Æthelred II "the Unready"
Æthelred II "the Unready"As a boy of about ten years, Æthelred II became king upon the murder of his half-brother Eadweard "the Martyr". Some sources date this in 978 [ASC(A,C) s.a. 978; John Worc., s.a. 978 (1: 145); Lib. Vit. Hyde, 276], while others date it in 979 [ASC(D,E,F) s.a. 979; Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum, c. 164 (1: 185: Æthelred's accession)]. This further complicated by the fact that it is not clear whether Æthelred's coronation was in the same year as Eadweard's death or in the following year. ASC(C) lists the coronation under both 978 and 979, and it has been variously listed as occurring in 978 [ASC(C); John Worc., s.a. 978 (1: 145-6)], 979 [ASC(C,D,E)], or 980 [ADSC(F)] [see Plummer's note, ASC 2: 166]. King lists give Eadweard a reign of either three years, which would support 978 for Eadweard's death if we assume rounding up [Dumville (1986), 31], or ".iiii. gear butan .xvi. wucan" (4 years minus 16 weeks [Lists S,T]) or 3 years, 8 months [List R], which would support 979 [Dumville (1986), 29; cf. "Edgaro post xvi. annos regni successit Edwardus filius tribus annis et dimidio." Wm. Malmes., Gesta Pont., c. 256 (p. 408)]. Opinions have varied. Keynes has argued for the death of Eadweard and accession of Æthelred in 978 and the coronation of Æthelred on 4 May 979 [Keynes (1980), 233, n. 7]. Dumville has recently argued for 979 as the date of Eadweard's murder [Williams (2003), 164 (n. 76); Dumville (2007), which I have not seen]. In 1013, Æthelred was driven from the kingdom by king Sweyn (Svend) of Denmark [ASC(E) s.a. 1013; John Worc., s.a. 1013 (1: 167-8); Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum, c. 177 (1: 207ff.); GND v, 7 (1: 16-19)]. However, Sweyn died early the next year, and Æthelred was restored as king [ASC(E) s.a. 1014; John Worc., s.a. 1014 (1: 168ff.); Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum, c. 179 (1: 212); GND v, 8 (1: 18-21)]. Æthelred's last two years as king were spent in a struggle with Sweyn's son Cnut. When Æthelred died in London on 23 April 1016 [see below], he held little more than London and the surrounding area.
Date of birth: ca. 968.
Place of birth: Unknown.
William of Malmesbury states that
he was ten years old at the death of his brother Eadweard [Wm.
Malmes, Gesta Regum, c. 164 (1: 185)].
Date of death: 23 April 1016.
Place of
death: London.
Place of
burial: St. Paul's,
London.
Most sources give 23 April as
Æthelred's date of death ["Ða gelamp hit þet se cyng
Æðelred forðferde ær ða scipu comon. he geendode his dagas
on scs. Georius mæsse dæge æfter mycclum geswince."
ASC(E) s.a. 1016 (1: 148) ("Then it happened that,
before the ships came, the king Æthelred passed away. He ended
his days on St. George's Day [23 April], after great toil and
difficulties in his life." ASC(Eng), 148); similarly in
ASC(D,F); "Eo tempore rex Anglorum Ægelredus XIV.
indictione, nono kal. Maii, feria II., Lundoniæ defunctus est,
... Corpus autem illius in ecclesia S. Pauli Apostoli honorifice
sepultum est." John Worc., s.a. 1016 (1: 172-3); "Obitus
Æðelredi regis" (23 Apr.), Lib. Vit. Hyde, 270]. On
the other hand, William of Malmesbury places Æthelred's death at
the beginning of Lent, on St. Gregory's day (12 March) ["Sed
prævenit conatum ejus mors Ethelredi; nam in initio
Quadragesimæ, die sancti Gregorii, animam, laboribus et miseriis
natam, efflavit: jacet apud sanctum Paulum Londoniæ."
Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum, c. 180 (1: 215)]. There is
some confusion here, because St. Gregory's day was not at the
beginning of Lent. (St. George's day was not in Lent at all.)
Father: Eadgar, d. 8 July 975, king of England.
Mother: Ælfthryth, d. 999×1002, daughter of Ordgar, ealdorman of Devon.
Spouses:
(1) Ælfgifu(?).
