In 624, the third archbishop was carried off by gout, and Justus of Rochester succeeded to the primacy of the struggling church.

Up to this point little had been gained, except the conversion of Kent itself, with its dependent kingdom of Essex--the two parts of England in closest union with the Continent, through the mercantile intercourse by way of London and Richborough.
Under the new primate, however, an unexpected opening occurred for the conversion of the North.

The Northumbrian kings had now risen to the first place in Britain.

AEthelfrith had done much to establish their supremacy; under Eadwine it rose to a height of acknowledged over-lordship.

"As an earnest of this king's future conversion and translation to the kingdom of heaven," says Baeda, with pardonable Northumbrian patriotic pride, "even his temporal power was allowed to increase greatly, so that he did what no Englishman had done before--that is to say, he united under his own over-lordship all the provinces of Britain, whether inhabited by English or by Welsh." Eadwine now took in marriage AEthelburh, daughter of AEthelberht, and sister of the reigning Kentish king.