# Battle of Maserfield (642)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/642-battle-of-maserfield
Categories: battle, ruler-change

King Oswald was killed by Penda of Mercia. Within the broader Post-Roman Britain period, Roman institutions gave way to competing Brittonic and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms while Christianity was rebuilt through continental and Irish missions. This event is placed at AD 642 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The defeat weakened Northumbria temporarily and elevated Mercian power.

## Why it matters
The defeat weakened Northumbria temporarily and elevated Mercian power.

Ruler at the time: [Post-Roman and Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms](https://english-history.com/rulers/post-roman-and-anglo-saxon-kingdoms)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Battle of Maserfield](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Battle+of+Maserfield&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Battle of Maserfield](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Battle+of+Maserfield)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history_%28before_1000%29)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Anglo-Saxon England topic search](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Anglo-Saxon%20England)