Although it is clear that Æthelred had at
least one earlier marriage, even her name is obscure. See the
page of Ælfgifu(?) for more details.
(2) 1002, Emma,
d. 6×7 March 1052, daughter of Richard I of Normandy.
She m. (2) July 1017, Knud/Cnut,
d. 1035, king of Denmark, England, and Norway.
["And þa on þam ilcan lengtene
com seo hlæfdige Ricardes dohter hider to lande."
ASC(E) s.a. 1002 ("And in the same spring the Lady,
Richard's daughter, came here to the land." ASC(Eng),
134); "Eodem anno Emmam, Saxonice Ælfgivam vocatam,
ducis Nortmannorum Primi Ricardi filiam, rex Ægelredus duxit
uxorem." John Worc., s.a. 1002 (1: 156); "&
þa toforan Kl. Augusti het se cyng feccean him þæs oðres
kynges lafe Æþelredes him to wife Ricardes dohter."
ASC(D,E) s.a. 1017 ("And then before 1 August the king
ordered the widow of the former king Æthelred, Richard's
daughter, to be fetched to him as wife." ASC(Eng),
154); "Mense Julio rex Canutus derelictam regis
Ægelredi, reginam Ælfgivam, in conjugium accepit:"
John Worc., s.a. 1017 (1: 181); "& on þys ylcan
geare forðferde seo ealde hlæfdige, Eadwerdes cinges moder
& Harðacnutes, Imme hatte. ii. Id. Mart. & hyre lic lið
on Ealdanmynstre wið Cnut cing." ASC(C) s.a. 1051
("And in this same year on 14 March passed away the Old
Lady, mother of King Edward and Harthacnut, called Emma. And her
body lies in the Old Minster with King Cnut." ASC(Eng),
172); "Her forþferde Ælfgyfu seo hlefdige. Æðelredes
láf cynges & Cnutes on ii No. Mar. [6 March]"
ASC(D) s.a. 1052; "Ælfgiva Imme, conjux regum Ægelredi
et Canuti, II. nonas Martii, Wintoniæ obiit, et ibi sepulta est."
John Worc., s.a. 1052 (1: 207); "7. [March] Imma obiit
regina" Lib. Vit. Hyde, 270]
Children:
Numerous sources mention Eadmund
and Eadweard, the sons who later reigned. John of Worcester gives
Æthelred four children (including Eadmund) by an earlier
marriage to an otherwise unknown Ælfgifu daughter of earl
Æthelbert ["Hic ex Ælfgiva, comitis Ægelberhti filia,
III. filios habuit, Eadmundum, Eadwinum, et Æthelstanum, ac
Eadgitham filiam; ex Emma vero, Ricardi comitis Normannorum
filia, duos filios suscepit, Ælfredum et Eadwardum. John
Worc., 1: 275]. Ailred of Rievaulx makes Eadmund the son of a
daughter of earl Thored ["Tunc rex [Edelredus] missis in
Normanniam nuntiis Emmam filiam Richardi ducis sibi in uxorem
dari et petiit, et accepit, cum jam de filia Torethi nobilissimi
comitis filium suscepisset Edmundum. Ex Emma deinde duos habuit
filios, Edwardum et Alfredum, ..." Ailred, Genealogia
Regum Anglorum, PL 195: 730; "Cum igitur gloriosus
rex Ethelredus ex filia præclarissimi comitis Thoreti filium
suscepisset Eadmundum, cognomento Ferreum latus, ex regina autem
Emma Aluredum, beatus Edwardus inter viscera materna conclusus
utrique præfertur, ..." Ailred, Vita S. Edwardi
Regis, PL 195: 741]. Æthelred's first wife (or wives) is
discussed further on the page of Ælfgifu. We must leave it
open whether there was more than one earlier wife. The German
chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg mentions Æthelred's sons
Æthelstan and Eadmund (see above), falsely making them sons of
the queen (i.e., Emma) ["Aethelred, rex Anglorum, obiit
anno dominicae incarnationis 1016. et in mense Iulio ..., ubi
regina, ... cum filiis Ethelstano ac Ethmundo ..."
