Ælfred "the Great"
Ælfred "the Great"Ælfred appears in a charter of his father dated 855 (but with an indiction for 853) ["Ego Elfred fili regis consensi & subscripsi" Cart. Sax. 2: 62 (#467)], and appears frequently thereafter in charters of his father and brother. The West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List states that Ælfred succeeded his brother Æthelred I as king at the age of twenty-three ["þa feng Ælfred hyra broþer to rice; & þa wæes agangen his ylde .xxiii. wintra ..." Dumville (1986), 25]. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle dates this to 871 ["Þa feng Ælfred Æþelwulfing his broþur to Wesseaxna rice." ASC(A,E) s.a. 871]. Much of Ælfred's reign was spent fighting the Vikings. In 878, the Viking king Guthrum accepted baptism, with Ælfred as sponsor [ASC(A,E) s.a. 878]. When Ælfred died in 899 [see below], he was succeeded by his son Eadweard "the Elder".
King Ælfred left a will, which survives [Thorpe (1865), 484-492 (with modern English translation); Cart. Sax., 2: 176-180 (#553)]. In a preamble to the will, Ælfred speaks of the will of his father Æthelwulf (Aðulf) and mentions his brothers Æthelbeald and Æthelred ("... Aðulf cinge min fæder us þrim gebroðrum becwæð. Aðelbolde. & Æðerede. & me.") and his kinsman Æthelbeorht ("Æðelbyrhte cincge. uncrum mæge."). In the will itself, he left bequests to his elder son Eadweard ("Eadwearde minum yldran suna"), to his unnamed younger son ("gingran minan suna"), to his unnamed elder, middle, and youngest daughters ("And minre yldstan dehter ... & þære medemestan ... & þære gingestan"), to his brother's son Æthelm ("& Æðelme mines broþer suna") and Æthelwold ("& Æþelwolde mines broðer suna"), to his kinsman Osferth ("& Osferðe minum mæge"), to his wife (relationship not stated) Ealhswith ("& Ealhswiðe"), and to ealdorman Æthelred ("& Æþderede ealdormenn") [Thorpe (1865), 484-492].
Date of birth: ca.
848×9.
Place of
birth: Wantage, co. Berks.
Asser, who is the only source for
the statement that Ælfred was born at Wantage, states that he
was born in 849 ["Anno Dominicae Incarnationis DCCCXLIX
natus est Ælfred, Angul-Saxonum rex, in villa regia, quae
dicitur Uuanating, in illa paga, quae nominatur Berrocscire ..."
Asser, c. 1 (p. 1), see also pp. 154-5]. As noted above, the West
Saxon Genealogical Regnal List states that Ælfred was 23 years
old when he became king in 871.
Date of death: 26 October 899.
Place of
burial: Winchester.
Two tenth century calendars place
Ælfred's death on 26 October ["VII kl. Aelfred rex
obiit septenis et quoque amandus." Hampson, 1: 395,
416; see also Stevenson (1898), 71, n. 2 & n. 3], as does
another from the eleventh century ["26 [Oct.] Hic obiit
Ælfred rex." Lib. Vit. Hyde, 272]. The Parker
manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle places his death
six days before All Hallows (i.e., 26 October) in a year now
labelled 901, but originally 900 ["Her gefor Ælfred
Aþulfing, syx nihtum ær earla haligra mæssan; Se wæs cyning
ofer eall Ongelcyn butan ðæm dæle þe under Dena on walde
wæs, & he heold þæt rice oþrum healfum læs þe .xxx.
wintra. & þa feng Eadweard his sunu to rice."
ASC(A) s.a. 901 (orig. 900) ("Here died Alfred,
Æthelwulf's offspring, six days before the Feast of All Hallows.
He was king over all the English race except that part which was
under Danish control, and he held that kingdom
twenty-eight-and-a-half years. And then Edward, his son,
succeeded to the kingdom." ASC(Eng), 91-2); ".vii.
kl. Noveb." (26 Oct.) ASC(E) s.a. 901]. The Annals
of St. Neots give 26 October in a year labelled 900 ["Alfredus
veridicus, vir in bello per omnia strenuissimus, rex
Occidentalium Saxonum nobi-lissimus, prudens vero et religiosus
atque sapientissimus, hoc anno cum magno suorum dolore viam
universitatis adiit, die VII kal. Novembris, anno regni sui XXIX
et dimidio, anno vero aetatis suae LI, Indictione III. Qui apud
Wintoniam civitatem regalem decenter et regali honore est
sepultus in ecclesia Sancti Petri, Apostolorum principis."
Ann. S. Neots, s.a. 900 (pp. 142-3)]. According to the chronicler
Æthelweard, Ælfred died on the seventh day before All Saint's
Day ["Septima namque die ante solennia sanctorum omnium
obierat anax, cuius requiescit urbe in Wintonia corpus in pace."
