 Eadbald ( Old English : <unk> ) was King of Kent from 616 until his death in 640 . He was the son of King Æthelberht and his wife Bertha , a daughter of the Merovingian king Charibert . Æthelberht made Kent the dominant force in England during his reign and became the first Anglo @-@ Saxon king to convert to Christianity from Anglo @-@ Saxon paganism . Eadbald 's accession was a significant setback for the growth of the church , since he retained his indigenous paganism and did not convert to Christianity for at least a year , and perhaps for as much as eight years . He was ultimately converted by either Laurentius or Justus , and separated from his first wife , who had been his stepmother , at the insistence of the church . Eadbald 's second wife was Emma , who may have been a Frankish princess . She bore him two sons , Eormenred and Eorcenberht , and a daughter , <unk> . 