Thietmar, Chron., vii, , MGH SS 3: 849]. Most of the
sons of the first marriage are known principally by their
appearance in charters [e.g., "Ego Æðelstan clito. Ego
Egcbirht clito. Ego Eadmund clito. Ego Eadred clito. Ego Eadwi
clito." Codex Dipl. Sax. 3: 308 (#700) AD998; "Ego
Æðelstan filius regis. Ego Ecgbyrht filius regis. Ego Eadmund
filius regis. Ego Eadred filius regis. Ego Ea[d]wig filius regis.
Ego Eadgar filius regis." ibid., 6: 142 (#1295) AD1002;
"Ego Æðelstanus eiusdem regis filius plaudens
consensi. Ego Ecgbriht clito testis fui. Ego Eadmund clito
testimonium adhibui. Ego Eadric clito non abnui. Ego Eadwig clito
non rennui. Ego Eadgar clito non negaui. Ego Eadweard clito faui.
Ego Ælfgyfu regina stabilitatem testimonii confirmaui."
ibid., 6: 153 (#1301) AD1005 (here, "Eadric" is
presumably an error for the Eadred who appears in other
charters); "Ego Æðelstan eiusdem regis filius
consigno. Ego Eadmundi filius regis. Ego Eadred filius regis. Ego
Eadwig filius regis. Ego Eadgar filius regis. Ego Eadweard filius
regis." ibid., 6: 156 (#1303) AD1007; "Ego
Eadmund clyto. Ego Eadwig clyto. Ego Eadweard clyto. Ego Ælfred
clyto." ibid., 6: 169 (#1309) AD1014]. Note that all of
Æthelred's son were named after previous West Saxon kings. The Liber
Vitae of Hyde also lists Æthelstan, Eadmund, Ecgbyrht,
Eadred, Eadwig, and Eadgar as sons of Æthelred [Lib. Vit. Hyde,
14]. The list of Æthelred's daughters has to be pieced together
from various sources.
By an earlier wife
(Ælfgifu?):
The following children are listed as children of
an earlier marriage either because they appear in charters before
the marriage of Æthelred and Emma in 1002 (in the case of the
sons) or because they appear as married at an early enough date
that they could not be daughters of Emma (in the case of the
daughters). The order of the sons can be inferred with high
probability from the order in which they appear in charters
(which, as noted above, is not always the same). The order of the
daughters is completely unknown. As noted above, there is
insufficient evidence to determine whether all of these children
had the same mother.
Æthelstan, living 1012, d. 1012×6.
Æthelstan is called the eldest son in a
charter dated 1004, and consistently appears first among the sons
["Ego Æðelstan regalium primogenitus filiorum"
Codex Dip. Sax. 3: 330 (#709)]. He appears in two charters in
1012 [ibid., 3: 359 (#720); 6: 165 (#1307)], but does not appear
in a charter of 1014 which was witnessed by four of his brothers
[ibid., 6: 169 (#1309)]. The will of the ætheling Æthelstan has
usually been dated 1015, although Barlow has argued for a date as
early as 1012 [Codex Dipl. Sax. 3: 361-4 (#722); Thorpe (1865),
557-562 (with modern English translation); Sawyer (1968), 420-1
(#1503); Barlow (1970), 30, n. 3]. Among others for whom no
relationship is stated, the will mentions his father king
Æðelred, his brothers Eadmund and Eadwig, and states that his
bequests to the church are for the souls of his father and
himself and his grandmother Ælfðryð who reared him. No wife or
children are mentioned. The date of Æthelstan's death is made
confusing by the contemporary, but somewhat confused, account of
Thietmar of Merseburg, which would suggest that he was still
alive in 1016 after his younger brother Eadmund had already
become king [see Freeman (1870-9), 1: 698-701].
Ecgbeorht, living 1005, prob. d. bef.
1007.
Ecgbeorht appears in a charter dated 1005
[Codex Dip. Sax. 6: 153 (#1301)], but does not appear in a
charter of 1007 signed by several of his brothers [ibid., 6: 156
(#1303)].
Eadmund II "Ironside", d. 30 November 1016, king of England, 1016;
m. ca. August 1015, Ealdgyth.
Eadred, living 1012, prob. d. bef.
1014.
He appears in two charters in 1012 [Codex
Dip. Sax. 3: 359 (#720); 6: 165 (#1307)], but does not appear in
a charter of 1014 which was witnessed by four of his brothers
[ibid., 6: 169 (#1309)].
