Rædwald (, 'power in counsel'), also rendered as
Raedwald or
Redwald, was a 7th-century
king of East Anglia, a long-lived
Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of
Norfolk and
Suffolk. He was the son of
Tytila of East Anglia and a member of the
Wuffingas dynasty (named after his grandfather,
Wuffa), who were the first kings of the
East Angles. Details about Rædwald's reign are scarce, primarily because the
Viking invasions of the 9th century destroyed the
monasteries in East Anglia where many documents would have been kept. Rædwald reigned from about 599 until his death around 624, initially under the overlordship of
Æthelberht of Kent. In 616, as a result of fighting the Battle of the River Idle and defeating Æthelfrith of Northumbria, he was able to install
Edwin, who was acquiescent to his authority, as the new king of
Northumbria. During the battle, both Æthelfrith and Rædwald's son Rægenhere were killed.