User:Angusmclellan/Deira
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Deira was a kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons in northern England. Together with its northern neighbour Bernicia it later formed part of the kingdom of Northumbria. The kingdom extended from the Tees to the Humber in the 7th century.
The origins of Deira are unclear, but it is presumed to have been a British kingdom taken over by Anglo-Saxons. Deira's history begins with its conquest by the Bernician king Æthelfrith. Following Æthelfrith's death, Edwin of Deira ruled Deira and Bernicia. Edwin converted to Christianity in 627, but was killed in battle in 633. Æthelfrith's sons returned from exile and ruled Deira and Bernicia with junior members of the family ruling Deira as sub-kings.
With the end of the Northumbrian kingdom in the Viking Age, the north was again divided in two, with Bernicia reborn, ruled again from Bamburgh, and the south ruled from York, Viking Jorvik.