Eadwig, d. 1017, bur. Tavistock.
William of Malmesbury calls Eadwig a
brother of Eadmund Ironside on the mother's side ["Frater
ejus ex matre Edwius, ..." Wm. Malmes, Gesta Regum,
c. 180 (1: 217)]. The Abingdon manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle and John of Worcester say that he was killed on
the orders of Cnut after being outlawed ["... & Cnut
cining aflymde ut Eadwi æþeling ..." ASC(D) s.a.
1017; "... & eft hine het ofslean."
ASC(C); ("... and king Cnut put to flight the ætheling
Eadwig"; "and had him killed"
ASC(Eng), 154); "Eadwius vero clito, deceptus illorum
insidiis quos eo tenus amicissimos habuit, jussu et petitione
regis Canuti, eodem anno innocenter occiditur." John
Worc., s.a. 1017 (1: 181)]. William of Malmesbury attributes his
death to his suffering after having been driven out ["Frater
ejus ex matre Edwius, non aspernandæ probitatis adolescens, per
proditorem Edricum, Anglia, jubente Cnutone, cessit: diu terris
jactatus et alto, angore animi ut fit corpus infectus, dum
furtivo reditu apud Anglos delitescit, defungitur, et apud
Tavistokium tumulatur." Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum,
c. 180 (1: 217-8); see Freeman (1870-9), 1: 717-9].
Eadgar, living 1008, prob. d. soon
after.
Eadgar appears in a charter dated 1008
[Codex Dipl. Sax. 6: 162 (#1305)], and is absent from a charter
signed by three of his brothers in 1009 [ibid., 6: 163 (#1306)].
Eadgyth;
m. Eadric Streona, d. 25 December 1017, earl of
Mercia.
(conjectured to have m. (2) Thurkill, living
1023, earl of East Anglia, viceroy of Denmark)
["At perfidus dux Edricus Streona,
gener ejus, habuit enim in conjugio filiam ejus Edgitham, ..."
John Worc., s.a. 1009 (1: 161)] Eadric Streona, frequent traitor
to the Anglo-Saxon kings, was executed by king Cnut on Christmas
1017 ["& on þisum geare wæs Eadric ealdorman
ofslagen." ASC(E) s.a. 1017 (also C, D, F); "ac
in Nativitate Domini, cum esset Lundoniæ, perfidum ducem Edricum
in palatio jussit occidere." John Worc., s.a. 1017 (1:
181-2); Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum, c. 181 (1: 219)].
Eadgyth was conjectured by Freeman to have married Thurkill, earl
of East Anglia and later viceroy of Denmark [Freeman (1870-9), 1:
670]. However, this appears to be based on little more than the
fact that Thurkill's wife was named Eadgyth ["Canutus
rex Anglorum et Danorum, ante festivitatem S. Martini, Turkillum
sæpe dictum comitem cum uxore sua Edgitha expulit Anglia."
John Worc., s.a. 1021 (1: 183)]. This supposed second marriage of
Eadgyth is very uncertain. Lappenberg identifies Thurkill's wife
Eadgyth as the widow of Ulfcytel (see below) [Lappenberg
(1834-81), 2: 242].
Ælfgifu;
m. Uhtred, d. 1016, earl of Northumbria.
["Postea vero illo, scilicet
Ucthredo, proficiente magis et magis in re militari, rex
Ethelredus filiam suam Elfgivam ei copulavit uxorem."
Sim. Durh., De Obsessione Dunelmi, c. 2 (1: 216); "[Cospatricus]
Erat enim ex matre Algitha, filia Uchtredi comitis, quam habuit
ex Algiva filia Agelredi Regis." Sim. Durh., Hist.
Regum, c. 159 (2: 199); "Deinde Uctredus filius
Walthefi administravit comitatum omnium Northanhymbrorum
provinciarum. Huic rex Eathelredus suam filiam Ælfgeovam dederat
uxorem." Sim. Durh., De Primo Saxonum Adventu
(2: 383)] Uhtred was killed in 1016 [ASC(D,E) s.a. 1016; John
Worc., s.a. 1016 (1: 172)]
Wulfhild (possible daughter);
m. Ulfcytel Snilling, d. 1016, ealdorman of East
Anglia.
