'''Oisc''' (alternately '''Oeric''' or '''Aesc''') was an early King of Kent who ruled from about 488
to about 516. Little is known about him, and the information whicht does survive regarding his
life is often vague and suspect. He seems to have been the son or the grandson of Hengest,
who led the initial Jutish conquest and settlement of Kent.
Oisc was evidently regarded by
later generations as having been the founder of the kingdom or of the royal line, since his
descendants called themselves "Oiscingas" after him. He was said to have been a leader of
the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Mons Badonicus, in which they were defeated by the native
Britons. In fact, he was the only one of their kings whose participation in this battle was recorded. |