbert (c. 550-616) was the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon kings and held the title of Bretwalda ('ruler of Britain'). That does not of course signify that Aethelbert literally was the 'ruler of Britain', just that he was a powerful king with influence over other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. It should be understood that 'Britain' was a term that the Romans used for what became England and Wales. 'Great Britain' refers to the entire island including Scotland.
It was a shrewd decision of Gregory to target the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon kings as conversion was a process from the top down in the hierarchy of society. It is said that Aethelbert converted to Christianity very quickly and one must question how deeply held his convictions were? I believe that the answer lies with Aethelbert's wife Bertha, the daughter of the Christian Merovingian king of Paris, Charibert I (c. 517-567). On travelling to Kent to marry Aethelbert Bertha took with her Bishop Liudhard, her private chaplain so it is clear where the influence and motivation to convert was coming from. Whilst it does not appear that Aethelbert forced his subjects to convert it would appear that they were to enjoy the king's favour if they did.
The Christianisation process in Kent saw a reversal after Aethelbert's and Bertha's deaths. His son Eadbald, a pagan succeeded him. However even Eadbald would ultimately also convert to Christianity. One other king Saeberht of Essex converted under the influence of Eadbald's father, Aethelbert. It is quite obvious that these sudden 'conversions' amongst the most powerful people in England had nothing other than money and power as the motives. It is not my intention to give a detailed chronology for the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons but merely to point out how this process began-under the influence of kings and initially peacefully but that was not to last for very long.
Bede tells us in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People that Eadbald's son, Eorcenbehrt (died 664) was the first Anglo-Saxon king to command that the 'pagan idols' be destroyed and the feast of Lent to be enforced. It did not take long, not even half a century for the former peaceful methods of conversion started to take a violent turn!
Kent was not immune from the Christian virus for other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms started to convert at about the same time in the early 7th century. King Raedwald of East Anglia converted in the year 604. It would appear that this too was under the influence of Aethelbert! However Raedwald's 'conversion' does not appear to have been very sincere as his temple contained both an altar dedicated to Christ and one to the old Gods. Under the prompting of King Edwin of Northumbria, Raedwald's son, Eorpwald converted to Christianity along with his entire kingdom. Edwin was baptised in 627 and is widely regarded as one of the most committed Christian kings amongst his contemporaries. However under what or whose influence did Edwin convert? Once again as in the case of Aethelbert Edwin was married to a Merovingian princess, Aethelburh of Kent, the sister of Eadbald who by this time was also a Christian! I have written in the past about Edwin's high priest Coifi who was also instrumental in persuading Edwin to convert and it was he who desecrated the temple of Woden in Goodmanham in 627. See: The Temple of Woden at Goodmanham
These conversions as I have intimated earlier did encounter the odd pagan backlash and setback. The Christian king Eorpwald was slain in 627 by Ricberht who it is believed was his brother and may have ruled East Anglia afterwards.
In the same 7th century Peada, the son of the pagan Penda and the king of Mercia also embraced Christianity and there is no record of any relapse in that kingdom. In the kingdom of Sussex Aethelwealh was baptised in 675 and it is speculated that this was a precondition of marrying the Christian Queen Eafa of the Hwicce. (This seems to be a recurring theme!) Hwicce was a tribal kingdom under the influence of the much larger and more powerful Mercia. The Christianisation of the kingdom of Wessex began with the baptism of King Cynegils in 635. Likewise Cwichelm of Wessex who was the king of the Gewisse was also baptised in the same year. It is of this royal house that the Christian zealot Alfred the 'Great' sprang.
One of the later kingdoms to be converted was that of the Jutes of the Isle of Wight who unlike the others were converted by force after the invasion of King Wulfhere of Mercia in 661. Once the king left the islanders returned to paganism but 25 years later in 686 King Caedwalla of Wessex also invaded but this time exterminated the population (in true 'Christian' fashion) and annexed the island to the kingdom of Wessex.
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