Æthelweard, 50-1]. John of Worcester places his death on 28
October 901 ["... Angul-Saxonum rex Ælfredus, piissimi
regis Athulfi filius, XXIX. annis, sexque mensibus regni sui
peractis, indictione quarta, mortem obiit, feria quarta, V. kal.
Novembris, et Wintoniæ in Novo Monasterio sepultus, ..."
John Worc., s.a. 901 (1: 116)]. The day was clearly 26 October,
but there was formerly much doubt about the year, with opinions
divided between 899, 900, and 901. However, the overwhelming
modern consensus is that 899 is correct. Counting forward from
Spring 871 for the twenty-eight and one-half years that Ælfred
reigned gives late 899 for the end of his reign. Ælfred's
grandson Æthelstan, who died on 27 October 939 [see the page of Eadweard the Elder], is said to have died forty years all but a day after
king Ælfred died ["Her Æþelstan cyning forðferde on
.vi. kl. NOV. ymbe .xl. wintra butan anre niht þæs þe Ælfred
cyning forþferde" ASC(A) s.a. 941 (orig. 940); "xl"
was at one time changed to "xli" and then back
to "xl", see Vaughan (1954), 61], and counting
back from this date gives 899 for Ælfred's date of death.
Furthermore, the Parker Chronicle during this period used
September as the beginning of the year [Beaven (1917), 529-30;
Vaughan (1954), 64-6]. The original dating of the Parker
Chronicle and the Annals of St. Neots both give 900, but
the year labelled "900" according to those annals
actually began in September 899 in our modern calendar. Thus,
since Ælfred died in October, based on the above evidence, his
date of death can be placed on 26 October 899 with confidence.
Father: Æthelwulf, d. 858, king of Wessex, 839-858.
Mother: Osburh, daughter of Oslac, pincerna.
Spouse: Ealhswith, d. 5 December 902×3, daughter of Æthelred Mucil, ealdorman of the Gaini.
Children:
Asser lists the children in order
of birth ["Nati sunt ergo ei filii et filiae de
supradicta coniuge sua [scilicet] Æthelflæd primogenita, post
quam Eadwerd, deinde Æthelgeofu, postea Ælfthryth, deinde
Æthelweard natus est, exceptis his, qui in infantia morte
praeveniente praeoccupati sunt; ..." Asser, c. 75 (p.
57)]. Ælfred's will is less informative, but gives consistent
information, mentioning his eldest son Eadweard, his unnamed
younger son, and three unnamed daughters [Cart. Sax. 2: 176-189
(#553-#555)]. John of Worcester names the same five children
["cui regina sua Ealhswitha duos filios, Eadwardum et
Ægelwardum, et tres filias Ægelfledam Merciorum dominam,
Æthelgeovam sanctimonialem, et Ælfthrytham peperit."
John Worc., 1: 274; also s.a. 871 (1: 88), following Asser's
wording]. William of Malmesbury lists six children ["Ex
Egelswitha, filia Egelredi comitis, tulit liberos, Ethelswidam,
et Edwardum, qui post se regnavit; Ethelfledam, quæ nupta fuit
Ethelredo comiti Merciorum; Ethelwardum, quem litteratissimum
perhibent; Elfredam et Elfgifam, virgines." Wm.
Malmes., Gesta Regum, c. 121 (1: 129)]. Here, Ælfgifu
is the name William gives to Æthelgifu, abbess of Shaftsbury
[ibid., c. 122 (1: 131)]. Æthelswith is the name that William
gives to Ælfthryth, wife of Baldwin II of Flanders [ibid., c.
123 (1: 133-4)]. "Elfreda" is apparently Ælfthryth
listed inadvertently a second time.
Æthelflæd, b. say 870, d. Tamworth,
12 June 918, bur. Gloucester;
m. bef. 893, Æthelred, d. 911, bef. 13 June, subregulus
(ealdorman) of the Mercians.
Æthelflæd married Æthelred before 893,
the year Asser was writing ["Æthelflæd, adveniente
matrimonii tempore, Eadredo, Merciorum comiti, matrimonio
copulata est." Asser, c. 75 (pp. 57-8); "Ætheredo"
instead of "Eadredo", John Worc., s.a. 871 (1:
88)]. Two charters, if genuine, suggest that she was married by
889 [Cart. Sax. 2: 201 (#561)] or perhaps even by 887 [Cart. Sax.
2: 167 (#547), dated 880, but indiction suggests 887]. Æthelred
ruled Mercia on behalf of his father-in-law Ælfred and his
brother-in-law Eadweard until his death in 911 ["Her
gefor Æðered ealdormon on Mercum." ASC(A) s.a. 912
(orig. 911); ASC(C) s.a. 911 (Mercian register); ASC(E) s.a. 910;
"Ipso anno Aetherædus, comes Merciorum, obiit."
