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Anglo-Saxons - East Saxons

The Kingdom of the East Saxons, today referred to as the Kingdom of Essex, was one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was founded in the 6th century and covered the territory later occupied by the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and (for a short while) Kent. The last king of Essex was Sigered and in 825, he ceded the kingdom to Ecgberht, King of Wessex. Despite the comparative obscurity of the kingdom, there were strong connections between Essex and the Kentish kingdom across the river Thames which led to the marriage of King Sledd to Ricula, sister of the king, Aethelbert of Kent. For a brief period in the 8th century the kingdom encompassed the Kentish Kingdom to the South. During this period, Essex kings were issuing their own sceattas, perhaps as an assertion of their own independence. (Wikipedia).