Wulfhild appears only in Scandinavian
sources ["Nordr red fyrir Englandi Ulfkell Snillingr,
hann átti Ulfhildi dottur Adalrads konungs."
Jomsvikinga Saga, c. 51, as quoted in Freeman (1870-9), 1: 654].
Ulfcytel was killed at the Battle of Assandun in 1016 [ASC(D,E)
s.a. 1016; John Worc., s.a. 1016 (1: 178)].
NN;
m. Æthelstan, regis gener, d. 5 or 18
May 1010.
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
and John of Worcester, Æthelstan, the king's son-in-law
(Anglo-Saxon aðum, Latin gener), was killed by
the Danes at a battle of Ringmere in May 1010 ["Ðis
wæs on þam dæg prima ascensio Dni. [18 May] ... þær wæs
ofslægen Æðelstan þes cynges aðum." ASC(E) s.a.
1010; "ad locum qui Ringmere dicitur, ... tertio nonas
Maii [5 May], ... In eo proelio gener regis Æthelstanus, ...
corruerunt." John Worc., s.a. 1010 (1: 162)].
By Emma of Normandy:
The sons of this marriage were
Eadweard and Ælfred ["... Edwardus ac Alueradus ...
Genitrix eorum fuit Emma filia Ricardi primi, genitor Ædelredus
rex Anglorum." Guillaume de Poitiers, i, 1 (pp. 2-3);
"... cum uxore et filiis, Edwardo scilicet et Aluredo
..." GND v, 7 (2: 18-9); "Fratres [Edmundi] ex
Emma, Elfredus et Edwardus" Wm. Malmes., Gesta
Regum, c. 180 (1: 218)]. The author of Encomium Emmae
Reginae, who does not mention Emma's marriage to Æthelred,
implies that Emma had Eadweard and Ælfred by Cnut ["Emma
tantum nomine regina, filiis Aeduardo et Alfrido ..." Encomium
Emmae Reginae iii, 3, MGH SS 19: 522]. A number of later
sources would make Ælfred older than Eadweard ["...
Alfredo primogenito filio Edelredi ... Edwardo fratri minori ..."
Hen. Hunt. vi, 20 (p. 191); "... Aluredum natu majorem
..." Lib. Monast. Hyde, 287; "... ex regina
autem Emma Aluredaum, beatus Edwardus inter viscera materna
conclusus utrique præfertur, ..." Ailred of Rievaulx, Genealogia
Regum Anglorum, PL 195: 741; "Aelfred fut dreit eir
par nessance" French Life of Edw. Conf., cited by
Plummer, ASC 2: 214, n. 2]. Others make Eadweard older ["...
Alfridus, minor natu, ..." Encomium Emmae Reginae
iii, 4, MGH SS 19: 522; "Pur Eadward, e pur Aluere. /
Eadward esteit li frere ainne," Gaimar, 4785-6]. The Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle mentions Eadweard first in 1013 ["æþelinge
Eadwarde & Ælfrede" ASC(E) s.a. 1013], and
Eadweard is mentioned first in the only two charters of Æthelred
in which Ælfred appears [Codex Dipl. Sax. 6: 166 (#1308) AD1013,
169 (#1309) AD1014; Barlow expresses doubt about both of these
charters, Barlow (1970), 30, n. 1]. More important, Eadweard
appears in a number of charters in which Ælfred is absent [see
Barlow (1970), 29]. Thus, it seems reasonably certain that
Eadweard was older.
Eadweard (Edward) "the Confessor",
b. 1002×5, d. 4 or 5 January 1066, king of England, 1042-1066;
m. 23 January 1045, Eadgyth, d. 18 December
1075, daughter of Godwine,
earl of Wessex.
Eadweard appears as a "witness" to two charters in
1005, when he must have still been an infant [Codex Dipl. Sax. 3:
345 (#714); 6: 153 (#1301)]. He became king of England on the
death of his maternal half-brother Harthcnut in 1042, and married
the daughter of earl Godwine in 1045 ["Her nam Ædward
cyng Godwines dohtor eorles him to cwene." ASC(E) s.a.
