Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Ealdorman of York

Notes:

Thored
Ealdorman of York
Reign c. 964/974x979–992x994
Predecessor Oslac (?)
Successor Ælfhelm
Born unknown
unknown
Died 992x994 (?)
Burial unknown
Issue Ælfgifu (died 1002)
Æthelstan (died 1010)
Father Gunnar (probable)/
Oslac (potential)
Mother unknown
Thored
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thored (Old English: Ðoreð or Þoreð; fl. 979–992) was a
10th-century ealdorman of York, ruler of the southern half of
the old Kingdom of Northumbria on behalf of the king of
England. He was the son of either Gunnar or Oslac, northern
ealdormen. If he was the former, he may have attained
adulthood by the 960s, when a man of his name raided
Westmorland. Other potential appearances in the records are
likewise uncertain until 979, the point from which Thored's
period as ealdorman can be accurately dated.
Although historians differ in their opinions about his
relationship, if any, to Kings Edgar the Peaceable and
Edward the Martyr, it is generally thought that he enjoyed a
good relationship with King Æthelred II. His daughter
Ælfgifu married Æthelred. Thored was ealdorman in
Northumbria for much of his reign, disappearing from the
sources in 992 after being appointed by Æthelred to lead an
expedition against the Vikings.
Contents
1 Origins
2 Ealdorman
3 Death
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Origins
Thored appears to have been of at least partially Scandinavian origin, suggested by the title applied to him in
the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for 992. Here, the ealdorman of Hampshire is called by the English title
"ealdorman", while Thored himself is styled by the Scandinavian word eorl (i.e. Earl).[1]
Two accounts of Thored's origins have been offered by modern historians. The first is that he was a son of
Oslac, ealdorman of York from 966 until his exile in 975.[2] This argument is partly based on the assertion by
the Historia Eliensis, that Oslac had a son named Thorth (i.e. "Thored").[3] The other suggestion, favoured by
most historians, is that he was the son of a man named Gunnar.[4] This Gunnar is known to have held land in
the East and North Ridings of Yorkshire.[5]
If the latter suggestion is correct, then Thored's first appearance in history is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
recension D (EF)'s entry for 966, which recorded the accession of Oslac to the ealdormanry of southern
Northumbria:
The area shaded under "Jorvik"
(York), probably corresponds very
roughly with Thored's territory of
southern Northumbria; it should be
noted that the Danelaw as a territory
is a modern construct, though
Yorkshire was in the area where Dena
lagu ("Scandinavian law") was
practised
O: Draped bust of
Æthelred II left.
+ÆĐELRED REX
ANGLOR
R: Long cross.
+EADǷOLD MO CÆNT
'LonCross' penny of Æthelred II , moneyer Eadwold,
Canterbury, c. 997-1003. The cross made cutting the
coin into half-pennies or farthings (quarter-pennies)
easier. (Note spelling Eadƿold in inscription, using
Anglo-Saxon letter wynn in place of modern w.)
In this year, Thored, Gunnar's son, harried Westmoringa
land, and, in this same year, Oslac succeeded to the office
of ealdorman.[6]
The Anglo-Saxon scholar Frank Stenton believed that this was an act of
regional faction-fighting, rather than, as had been suggested by others,
Thored carrying out the orders of King Edgar the Peaceable.[7] This
entry is, incidentally, the first mention of Westmoringa land, that is,
Westmorland.[7] Gunnar seems to have been ealdorman earlier in the
decade, for in one charter (surviving only in a later cartulary) dated to
963 and three Abingdon charters dated to 965, an ealdorman (dux)
called Gunnar is mentioned.[8]
Thored may be the Thored who appears for the first time in charter
attestations during the reign of King Edgar (959–75), his earliest
possible appearance being in 964, witnessing a grant of land in Kent by
King Edgar to St Peter's, Ghent. This is uncertain because the
authenticity of this particular charter is unclear.[9] A charter issued by
Edgar in 966, granting land in Oxfordshire to a woman named Ælfgifu,
has an illegible ealdorman witness signature beginning with Þ, which may be Thored.[10]
Ealdorman
Thored's governorship as ealdorman, based on charter
attestations, cannot be securely dated before 979.[11] He did
attest royal charters during the reign of Æthelred II, the first
in 979,[12] six in 983,[13] one in 984,[14] three in 985,[15] one
in 988,[16] appearing in such attestations for the last time in
989.[12] It is possible that such appearances represent more
