Oswiu, also known as Oswy or Oswig (Old English: Ōswīg) (c. 612 – 15 February 670), was King of Bernicia from 642 until his death. One of the sons of Æthelfrith of Bernicia, he became king following the death of his brother Oswald in 642. Unlike Oswald, Oswiu struggled to exert authority over Deira, the other Anglo-Saxon kingdom comprising medieval Northumbria, for much of his reign.
Oswiu and his brothers were raised in exile in the Scottish kingdom of Dál Riata after their father's death at the hands of Edwin of Deira, only returning after Edwin's death in 633. Oswiu rose to the kingship when his brother Oswald was killed in battle against Penda of Mercia. The early part of his reign was defined by struggles to assert control over Deira and his contentious relationship with Penda, his overlord. In 655, Oswiu's forces killed Penda in a decisive victory at the Battle of the Winwæd, establishing Oswiu as one of the most powerful rulers in Britain. He secured control of Deira, with his son Alhfrith serving as a sub-king, and for three years, Oswiu's power extended over Mercia, earning him recognition as bretwalda over much of Great Britain.
Off with your head
Dance 'til you're dead
Heads will roll, heads will roll
Heads will roll on the floor
Glitter on the wet streets
Silver over everything
The river's all wet
You're all cold
Dripping with alchemy
Shiver stop shivering
The glitter's all wet
You're all chrome
The men cry out, the girls cry out
The men cry out, the girls cry out
The men cry out, oh no
The men cry out, the girls cry out
The men cry out, the girls cry out
The men cry out, oh no
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Off, off with your head
Dance, dance 'til you're dead
Heads will roll, heads will roll
Heads will roll on the floor
Looking glass, take the past
Shut your eyes, you realize
Looking glass, take the past
Shut your eyes, you realize
Glitter on the wet streets
Silver over everything
The glitter's all wet
You're all chrome, you're all chrome
Oh, oh, oh
Off, off, off with your head
Dance, dance, dance 'til you're dead
Off, off, off with your head
Dance, dance, dance 'til you're dead
Off, off, off with your head
Dance, dance, dance 'til you're dead
Off, off, off with your head
Dance, dance, dance 'til you're dead
Off, off, off with your head
Dance, dance, dance 'til you're dead
Off, off, off with your head