of civil war, with the East Anglian nobility (such as Athelstan Half-King, Byrhtnoth) supporting Dunstan and the Wessex aristocracy (Ordgar, Æthelmær the Stout) supporting the secularists. These factions mobilised around King Eadwig (anti-Dunstan) and his brother King Edgar (pro). On the death of Edgar, his son Edward the Martyr was assassinated by the anti-Dunstan faction and their candidate, the young king Æthelred was placed on the throne. However this "most terrible deed since the English came from over the sea" provoked such a revulsion that the secularists climbed down, although Dunstan was effectively retired. This split fatally weakened the country in the face of renewed Viking attacks. Diocesan organisation In 669 Theodore of Tarsus became Archbishop of Canterbury. In 672 he convened the Council of Hertford which was attended by a number of bishops from across the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. This Council was a milestone in the organization of the Anglo-Saxon Church, as the decrees passed by its delegates focused on issues of authority and structure within the church. Afterwards Theodore, visiting the whole of Anglo-Saxon held lands, consecrated new bishops and divided up the vast dioceses which in many cases were coextensive with the kingdoms of the heptarchy. See also Anglo-Saxon mission Celtic Christianity Christianity in Roman Britain Hiberno-Scottish mission List of Anglo-Saxon saints List of members of the Gregorian mission References Bibliography Chaney, William A. (1960) Paganism to Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England . Chaney, William A. (1970). The cult of kingship in Anglo-Saxon England: the transition from paganism to Christianity (Manchester University Press) Higham, N. J. (2006) (Re-)Reading Bede: the "Ecclesiastical History" in Context. London: Routledge ; Thomas, Charles (1981) Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500, London: Batsford Yorke, Barbara (2006) The Conversion of Britain'', Harlow: Pearson Education Further reading Accessed on 10 May 2009