Offa took power in Mercia after the murder of his cousin King Ethelbald (by his own war band). He proceeded to extend the borders of the kingdom until it became the most dominant in the land, covering most of the territory south of the Humber, including London.
Offa was the first English ruler to mint the silver penny – the basis of early medieval English coinage – and the first to stamp his name on his coins. He forged a commercial alliance with the Frankish king Charlemagne, and was the first person the pope turned to when negotiating the position of the Church in England. His law codes were later taken up by Alfred the Great.
Although England didn't yet exist as a unified nation, he was occasionally referred to in charters of the time as 'king of the English'. His supremacy was acquired violently: he is thought to have had Ethelbert, king of East Anglia, killed. Several kinsmen were also despatched to guarantee the succession of Offa's son Ecgfrith, who in 787 was the first Anglo-Saxon prince to be 'consecrated' – anointed with holy oils as the future king.
However, Offa's name is best known today for Offa's Dyke, a massive earthwork, built to keep out the Welsh, which runs from the River Dee in the north to the Severn in the south. It testifies to Offa being a king capable of deploying enormous resources.
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 Offa of Mercia
www.fact-index.com/o/of/offa_of_mercia.h
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Concise biography of the king with lots of useful links.
 Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke Centre, Knighton, Powys LD7 1EN, tel: 0547 528 753, e-mail: oda@offasdyke.demon.co.uk. The centre is located halfway along the dyke (and path), which runs from the hills above Prestatyn to the Severn estuary near Chepstow
This great frontier earthwork was built by Offa from about 785 in response to events along the border of England and Wales involving the princes of Powys. Whether it was intended as an agreed boundary or as a defensive structure with long-lost additional fortifications or had some other use is not known. The long-distance Offa's Dyke Path National Trail now runs along its length. The Offa's Dyke Association website has all the information on the dyke that anyone could possibly want - from its history to the location of water taps and phone boxes along the path.
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