Editing Cædwalla (section)

== First campaign in Sussex ==
The first mention of Cædwalla is in the ''Life of St Wilfrid,'' in which he is described as an exiled nobleman in the forests of [[Chiltern Hills|Chiltern]] and [[Forest of Andred|Andred]].<ref name=Kirby_119>{{Harvnb|Kirby|1992|p=119}}.</ref> It was not uncommon for a 7th-century king to have spent time in exile before gaining the throne; [[Oswald of Northumbria]] is another prominent example.<ref name=Campbell_TAS_56>{{Harvnb|Campbell|John|Wormald|1991|p=56}}.</ref> According to the ''Chronicle'', it was in 685 that Cædwalla "began to contend for the kingdom".<ref name=Swanton_38 /> Despite his exile, he was able to put together enough military force to defeat and kill [[Æthelwealh of Sussex|Æthelwealh]], the king of Sussex. He was, however, soon expelled by [[Berthun]] and [[Andhun]], Æthelwealh's [[ealdorman|ealdormen]], "who administered the country from then on", possibly as kings.<ref name=Bede_230>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book IV, Ch. 15, from Sherley-Price's translation, p. 230.</ref>

The [[Isle of Wight]] and the [[River Meon|Meon valley]] in what is now eastern [[Hampshire]] had been placed under Æthelwealh's control by Wulfhere;<ref name=Kirby_120>{{Harvnb|Kirby|1992|p=120}}.</ref> the ''Chronicle'' dates this to 661, but according to Bede it occurred "not long before" [[Wilfrid]]'s mission to the South Saxons in the 680s, which implies a rather later date. Wulfhere's attack on [[Berkshire Downs|Ashdown]], also dated by the ''Chronicle'' to 661, may likewise have actually happened later. If these events happened in the early 680s or not long before, Cædwalla's aggression against Æthelwealh would be explained as a response to Mercian pressure.<ref name=Kirby_115 />

Another indication of the political and military situation may be the division in the 660s of the West Saxon [[episcopal see|see]] at [[Dorchester-on-Thames]]; a new see was established at [[Winchester]], very near to the South Saxon border. Bede's explanation for the division is that Cenwalh grew tired of the [[Franks|Frankish]] speech of the bishop at Dorchester,<ref name=Bede_153>Bede, ''Ecclesiastical History'', Book III, Ch. 7, from Sherley-Price's translation, pp. 153–155.</ref> but it is more likely that it was a response to the Mercian advance, which forced West Saxon expansion, such as Cædwalla's military activities, west, south, and east, rather than north.<ref name=Yorke_135 /> Cædwalla's military successes may be the reason that at about this time the term "West Saxon" starts to be used in contemporary sources, instead of "Gewisse". It is from this time that the West Saxons began to rule over other Anglo-Saxon peoples.<ref name=Yorke_135 />