AHC: Earliest unification of British Isles with post-700 POD

Maybe a viking wank? Unite the viking kingdoms of Jorvik, Dublin and Sudryejar under one ruler and you already have a lot of the isles right there. An inheritance issue, a usurpation or just an ambitious adventurer would work to get them together, and then it's just a matter of conquering Wessex, Cornwall, Wales, Northumbria and Scotland. Kill off Alfred the Great and none of them will be in a position to challenge Norse domination of the islands. Now this situation isn't exactly stable, but for a few decades at least you could have a united British Isles in the early ninth century.
 
If not for that post 700 I would have suggested eliminating Penda of Mercia who set the stage for a strong then dominant Mercia.
Perhaps we could do something with his grandnephew Ethelbald? He restored Mercian prominence and became Bretwalda. Increase his luck a bit, give him a suitable son, and bump off Offa, then have his heirs consolidate with Northumbria. With a strong Mercia-Northumbria holding the north the Vikings would prefer the weaker kingdoms of the southeast, then the King could invade and unify the south under his rule before his heirs expand north and west.
 
Mercia seems a rather obvious possibility. Offa while ruthless was the clear hegemon of the Anglo-Saxons, with only Northumbria seeming to be clearly outside his influence. However his son, Ecgfrith died after just a few months as king. While Coenwulf did decently enough, within years of his death Mercian supremacy came to an end with Wessex rising.

If Ecgfrith lived longer and proved a decent king or Coenwulf lived longer, Mercian dominance could continue for a few more years. If they could hold on till the viking raids really kicked in, a Mercian king could do what Alfred and his successors did in offering a rallying point against the invaders. Mercia had the core of its territory inland, compared to both Northumbria and Wessex which were more firmly on the coasts.
 
How about the Maid of Norway not dying and marrying Edward II? That to me is the most basic, easiest, and most obvious POD. That would also prevent the decline of Norman rule over Ireland that happened because of the invasion of Bruce.
 
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I favor a prostelyzation effort from Ireland to North Umbria and/or Mercia. Maybe an order with open monasticism that prize martial arts, and parochial abbatial charity; priests that prize plainness/simplicity, and perhaps even with a Greek Orthodoxy affiliation. And who doesn't love babies - so no priestly celibacy. The Angle king sees is saving save on money that would go off to Rome, his people are well cared for in childhood and old age, and the system of fort monasteries and protoburhs keep enemies in check.

In the face of the coming Viking Raids the Angle kingdom begins to take other realms in the Heptarchy. They realize the value of a strong navy to help deter the raids, and go on to unite the rest of England, Ireland, and Scotland. Looked at as brothers in Christ, the Anglicans are welcomed as liberators. Holding true to democratic principles (and IMO republican tendencies) the Witan is maintained as a representative parliament for all the shires in the united realm. The fyrd, combined with the fighting celtic monks encouraged a system of widespread weapon ownership and military training even among the poor folk - this worked to keep the rich folk and bureaucrats honest.

Scandinavians are allowed to immigrate in small and scattered numbers upon baptism and oaths, and over time their contributions even work to reform the syntax and vocabulary of the English language. Wales eventually is incorporated. Anglocelt ships and missionaries routinely reach Iceland and the Baltic Sea, with routine trade to Italy and Byzantium keeping money and goods coming into Britannia.
 
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