Mul of Kent

Who was Mul of Kent?

Mul may have briefly ruled as king of Kent following its conquest by his brother, Caedwalla of Wessex, in 686. Mul's father was Coenberht, making him a member of the House of Wessex The name Mul is very unusual and it has been postulated that it derives from the Latin mulus meaning mule, a word which it is known entered the Old English vocabulary; presumably it was a nickname which became habitual.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle tells us that, in 686, "Caedwalla and Mul, his brother, ravaged Kent and Wight." In 687, however, it reports that "Mul was burned in Kent, and 12 other men with him; and that year Caedwalla again ravaged Kent."

In 694, according to the ASC, the people of Kent came to terms with Ine, Caedwalla's successor, and granted him a sum "because they had burned Mul earlier".

Mul’s reign is mentioned in a charter of Swæfheard.