He is unable to retain the territorial gains of his predecessor, Cædwalla, who had brought much of southern England under his control and expanded West Saxon territory substantially.
By the end of Ine's reign the kingdoms of Kent, Sussex and Essex are no longer under West Saxon domination; however, Ine maintains control of what is now Hampshire, and consolidates and extends Wessex's territory in the western peninsula.
Ine is noted for his code of laws (Ine’s laws or laws of Ine), which he issues in about 694.
These laws are the first issued by an Anglo-Saxon king outside Kent.
They shed much light on the history of Anglo-Saxon society, and reveal Ine's Christian convictions.
Trade increases significantly during Ine's reign, with the town of Hamwic (now Southampton) becoming prominent.
It is probably during Ine's reign that the West Saxons begin to mint coins, though none have been found that bear his name.
Ine abdicates in 726 to go to Rome, leaving the kingdom to "younger men", in the words of the contemporary chronicler Bede.