Ann. S. Neots, s.a. 911 (p. 145); on the date of Æthelred's
death, see Angus (1938), 203-4]. His wife Æthelflæd succeeded,
and maintained the alliance with her brother, dying in 918
["Ac swiðe hrædlice þæs ðe hi þæs geworden hæfde
heo gefor .xii. nihtun ær middan sumera. binnan Tamaweorþige
ðy eahtoþan geare þæs ðe heo Myrcna anweald mid riht
hlaforddome healdende wæs. & hyre lic lið binnan
Gleawcestre on þam east portice sce. Petres cyrcean."
ASC(C) s.a. 918 (Mercian register) ("But very quickly
after they had done that, she departed, 12 days before midsummer,
inside Tamworth, the eighth year that she held control of Mercia
with rightful lordship; and her body lies inside Gloucester in
the east side-chapel of St. Peter's Church." ASC(Eng),
105); "Eithilfleith, famosissima regina Saxonum,
moritur." AU s.a. 917(=918); "... & þa
gefor Æþelflæd his swystar æt Tameworþige .xii. nihtum ær
middumsumera ..." ASC(A) s.a. 922 (orig. 921), here 4
(orig. 3) years behind the true date; on the chronology, see
Angus (1938), 198-9]. On her death her daughter Ælfwynn was set
aside, and Eadweard assumed direct control of Mercia [ASC(C) s.a.
919 (Mercian register)].
Eadweard "the Elder", b. say ca. 872, d. 17 July 924, king of Wessex,
899-924; king of Mercia, ca. 918-924;
m. (1) Ecgwynn.
m. (2) bef. 901, Ælfflæd, d. 918, daughter of ealdorman Æthelhelm.
m. (3) Eadgifu, d.
aft. 966, daughter of Sigehelm, ealdorman of Kent.
Æthelgifu, abbess of Shaftsbury.
["Æthelgeofu quoque monasticae
vitae regulis, devota Deo virginitate, subiuncta et consecrata,
divinum subiit servitium." Asser, c. 75 (p. 58); John
Worc., s.a. 871 (1: 88); "Aliud quoque monasterium iuxta
orientalem portam Sceftesburg, habitationi sanctimonialium
habile, idem praefatus rex aedificari imperavit; in quo propriam
filiam suam Æthelgeofu, devotam Deo virginem, abbatissam
constituit, ..." Asser, c. 98 (p. 85); John Worc., s.a.
887 (1: 104)"] She appears in a grant by Ælfred to
Shaftsbury abbey dated 871, which, if genuine, is undoubtedly
misdated ["mine dochte Agelyue" Cart. Sax., 2:
148 (#531)]. William of Malmesbury calls her Ælfgifu (Elfgiva)
["Sceoftoniense etiam monasterium sanctimonialibus
complevit, ubi et abbatissam filiam suam Elfgivam instituit."
Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum, c. 122 (1: 131)].
Ælfthryth,
said to have d. 7 June 929;
m. Baldwin
II, d. 918, count/marquis of
Flanders, 879-918.
Æthelweard, d. 16 October 922, bur.
Winchester.
["Æthelweard, omnibus iunior,
ludis literariae disciplinae, divino consilio et admirabili regis
providentia, cum omnibus pene totius regionis nobilibus
infantibus et etiam multis ignobilibus, sub diligenti magistrorum
cura traditus est." Asser, c. 75 (p. 58); John Worc.,
s.a. 871 (1: 88); "Clito Æthelwardus, regis Eadwardi
germanus, XVII. kal. Novembris defunctus, Wintoniam defertur et
sepelitur." John Worc., s.a. 922 (1: 130)] Æthelweard
appears as filius regis in some charters of Eadweard
[Cart. Sax. 2: 241-2 (#594), 244 (#595), 247 (#596), 249 (#597),
251 (#598), 253 (#600), 257 (#602), 261 (#604), 271 (#611), 273
(#612), 275 (#613)] and frater regis in others [ibid.,
2: 285 (#620), 289 (#621), 293 (#623), 295 (#624), 298 (#625),
303 (#628)]. The "Ealdereð, frater regis" who
appears in a charter of ca. 901×4 is probably not an otherwise
unknown son of Ælfred, but Æthelweard under a very corrupt
spelling [Cart. Sax. 2: 262 (#605)].
Additional children, died in infancy.
[... exceptis his, qui in infantia
morte praeveniente praeoccupati sunt; ..." Asser, c. 75
(p. 57)]
Relatives:
Osweald, filius regis,
fl. 868-875.
Osweald appears as filius regis in
a charter of Ælfred's brother Æthelred in 868 [Cart. Sax. 2:
135 (#520)], in a charter of Ælfred's sister queen Æthelswith
of Mercia in 868 [ibid., 2: 140 (#522)], and in a charter of
Ælfred dated 875 ["Ego Oswealdus filius regis"
ibid., 2: 159 (#539)]. He was probably a nephew of Ælfred.
