Ælfgifu of York
Ælfgifu of York | |
---|---|
Queen consort of the English | |
Tenure | 980s–1002 |
Born | fl. c. 970 |
Died | c. 1002 |
Spouse | Æthelred the Unready |
Issue | Æthelstan Ætheling Ecgberht of England Edmund, King of England Eadred Ætheling Eadwig Ætheling Edgar of England Edith, Lady of the Mercians Ælfgifu, Lady of Northumbria Wulfhilda, Lady of East Anglia |
Father | Thored, Earl of Southern Northumbria |
Ælfgifu of York (fl. c. 970 – 1002) was the first wife of
Identity and background
Her name and paternity do not surface in the sources until sometime after the Conquest. The first to offer any information at all,
Problem of fatherhood
These two accounts are irreconcilable at the point of ascribing two different fathers to Æthelred's first wife (in both cases, Edmund's mother). One way out of it would be to assume the existence of two different wives before the arrival of Queen Emma, Æthelred's Norman wife, although this interpretation presents difficulties of its own, especially as the sources envisage a single woman.[5] Historians generally favour the view that John of Worcester was in error about the father's name, as Æthelberht's very existence is under suspicion:[6] if Latin comes is to be interpreted as a gloss on the office of ealdorman, only two doubtful references to one or two duces (ealdormen) of this name can be put forward that would fit the description.[7] All in all, the combined evidence suggests that Æthelred's first wife was Ælfgifu, the daughter of Earl Thored. This magnate is likely to have been the Thored who was a son of Gunnar and earl of (southern) Northumbria.[8]
Marriage and children
Based largely on the careers of her sons, Ælfgifu's marriage has been dated approximately to the (mid-)980s.[8] Considering Thored's authority as earl of York and apparently, the tenure of that office without royal appointment, the union would have signified an important step for the West-Saxon royal family by which it secured a foothold in the north.[9] Such a politically weighty union would help explain the close connections maintained by Ælfgifu's eldest sons Edmund and Æthelstan with noble families based in the northern Danelaw.[10]
The marriage produced six sons, all of whom were named after Æthelred's predecessors, and an unknown number of daughters. The eldest sons Æthelstan, Ecgberht, Eadred and Edmund first attest charters in 993, while the younger sons Eadwig and Edgar first make an appearance in them in 997 and 1001 respectively.
Edmund Ironside outlived his father and became king. In 1016 he suffered several defeats against
Sons
- Æthelstan Ætheling (born before 993, d. 1014)
- Ecgberht(born before 993, d. 1005)
- Edmund (II) Ironside (born before 993, d. 1016)
- Eadred (d. 1012 x 1015)
- Eadwig (born before 997, exiled and killed 1017)
- Edgar(born before 1001, d. 1012 x 1015)
Daughters
- Eadgyth (born before 993), married Eadric Streona, ealdorman of Mercia.[14]
- Ælfgifu, married ealdorman Uhtred of Northumbria.[15]
- (possibly) Wulfhild, who married Ulfcytel (Snillingr) (d. 1016), apparently ealdorman of East Anglia.[16]
- possibly an unnamed daughter who married the Æthelstan who was killed fighting the Danes at the Battle of Ringmere in 1010. He is called Æthelred's aðum, meaning either son-in-law or brother-in-law.[16] Ann Williams, however, argues that the latter meaning is the appropriate one and refers to Æthelstan as being Ælfgifu's brother.[8]
- possibly unnamed daughter, who became abbess of Wherwell.[17]
Life and death
Unlike her mother-in-law,
Notes
- ^ Sulcard of Winchester, Prologus de construccione Westmonasterii, ed. Scholz, pp. 74, 89; Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 169, note 30.
- ^ John of Worcester, Chronicon ex Chronicis (West-Saxon regnal list at the end of Chronicle).
- ^ '[...] cum jam de filia Torethi nobilissimi comitis filium suscepisset Edmundum.'--Ailred of Rievaulx, Genealogia regum Anglorum.
