An Anglian Alliance: Place-Name Tracing the Iclingas and Wicingas

This paper describes the close relationship between two obscure tribal groups, the Iclingas and the Wicingas. Starting on the Continent in Angeln and crossing over to East Anglia by different routes, they migrated across post-Roman Britain to the Western Midlands, where they provided mutual support in establishing the medieval kingdoms of Mercia and Hwiccia. Based upon the tracing of place-names and the mapping of settlements along historical migration routes, this research incorporates several disciplines, including medieval history, migration studies, and onomastics. The paper also makes use of innovative techniques, such as Micro-level Tracing and Contact Tracing, as well as modern tools, such as the Mathematical Theory of Games, and Google Maps, to describe the unexpected alliance between these two Anglian kinship groups, thereby adding significant information to the notoriously opaque history of Britain in the sixth century.