than one Thored, though that is not a generally accepted
theory.[17] His definite predecessor, Oslac, was expelled
from England in 975.[18] The historian Richard Fletcher
thought that Oslac's downfall may have been the result of
opposing the succession of Edward the Martyr, enemy and
brother of Æthelred II.[19] What is known about Thored's
time as ealdorman is that he did not have a good relationship
with Oswald, Archbishop of York (971–92). In a
memorandum written by Oswald, a group of estates
belonging to the archdiocese of York was listed, and Oswald
noted that "I held them all until Thored came to power; then
was St Peter [to whom York was dedicated] robbed".[20] One of the estates allegedly lost was Newbald, an
estate given by King Edgar to a man named Gunnar, suggesting to historian Dorothy Whitelock that Thored
may just have been reclaiming land "wrongly alienated from his family".[21]
His relationship with King Edgar is unclear, particularly given the uncertainty of Thored's paternity, Oslac
being banished from England in 975, the year of Edgar's death.[2] Richard Fletcher, who thought Thored was
the son of Gunnar, argued that Thored's raid on Westmorland was caused by resentment derived from losing out
Modern imaginative depiction of the
ship of Óláfr Tryggvason, the "Long
Serpent" (Illustration by Halfan
Egedius)
on the ealdormanry to Oslac, and that Edgar thereafter confiscated various territories as punishment.[5] The
evidence for this is that Newbald, granted by Edgar to Gunnar circa 963, was bought by Archbishop Osketel
from the king sometime before 971, implying that the king had seized the land.[5]
Thored's relationship with the English monarchy under Æthelred II seems to have been good. Ælfgifu, the first
wife of King Æthelred II, was probably Thored's daughter.[22] Evidence for this is that in the 1150s Ailred of
Rievaulx in his De genealogia regum Anglorum wrote that the wife of Æthelred II was the daughter of an
ealdorman (comes) called Thored (Thorth).[23] Historian Pauline Stafford argued that this marriage was
evidence that Thored had been a local rather than royal appointment to the ealdormanry of York, and that
Æthelred II's marriage was an attempt to woo Thored.[24] Stafford was supported in this argument by Richard
Fletcher.[25]
Death
The date of Thored's death is uncertain, but his last historical
appearance came in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, recension C (D, E),
under the year 992, which reported the death of Archbishop Oswald and
an expedition against a marauding Scandinavian fleet:
In this year the holy Archbishop Oswald left this life and
attained the heavenly life, and Ealdorman Æthelwine [of
East Anglia] died in the same year. Then the king and all
his counsellors decreed that all the ships that were any use
should be assembled at London. And the king then
entrusted the expedition to the leadership of Ealdorman
Ælfric (of Hampshire), Earl Thored and Bishop Ælfstan
[.of London or of Rochester.] and Bishop Æscwig [of
Dorchester], and they were to try if they could entrap the
Danish army anywhere at sea. Then Ealdorman Ælfric sent
someone to warn the enemy, and then in the night before
the day on which they were to have joined battle, he
absconded by night from the army, to his own disgrace, and
then the enemy escaped, except that the crew of one ship
was slain. And then the Danish army encountered the ships
from East Anglia and from London, and they made a great
slaughter there and captured the ship, all armed and
equipped, on which the ealdorman was.[26]
Scandinavians led by Óláfr Tryggvason had been raiding England's coast since the previous year, when they
killed Ealdorman Brihtnoth of Essex at the Battle of Maldon.[27]
Historians think that Thored was either killed fighting these Scandinavians, or else survived, but became
disgraced through defeat or treachery.[28] Fletcher speculated that Thored was removed from office and
replaced by the Mercian Ælfhelm as a result of his failure against the Scandinavians.[29] Another historian,
William Kapelle, believed Thored was removed because of his Scandinavian descent, an argument based on the
Worcester Chronicle's claim, added to the text borrowed from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, that Fræna, Godwine
and Frythegyst fled a battle against the Danes in the following year because "they were Danish on their father's
side".[30]
A man named Æthelstan who died at the Battle of Ringmere in 1010, "the king's aþum", was probably Thored's
son.[31] The term aþum means either "son-in-law" or "brother-in-law", so this Æthelstan could also have been
