Ceolwulf I ruled Mercia for just two years before being deposed in 823, almost certainly the victim of factional violence within the Mercian nobility. His coinage is consequently rare across all types, but the London-struck Group I pennies are particularly significant because they document Mercian control of the city at a moment when that grip was already slipping — within a generation, Egbert of Wessex would drive Mercia out of London permanently.
Ceolwulf I ruled Mercia for just two years before being deposed in 823, almost certainly the victim of factional violence within the Mercian nobility. His coinage is consequently rare across all types, but the London-struck Group I pennies are particularly significant because they document Mercian control of the city at a moment when that grip was already slipping — within a generation, Egbert of Wessex would drive Mercia out of London permanently.