Sussex (Penda Dies)

The Kingdom of Sussex was a kingdom of the Anglo-Saxon period. The ruling house claimed descent from Seaxneat, rather than Woden. In 675, Sussex remained (along with the Isle of Wight) one of two pagan Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In 676, a devastation led by the kings of Kent resulted in the occupation of Sussex. In the last half of the seventh century, the converted kings of Sussex were demoted to earls under the king of Kent, while Frankish mercenaries claimed substantial portions of South Saxon land. Some South Saxons hid in the upland woods and resisted Kentish domination.