1043=1045; "& on þam ylcan gere Eadward cing nam
Eadgyþe Godwines eorles dohtor him to wife .x. hihtum ær
Candelmæssan." ASC(C) s.a. 1044 ("And in the
same year King Edward took Edith, the daughter of Earl Godwine,
as his wife 10 days before Candlemas." ASC(Eng), 164)].
Eadweard's death on 4 or 5 January 1066 was soon followed later
that year by the Norman conquest of England ["& se
cyng Eadward forðferde on twelfta mæsse æfen. & hine mann
bebyrgede on twelftan mæssw dæg. innan þære niwan halgodre
circean on Westmynstre." ASC(E) s.a. 1066 ("and
the king Edward passed away on the eve of Twelfth Night, and was
buried on Twelfth Night inside the newly consecrated church in
Westminster." ASC(Eng), 195-7); ASC(A,C,D); "Anglorum
decus, pacificus rex Eadwardus, Ægelredi regis filius, postquam
XXIII. annis, mensibus VI., et XXVII. diebus, potestate regia
præfuit Anglo-Saxonibus, indictione IV., Epiphaniæ Domini
vigilia [5 Jan.], feria V., mortem obiit Lundoniæ, et in
crastino sepultus regio more, ..." John Worc., s.a.
1066 (1: 224)]. Eadgyth died seven nights before Christmas in
1075 [ASC(E) s.a. 1075; ASC(D) s.a. 1076(=1075)]. The standard
biography of Edward the Confessor is by Barlow [Barlow (1970)].
Ælfred, d. 5 February 1036×7.
During the reign of Cnut, Ælfred was
exiled to Normandy with his brother Eadweard. After the death of
Cnut, Ælfred came to England seeking the throne, but was
captured (by the treachery of Godwine, it is said), and brought
before king Harold I, who had his eyes put out, from which he
shortly afterward died. [ASC(C,D) s.a. 1036; Guillaume de
Poitiers, i, 2-3 (pp. 4-5); GND vii, 6(9) (2: 107); John Worc.,
s.a. 1036 (1: 192); Sim. Durh., Hist. Regum, c. 133,
s.a. 1036 (2: 159); Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum, c. 188 (1:
229); Hen. Hunt. vi, 20, s.a. 1042 (p. 191)]. The various
conflicting accounts of Ælfred's death are discussed in detail
by Freeman [Freeman (1870-9), 1: 489-501, 779-787]. Ælfred's
obituary was celebrated at Ely on 5 February ["Obiit
Æluredus filius Æðelredi regis" Dickins (1937), 19;
ASC(Eng), 160, n. 1; Barlow (1970), 44, n. 4; van Houts, in a
note to GND 2: 107, n. 4, gives 7 Feb. (citing Barlow), probably
a misprint]. Barlow would place the death as more likely in 1037
than 1036 [Barlow (1970), 44, n. 4].
Godgifu/Goda;
m. (1) Dreux, d. 1035, count of Mantes;
m. (2) Eustace II, count of Boulogne.
Orderic Vitalis states that Dreux married
Godgifu (Godiova), sister of king Edward ["Præfatus
Drogo, ut dicitur, erat de prosapia Caroli Magni regis Francorum,
eique sæpedictus dux in conjugium dederat consobrinam suam
Godiovam, sororem Eduardi regis Anglorum, ex qua orti sunt
Radulfus et Gauterius comites, ac venerandus Fulco, præsul
Ambianensium." OV vii, 14 (3: 224)]. The fact that she
was also called a consobrina of duke Robert I of
Normandy ("sæpedictus dux") shows that she
was Æthelred's daughter by Emma of Normandy. The Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle and John of Worcester mention her marriage with Eustace
["On þam ylcan geare com Eustatius up æt Doferan, se
hæfde Eadwardes cynges sweostor to wife." ASC(D) s.a.
1052; "Bononiensis comes Eustatius senior, qui sororem
Eadwardi regis, Godam nomine, in conjugium habuerat, ..."
John Worc., s.a. 1051 (1: 204); similarly, Sim. Durh., Hist.