Osferth, fl. 898-934.
Osferth appears in the will of king Ælfred
as a relative (mæg) ["Osferð minum mæge"
Cart. Sax. 2: 178 (#553); also in Thorpe (1865), 489, with
English translation]. He is evidently the Osferth who appears in
charters during the period 898-909 [see Nelson (1991), 60 for a
list]. He may also be the man of that name who attests charters
in 926-934, during the reign of Æthelstan. (The gap from 910 to
925 would be easily explained by a general gap in the series of
charters during that period.) One of these charters, from 904,
calls him brother of the king (Eadweard the Elder) ["Ego
Osferd frater regis." listed before the archbishop,
Cart. Sax. 2: 271 (#611)]. A doubtful charter of 909 calls him propinquus
of the king ["Ego Offerð propinquus regis"
ibid., 2: 295 (#624)]. Nelson considers the possibility that
Osferth was a son of Ælfred to be worth considering [Nelson
(1991), 60-1]. A conclusive statement on his relationship does
not seem possible on the slender evidence available.
Supposed eldest son (existence
doubtful):
Eadmund, d.
young.
[See Searle (1899), 343; Asser, p. 57, n.
6] The existence of such a son does not appear to be attested by
any early source.
Æthelweard = A. Campbell ed., Chronicon Æthelweardi/The Chronicle of Æthelweard, (New York, 1962).
Angus (1938) = W. S. Angus, "The Chronology of the Reign of Edward the Elder", English Historical Review 53 (1938): 194-210.
Ann. S. Neots = Annals of Saint Neots, in William Henry Stevenson, ed., Asser's Life of King Alfred (new impression, Oxford, 1959), 97-145.
ASC = Charles Plummer, Two of the Saxon Chronicles parallel, based on the earlier edition by John Earle, 2 vols. (Oxford, 1892-9). ASC(A) indicates the "A" manuscript of the chronicle, and similarly for the other manuscripts.
Asser = William Henry Stevenson, ed., Asser's Life of King Alfred (new impression, Oxford, 1959).
AU = Seán Mac Airt and Gearóid Mac Niocaill, eds., The Annals of Ulster (Dublin, 1983).
Beaven (1917) = Murray L. R. Beaven, "The Regnal Dates of Alfred, Edward the Elder, and Athelstan", English Historical Review 32 (1917): 517-531.
Cart. Sax. = Walter de Gray Birch, ed., Cartularium Saxonicum, 4 vols. (1885-99).
Dumville (1986) = David N. Dumville, "The West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List: Manuscripts and Texts", Anglia 104 (1986): 1-32.
Hampson (1841) = R. T. Hampson, Medii Ævi Kalendarium, or Dates, Charters, and Customs of the Middle Ages, 2 vols. (London, 1841).
John Worc. = Benjamin Thorpe, ed., Florentii Wigorniensis monachi chronicon ex chronicis, 2 vols., (London, 1848-9). (The work formerly attributed to Florence of Worcester is now generally attributed to John of Worcester.)
Lib. Vit. Hyde = Walter de Gray Birch, Liber Vitae: Register and Martyrology of New Minister and Hyde Abbey Winchester (London, 1892).
Nelson (1991) = Janet Nelson, "Reconstructing a Royal Family: Reflections on Alfred, From Asser, chapter 2", in Ian Wood & Niels Lund, eds., People and Places in Northern Europe 500-1600 - Essays in Honour of Peter Hayes Pawyer (Woodbridge, 1991), 47-66.
Onom. Anglo-Sax. = William George Searle, Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum (Cambridge, 1897). Spellings of Anglo-Saxon names on this page have been standardized according to this source.
Searle (1899) = William George Searle, Anglo-Saxon Bishops, Kings and Nobles (Cambridge, 1899).
Sim. Durh. = Thomas Arnold, ed., Symeonis Monachi Opera Omnia, 2 vols. (Rolls Series 75, 1882-5).
Stevenson (1898) = W. H. Stevenson, "The date of King Alfred's death", English Historical Review 13 (1898): 71-7.
Thorpe (1865) = Benjamin Thorpe, ed., Diplomatarium Anglicum Ævi Saxonici (London, 1865).
Vaughan (1954) = Richard Vaughan, "The Chronology of the Parker Chronicle, 890-970", English Historical Review 69 (1954): 59-66.
Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum = William Stubbs, ed., Willelmi Malmesbiriensis Monachi De gestis regum Anglorum. libri quinque; Historiæ Novellæ libri tres, 2 vols. (Rolls series 90, 1887-9).
Compiled by Stewart Baldwin
First uploaded 20 June 2010.
Minor revision uploaded 25 June 2010.