| “ | If you ever supposed that Kwenthrith could play calming, stabilizing role in this madhouse we call Mercia, then you are as mad the rest of them. | ” |
– Wigstan to Ecbert, The Profit and the Loss | ||
Lord Wigstan of Mercia is Queen Kwenthrith's second cousin and the head of the Royal Family of Mercia.
Biography[]
Season 4[]
Lord Wigstan was once a prominent member of the royal family of Mercia, yet after witnessing many horrible events which saw his entire family turn on each other, Wigstan sought an end to this bloody civil war. As such, he informed a Saxon scout to tell King Ecbert to meet him upon the burial mound of his royal family. From there, he expressed his desires to kill off all the pretenders of the crown of Mercia, and in exchange he would bestow King Ecbert the rulership and crown of the kingdom, seeing in him the qualities of a great ruler. Afterwards, Wigstan planned to go to Rome as a beggar, hoping to find a way to redeem his sins and that of his family before he dies.
In History[]
Lord Wigstan is based on the historical figure Wigstan, also known as Saint Wystan. He was the son of Wigmund of Mercia and Ælfflæd, daughter of King Ceolwulf I of Mercia. He declined the kingship preferring religious life and monastic orders instead and his great-uncle Beorhtwulf became king instead. According to the 12th century historian William of Malmesbury, Beorhtwulf's son wished to marry Wigstan's widowed mother. But Wigstan forbade the union as they were too closely related. As revenge Beorhtwulf's son killed him.[1]
Quotes[]
| “ | If you ever supposed that Kwenthrith could play calming, stabilizing role in this madhouse we call Mercia, then you are as mad the rest of them. | ” |
– Wigstan to Ecbert, The Profit and the Loss | ||
Appearances[]
| Season four appearances | ||||
| A Good Treason | Kill the Queen | Mercy | Yol | Promised |
| What Might Have Been | The Profit and the Loss | Portage | Death All 'Round | The Last Ship |
| The Outsider | The Vision | Two Journeys | In the Uncertain Hour Before the Morning | All His Angels |
| Crossings | The Great Army | Revenge | On the Eve | The Reckoning |