Ælle, the semi-legendary first king of the South Saxons
Although included among the Heptarchy, the history of the Kingdom of the South Saxons is obscure and its status more a product of being included in the list of main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms produced by the 12th-century historian Henry of Huntingdon than any real claim to eminence among the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons. However, despite its perilous position between Kent and Wessex, with Mercia threatening from the north, the kingdom of Sussex retained its independence longer than other similarly sized kingdoms, such as Lindsey, only finally submitting to the rule of the kings of Wessex in 827.