Militarily speaking, the eighth century was Mercia’s property. Mercia’s central position gave it what later strategists call interior lines (the ability to transfer troops from one frontier to another without leaving their own soil). This enabled the Mercian kings to throw their weight about in no uncertain manner.
Aethelbald of Mercia successfully invaded Wessex in 733 and Northumbria in 744. His cousin Offa won a violent internal struggle for the Mercian throne and, in a comparatively short reign ending in 769, made his mark not only on British but also on European history, being hailed as ‘brother’ by the Emperor Charlemagne and ‘King of the English’ by the Pope. He campaigned against everyone until of the old heptarchy only Wessex remained outside his direct rule.
Offa is best remembered for leaving his mark on the landscape in a way that no one since the Romans had done. His principal enemies were the Britons in Wales, who frequently raided across the border. To stop this Offa mobilised his subjects and set them to building a huge ditch and bank, topped by a fence, stretching all the way along the frontier from the Severn estuary to that of the Dee (roughly along the line of the modern border between England and Wales). Watchtowers equipped with beacons provided warning of an impending raid and the local communities mobilised to meet it. Most raids were for cattle, and even successful raiders were unable to drive them over the ditch. This ditch became known as Offa’s Dyke and much of it remains visible to this day.
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