Regum, c. 138, s.a. 1051 (2: 166)]. William of Malmesbury
mentions both marriages, but inadvertently gives the first
husband's name as Walter (actually her son by Dreux) ["Eustachius
erat comes Bononiæ, pater Godefridi et Baldewini qui nosto
tempore reges apud Jerosolimam fuerunt: habebatque sororem regis
Godam legitimis nuptiis desponsatam, quæ ex altero viro, Waltero
Medantino, filium tulerat Radulfum, qui eo tempore erat comes
Herefordensis, ignavus et timidus, ..." Wm. Malmes., Gesta
Regum, c. 199 (1: 241)]. Dreux died as a companion of duke
Robert of Normandy on his pilgrimage in 1035 ["Walterius
Pontesiensium comes, filius Drogonis comitis, qui cum Rodberto
seniore Normannorum duce in Jerusalem ierat, et in illo itinere
peregrinus obierat, ..." OV iii, 8 (2: 102)]. Since
Gogifu's brother Ælfred appears to have sailed from Boulogne in
his expedition to England in 1036, Barlow suggests that Eustace
married Goda soon after the death of Dreux [Barlow (1970), 45, n.
3; see also ibid., 307-8].
Uncertain whether by
Emma or an earlier marriage:
There does not seem to be any good
evidence which marriage produced the following daughter.
Chronologically, she could be a daughter either of Emma or an
earlier marriage.
NN, abbess of Wherwell.
In 1051, when earl Godwine and his sons
were outlawed by king Eadweard "the Confessor", the
king put his wife Eadgyth under the keeping of the abbess of
Wherwell, whose name is not given [ASC(D) s.a. 1052=1051; John
Worc., s.a. 1051 (1: 207)]. The Peterborough manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle and William of Malmesbury state that the queen was
committed to the king's sister at Wherwell ["... &
betæhte hy his swyster to Hwerwillon." ASC(E) s.a.
1048=1051 ("and committed her to his sister at Wherwell"
ASC(Eng), 176); "... ipsa regis sorori apud Warewellam
in custodiam data, ..." Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum,
c. 199 (1: 243)].
Supposed son by first marriage (probably a mistake):
Eadweard (another son of that name),
fl. 1002, d. bef. ca. 1004.
There is a charter with a date of 984,
labelled as doubtful by Kemble, in which Æthelred is given two
sons named Eadweard ["Ego Æðelstan huic donationi
consensi. Ego Eadgar clito consensi. Ego Eadmund frater praedicti
clitonis adiuui. Ego Eadweard clito faui. Ego Eadward filius
regis libens annui. Ego Eadwig frater clitonum annotaui."
Codex Dipl. Sax. 3: 204 (#643)]. Stevenson called the charter
spurious and Finberg called it genuine, but dated to 1006×9
[Sawyer (1968), 265 (#854)]. Another charter listed as doubtful
by Kemble with a date of 990 also has a son named Eadweard
["Ego Æðelstan clito. Ego Ecbyrht clito. Ego Eadmund
clito. Eadred clito. Ego Eadwig clito. Ego Eadgar clito. Ego
Eadward clito." Codex Dipl. Sax. 3: 250 (#672); not
listed by Sawyer (1968)]. More important is an apparently genuine
charter dated 1002 which lists a son Eadweard ["Ego
Æðelstanus filius regis. Ego Ecbyrhtus filius regis. Ego
Eadmundus filius regis. Ego Eadweardus filius regis. Ego Eadwius
filius regis. Ego Eadgarus filius regis." Codex Dipl.
Sax. 6: 146 (#1297)]. It has been argued that this son Eadweard
could not be Eadweard the Confessor, and that Æthelred therefore
also had an earlier son named Eadweard who died young [Freeman
(1870-9), 1: 686-7; Searle (1899), 350]. While it might also be
argued that this last charter shows Eadweard the Confessor
"witnessing" a charter as a newborn infant, it seems
more likely that the name "Eadred" was miscopied as
"Eadweard" at some point (the charter exists only in
thirteenth century copies [Sawyer (1968), 275 (#900)]), since
"Eadweard" here appears in the list between Eadmund and
Eadwig, the position usually occupied by Eadred. Thus, there
seems to be no good reason to place Æthelred with a son named
Eadweard by an earlier marriage.
Supposed relative of
son Eadweard: Odda,
d. 31 August 1056, earl of Devon.
