Ecgberht II (c.765-c.779) -

Kingdom of Kent, ECGBERHT II (c.765-c.779), penny, Canterbury,Udd, ƎGBERHT around inner-circle within which monogram of REX, rev. VDD, between two pelleted lines, cross and ornamented floral scroll above and below (N.200; S.874; Naismith 87 – same dies as 87 k-m; CEB 4) recorded EMC 2020.0086,found near Toddington, Beds, mid-1990s, one of the earliest English broad flan pennies (Private Collection, image courtesy of Spink and Son Ltd).      Ecgberht II acceded by 765, when he issued his earliest surviving charter. However, around this time Offa, King of Mercia, appears to have been attempting to rule Kent directly, as he seems to have issued or confirmed a number of charters relating to Kent. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a battle was fought at Otford in 776, and, although the outcome was not recorded, the fact that Kent seems to have remained independent for several years afterward suggests that Ecgberht was victorious. It is known that he remained king until at least 779, the date of his latest charter.