- ^ Keynes, “Æthelred.”
- ^ This possibility is raised, for instance, by Stafford, Queen Emma, p. 66 and 66 note 3. It is also considered, but subsequently rejected by Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 25.
- ^ Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 25; Keynes, “Æthelred”; Handbook of British Chronology, p. 27.
- ^ His name is only attested for an ealdorman (dux) on the witness lists for two spurious royal charters relating to grants in Tavistock and Exeter. S 838 (AD 981) and S 954 (AD 1019). The latter subscription may be an error for Æthelweard; see Williams, Æthelred the Unready. p. 169 note 29.
- ^ a b c Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 24.
- ^ Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 24-5.
- ^ Keynes, “Æthelred”; Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 25.
- ^ S 876 (AD 993), S 891 (AD 997), S 899 (AD 1001).
- ^ Keynes, “Æthelred”
- ^ Stafford, The Reign of Æthelred II.34-5.
- ^ John of Worcester, Chronicon, AD 1009.
- De Obsessione Dunelmi§ 2; Handbook of British Chronology, p. 27.
- ^ a b Handbook of British Chronology, p. 27.
- ^ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (MS E) 1048; Handbook of British Chronology, p. 27.
- ^ Ryan Lavelle, Aethelred II: King of the English, The History Press, 2008, p. 56
- ^ S 1511 (975 or 980 x 987).
- ^ S 1497 (c. AD 990x 1001).
- ^ It has been suggested that she died in giving birth. Trow, Cnut: Emperor of the North, p. 54.
Sources
Primary sources
- Ailred of Rievaulx, De genealogia regum Anglorum ("On the Genealogy of the English Kings"), ed. R. Twysden, De genealogia regum Anglorum. Rerum Anglicarum scriptores 10. London, 1652. 1.347–70. Patrologia Latina 195 (711–38) edition available from Documenta Catholica; tr. M. L. Dutton and J. P. Freeland, Aelred of Rievaulx, The Historical Works. Kalamazoo, 2005.
- Anglo-Saxon charters
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, ed. D. Dumville and S. Keynes, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: a collaborative edition. 8 vols. Cambridge, 1983
- Tr. Michael J. Swanton, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. 2nd ed. London, 2000.
- John of Worcester, Chronicon ex Chronicis, ed. Benjamin Thorpe, Florentii Wigorniensis monachi chronicon ex chronicis. 2 vols. London, 1848–49
- Tr. J. Stevenson, Church Historians of England. 8 vols.: vol. 2.1. London, 1855; pp. 171–372.
- Sulcard of Westminster, Prologus de construccione Westmonasterii, ed. B. W. Scholz, “Sulcard of Westminster. Prologus de construccione Westmonasterii.” Traditio; 20 (1964); pp. 59–91.
- William of Malmesbury, Gesta regum Anglorum, ed. and tr. R. A. B. Mynors, R. M. Thomson and M. Winterbottom, William of Malmesbury. Gesta Regum Anglorum: The History of the English Kings. (Oxford Medieval Texts.) 2 vols.; vol 1. Oxford, 1998.
Secondary sources
- Fryde, E. et al. Handbook of British Chronology. 3d ed. Cambridge, 1996.
- Keynes, Simon. “Æthelred II (c.966x8–1016).” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press, 200.4 Accessed 1 Sept 2007.
- Stafford, Pauline. "The Reign of Æthelred II. A Study in the Limitations on Royal Policy and Action." In Ethelred the Unready. Papers from the Millenary Conference, ed. D. Hill. BAR British series 59. Oxford, 1978. 15–46.
- Stafford, Pauline. Queen Emma and Queen Edith: Queenship and Women’s Power in Eleventh-Century England. Oxford, 1997.
- Trow, M.J. Cnut: Emperor of the North. Sutton, 2005.
- Williams, Ann. Æthelred the Unready: The Ill-Counselled King. London, 2003.