The traditional story is that Cerdic, his father Elesa and his son Cynic came to Britain with five great Saxon ships, landed at Cericesford (in 494) and on that day fought the British.
500 Six years later they "obtained" the kingdom of the West Saxons where Cerdic ruled for fifteen years. Later annals assign the birth of Wessex at 519, and two other Saxons, Stuf and Wihtgar, arriving at Cerdicesford. "In 519, they fought with the Britons at Charford, and in that year Cerdic assumed the government of Wessex as its first king."
508 Cerdic and Cynric slew a British king Natanleod.
527 Cerdic and Cynric fought the Britons at Cerdic's-ley
530 Cerdic and Cynric conquered the Isle of Wight.
534 Cerdic died and Cyrnic took the government
Cerdic is a British name, not a Saxon name. He was, perhaps, a British chieftain after the Romans, or married into the Saxon nobility already making trips into Britain.
He was known as the chief of the Gewisse, another British name, the name of his great grandfather. the Gewisse was a tribe around Shropshire and Herefordshire and came to describe a confederate army (Celts and Saxons?) roaming the areas of Wiltshire and Somerset.
The ASC states in 530 Cerdic and Cynic obtained the Isle of Wight and slew men at Wihtgarasburh (Wigtown in Galloway?)
He is to believed buried at Cerdicesbeord in the northern part of Hampshire near Stroke in Hurtsbourne. It is also suggested he died and was buried in Northumbria.
The trail of ancestors, believed or nay, leads through Germans from Saxony to Brond of Scandanavia and Wodin of East Asia.
The Shurtleff genealogy page 147 states his line the same as mine to Godwulf, listed from Rev James Ingram's Saxon Chronicles. See notes under Godwulf for more.
The first Wessex king with perhaps accurate history. Years are approximate.
His reign is full of battles:
556 or 575 with his father at the battle of Bernaburh fighitng Britons
560 Cynric died, Ceawlin took over
568 or 583 with Saxon Cutha to fight English King of Kent Aethelbert, stretching
Saxon border to the east
577 in Dyrham to include Wiltshire and Somerset in his kingdom. Ceawlin defeated
British kings Commail, Condida, and Farinmail of Glouchester, Cirencester
and Bath which took several generations to recover from the battle.
584 Fought the British at Fethanlea but Cutha was slain
Another battle at Adam's Grave, east of Devized, termed a "great slaughter"
in which Ceawlin was "expelled". Ceawlin "perished" the following year.
593 Ceawlin and his brother Cwichelm died, and Wessex passed to Ceol, his
nephew.
Bede lists Ceawlin as the second bretwalda (high king)
Succeeded by Ceol, a usurper who ruled until 594, then son Ceolwulf
Ceolwald Ceowulf?
Ancestry unclear. Son Cenred.
Succeeded by Cynegils.