Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria
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Waltheof | |
---|---|
Gospatrick of Northumbria | |
Successor | Walcher |
Died | 31 May 1076 St. Giles's Hill, Winchester |
Buried | Crowland Abbey |
Spouse(s) | Judith of Lens |
Issue | Maud, Countess of Huntingdon Adelise |
Father | Siward, Earl of Northumbria |
Mother | Ælfflaed |
Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria (
Early life
Waltheof was the second son of
Waltheof was said to be devout and charitable and was probably educated for a
First revolt
When
The Domesday Book of 1086 mentions Waltheof ("Walleff"): "'In Hallam ["Halun"], one manor with its sixteen hamlets, there are twenty-nine carucates [~14 km²] to be taxed. There Earl Waltheof had an "Aula" [hall or court]. There may have been about twenty ploughs. This land Roger de Busli holds of the Countess Judith" (Hallam, or Hallamshire, is now part of the city of Sheffield).
In 1072, William expelled Gospatric from the earldom of Northumbria. Gospatric was Waltheof's cousin and had taken part in the attack on York with him, but like Waltheof, had been pardoned by William. Gospatric fled into exile and William appointed Waltheof as the new earl. Construction of Durham Castle began under Waltheof in 1072 after receiving orders to commence this project from William. The castle would be significantly expanded by Bishop Walcher and his successors in later years.[2]
Waltheof had many enemies in the north. Amongst them was the family of
Second revolt and execution
In 1075 Waltheof was said to have joined the Revolt of the Earls against William. His motives for taking part in the revolt are unclear, as is the depth of his involvement. Some sources say that he told his wife - The Countess Judith - about the plot and that she then informed Archbishop Lanfranc who then told his uncle William, who was at the time in Normandy. Other sources say that it was Waltheof who told the bishop of the plot. On William's return from Normandy, Waltheof was arrested, brought twice before the king's court and sentenced to death.[1]
He spent almost a year in confinement before being beheaded on 31 May 1076 at St. Giles's Hill, near Winchester.[1] He was said to have spent the months of his captivity in prayer and fasting. Many people believed in his innocence and were surprised when the execution was carried out. His body was initially thrown into a ditch, but was later retrieved and buried in the chapter house of Crowland Abbey in Lincolnshire. Despite confessing to his part in the rebellion, one contributing factor in his execution for treason was that his wife, and William's niece, Judith, did not like him or trust his loyalty to William.[3]
An otherwise unknown Norse poet, Þorkell Skallason, composed a memorial poem—Valþjófsflokkr—for Waltheof, his lord. Two stanzas of this poem are preserved in Heimskringla, Hulda-Hrokkinskinna and, partially, Fagrskinna. The first of the two stanzas says that Waltheof made a hundred retainers of William burn in hot fire - "a scorching evening for the men" - and wolves ate the corpses of the Normans. The second says that William betrayed Waltheof and had him killed.[4]
Cult of martyrdom
In 1092, after a fire in the chapter house, the abbot had Waltheof's body moved to a prominent place in the abbey church. When the coffin was opened, it is reported that the corpse was found to be intact with the severed head re-joined to the trunk.[5] This was regarded as a miracle, and the abbey, which had a financial interest in the matter began to publicise it. As a result, pilgrims began to visit Waltheof's tomb. He was commemorated on 31 August.[6][7]
After a few years, healing miracles were reputed to occur in the vicinity of Waltheof's tomb, often involving the restoration of the pilgrim's lost sight. They are described in the Miracula Sancti Waldevi. Waltheof's life thus became the subject of popular media, heroic but inaccurate accounts being preserved in the Vita et Passio Waldevi comitis,[8] a Middle English Waltheof saga, since lost, and the Anglo-Norman Roman de Waldef.[9]
Family and children
In 1070 Waltheof married Countess Judith de Lens, daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens and Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale. Countess Judith was the niece of William the Conqueror. Waltheof and Judith had three children:
- Maud de Lens aka Matilda (1074-1130), the eldest, took the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband, David I of Scotland.
- Judith (1075-1137)
- Adelese (Alice of Northumbria) (c. 1075/76-1126) married the Anglo-Norman noble Raoul III of Tosny.
One of Waltheof's grandsons was Saint Waltheof (died 1159), abbot of Melrose.[1]
In popular culture
- Waltheof was portrayed by actor Marcus Gilbert in the TV drama Blood Royal: William the Conqueror (1990).
- Waltheof is the subject of Juliet Dymoke's 1970 historical novel Of the Ring of Earls
- Waltheof is a major character in Elizabeth Chadwick's 2002 historical novel The Winter Mantle
- Waltheof is a character in Parke Godwin's 1991 historical novel Sherwood
References
- ^ a b c d e Chisholm 1911.
- ^ "Durham Castle". Durham World Heritage Site. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
- ^ E. Freeman, A Short History of the Norman Conquest of England (Oxford, 1880), 6.
- ^ Þorkell Skallason. Valþjófsflokkr. Edited by Kari Ellen Gade. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages II. Poetry from the Kings' Sagas 2. Turnhout: Brepols. Pp. 382–384.
- ISBN 185285250X
- ^ "Den hellige Waldef av Croyland ( -1076)". Den katolske kirke. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ISBN 978-0199596607. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ 'Vita et Passio Waldevi Comitis' (with the Miracula), in F. Michel (ed.), Chroniques Anglo-Normandes, Vol. II (Éduard Frère, Rouen 1836), pp. 99-142 (Internet Archive).
- ^ A.J. Holden (ed.), Le Roman de Waldef, Bibliotheca Bodmeriana, Textes, 5 (Coligny-Genève, Fondation Martin Bodmer 1984).
Sources
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Waltheof". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 299. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Chronicle of Britain ISBN 1-872031-35-8
- Hunt, William (1899). Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 58. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In
- Lewis, C. P. "Waltheof, earl of Northumbria (c. 1050–1076)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/28646. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Joseph Bain, ed, Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland Preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, London.(Edinburgh: H M General Register House, 1881), I:3, Digital Image Internet Archive http://thehennesseefamily.com/getperson.php?personID=I53812&tree=hennessee accessed 10 April 2021). No 13.