He is stated by William of Malmesbury to
have been a cognatus of the king (Eadweard the
Confessor) ["... Odo et Radulfus comites et regis
cognati." Wm. Malmes., Gesta Regum, c. 199 (1:
243)]. It is unclear whether Odda was a relative of Eadweard's
mother Emma or of Æthelred's mother. Thus, it is difficult to
use the statement about Odda's relationship as a clue for further
research [For more on Odda, see Freeman 2: 415, 580ff; Searle
(1899), 443 (#62)].
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.
ASC(Eng) = Michael Swanton, ed. & trans., The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles (London, 2000).
Barlow (1970) = Frank Barlow, Edward the Confessor (Berkeley & Los Angeles, 1970).
Codex Dipl. Sax. = John M. Kemble, ed., Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici, 6 vols. (London, 1839-48).
Dickins (1937) = Bruce Dickins, "The day of Byrhtnoth's death and other obits from a twelfth-century Ely kalendar", Leeds Studies in English and Kindred Languages 6 (1937): 14-24.
Dumville (1986) = David N. Dumville, "The West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List: Manuscripts and Texts", Anglia 104 (1986): 1-32.
Dumville (2007) = David N. Dumville, "The death of king Edward the Martyr - 18 March, 979?", Anglo-Saxon 1 (Aberdeen, 2007), 269-284. [I have not seen this article]
Freeman (1870-9) = Edward A. Freeman, The History of the Norman Conquest of England (5 vols. + index vol., Oxford, 1870-9).
Gaimar = Thomas Duffus Hardy & Charles Trice Martin, ed. & trans., Lestorie des Engles solum la translacion Maistre Geffrei Gaimar, 2 vols. (London 1888-9). Cited by line number, which is the same in both text (volume 1) and translation (volume 2).
GND = Guillaume de Jumièges, Gesta Normannorum Ducum, as edited in Elisabeth van Houts, ed. & trans., The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni, 2 vols., (Oxford, 1992).
Guillaume de Poiters = R.H.C. Davis and Marjorie Chibnall, ed. & trans, The Gesta Guillelmi of William of Poitiers (Oxford, New York, 1998).
Hen. Hunt. = Thomas Arnold, ed., Henrici Archidiaconi Huntendunensis Historia Anglorum. The History of the English, by Henry, Archdeacon of Huntingdon (Rolls Series 74, London, 1879).
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.)
Keynes (1980) = Simon Keynes, The Diplomas of King Æthelred 'the Unready' (Cambridge, 1980).
Lappenberg (1834-1881) = J. M. Lappenberg, A History of England under the Anglo-Saxon Kings (translated by Benjamin Thorpe, new edition by E. C. Otté), 2 vols. (London, 1881, orig. pub. 1834).
Lib. Monast. Hyde = Edward Edwards, ed., Liber Monasterii de Hyda: a Chronicle and Chartulary of Hyde Abbey, Winchester, 455-1023 (Rolls Series 45, London, 1866).
Lib. Vit. Hyde = Walter de Gray Birch, Liber Vitae: Register and Martyrology of New Minister and Hyde Abbey Winchester (London, 1892).
MGH SS = Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores series.
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.
PL = P. Migne, Patrologiae Cursus Completus, series Latina, 221 vols. (Paris, 1844-1859).
Sawyer (1968) = P. H. Sawyer, Anglo-Saxon Charters. An Annotated List and Bibliography (London, 1968).
Searle (1899) = William George Searle, Anglo-Saxon Bishops, Kings and Nobles (Cambridge, 1899).
Thorpe (1865) = Benjamin Thorpe, ed., Diplomatarium Anglicum Ævi Saxonici (London, 1865).
Williams (2003) = Ann Williams, Æthelred the Unready - The Ill-Counselled King (London & New York, 2003).
Wm. Malmes, Gesta Pont. = N. E. S. A. Hamilton, ed., Willelmi Malmesbiriensis Monachi de Gestiis Pontificum Anglorum libri quinque (Rolls Series 52, London, 1870).
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). [I lack easy access to the more recent edition of William of Malmesbury's work edited by Mynors, Thomson, & Winterbottom.]
Compiled by Stewart Baldwin
First uploaded 20 June 2010.
Minor revision uploaded 4 July 2010 (added obituary of Ælfred from Dickins article, coutesy of James Hansen).