Bretwalda: translation
Lit. 'ruler of Britons'. A title given to outstanding *Saxon kings before England was a unified, coherent political entity. In *ASC, one MS uses bretwalda, others brytenwalda under the year 829. Bretwalda was used by Bede when he named kings ruling south of the Humber. The English bretwalda could be likened to the Irish *ardri, or high king: one who claimed superiority over lesser kings. [< OldEngl. bryten = Britain + walda = ruler]