The
kingdom of the East Saxons (; ), today referred to as the
Kingdom of Essex, was one of the seven traditional kingdoms of the so-called
Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was founded in the 6th century and covered the territory later occupied by the
counties of
Essex,
Hertfordshire,
Middlesex and (for a short while)
Kent. Kings of Essex were frequently subservient to foreign overlords. The last king of Essex was Sigered and in 825, he ceded the kingdom to
Egbert of Wessex.