Thored's grandson by an unknown intermediary.[32] Thored's immediate successor was Ælfhelm, who appears
witnessing charters as ealdorman from 994.[33]
Notes
1. Whitelock, "Dealings of the Kings", p. 79; entry
quoted below
2. ASC MS D (http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/d/d-L.html), E (htt
p://asc.jebbo.co.uk/e/e-L.html), retrieved 2009-03-26,
s.a. 966, 975; Oslac 7 (http://pase.ac.uk/jsp/DisplayPer
son.jsp?personKey=7707), Prosopography of Anglo-
Saxon England (PASE), retrieved 2009-03-26;
Williams, Smyth and Kirby, Biographical Dictionary,
s.v. "Oslac ealdorman 963–75", p. 194, s.v. "Thored
ealdorman 979–92", p. 223
3. Fletcher, Bloodfeud, pp. 70–1; Whitelock, "Dealings of
the Kings", pp. 77–8
4. Fletcher, Bloodfeud, p. 71; Stenton, "Pre-Conquest
Westmorland", p. 218; Woolf, Pictland to Alba, p. 211
5. Fletcher, Bloodfeud, p. 71
6. ASC MS D (http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/d/d-L.html),
retrieved 2009-03-26, s.a. 966; Stenton, "Pre-Conquest
Westmorland", p. 218; Whitelock,E nglish Historical
Documents, vol. i, p. 227
7. Stenton, "Pre-Conquest Westmorland", p. 218
8. Whitelock, "Dealings of the Kings", p. 78
9. Sawyer 728 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
eek&query=S+728), Anglo-Saxons.net, retrieved
2009-03-26
10. Sawyer 738 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
eek&query=S+738), Anglo-Saxons.net, retrieved
2009-03-26; Keynes, Atlas of Attestations, Table LVI
(2 of 3)
11. Fletcher, Bloodfeud, p. 70
12. Sawyer 834 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
eek&query=S+834), Anglo-Saxons.net, retrieved
2009-03-26
13. Sawyer 848 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
eek&query=S+848); Sawyer 846 (http://www.anglo-sa
xons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+846;) Sawyer 844
(http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=
S+844); Sawyer 851 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwa
et/?do=seek&query=S+851); Sawyer 843 (http://www.
anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+843;)
Sawyer 845 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
eek&query=S+845), Anglo-Saxons.net, retrieved
2009-03-26
14. Sawyer 855 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
eek&query=S+855), Anglo-Saxons.net, retrieved
2009-03-26
15. Sawyer 856 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
eek&query=S+856); Sawyer 858 (http://www.anglo-sa
xons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+858;) Sawyer 860
(http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=
S+860), Anglo-Saxons.net, retrieved 2009-03-26
16. Sawyer 872 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
16. Sawyer 872 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
eek&query=S+872), Anglo-Saxons.net, retrieved
2009-03-26
17. Thored 4 (http://pase.ac.uk/jsp/DisplayPerson.jsp?pers
onKey=7822), Thored 5 (http://pase.ac.uk/jsp/Display
Person.jsp?personKey=12627), Thored 6 (http://pase.a
c.uk/jsp/DisplayPerson.jsp?personKey=1845) and
Thored 7 (http://pase.ac.uk/jsp/DisplayPerson.jsp?pers
onKey=15414), PASE, retrieved 2009-03-26; compare
Keynes, Atlas of Attestations, Tables LVI and LXII
18. Fletcher, Bloodfeud, p. 44; see also William, Smyth &
Kirby, Biographical Dictionary, s.v. "Oslac, ealdorman
963–75", p. 194; Whitelock, Historical Documents,
vol. i, p. 229
19. Fletcher, Bloodfeud, p. 45
20. Whitelock, "Dealings of the Kings", p. 79
21. Whitelock, "Dealings of the Kings", p. 79. n. 6
22. Williams, Smyth and Kirby, Biographical Dictionary,
s.v. "Thored ealdorman 979–92", p. 223
23. Keynes, "Æthelred II"; Whitelock, "Dealings of the
Kings", p. 80
24. Stafford, Unification and Conquest, pp. 57–8
25. Fletcher, Bloodfeud, p. 72
26. Whitelock (ed.), English Historical Documents, vol. i,
p. 234; ASC MS C (http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/c/c-L.html),
D (http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/d/d-L.html), E (http://asc.jebb
o.co.uk/e/e-L.html), retrieved 2009-03-26, s.a. 992
27. Whitelock (ed.), English Historical Documents, vol. i,
p. 234; ASC MS A (http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/a/a-L.html),
which gives Óláfr's name as the leader; alsoM S C (htt
p://asc.jebbo.co.uk/c/c-L.html), D (http://asc.jebbo.co.u
k/d/d-L.html), E (http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/e/e-L.html),
retrieved 2009-03-26, s.a. 991
28. Fletcher, Bloodfeud, p. 72; Kapelle, Norman Conquest,
pp. 14–5; Stafford, Unification and Conquest, p. 60;
Whitelock, "Dealings of the Kings", p. 80
29. Fletcher, Bloodfeud, pp. 72–3
30. Darlington and McGurk, Chronicle of John of
Worcester, vol. ii, pp. 442, 443; Kapelle,N orman
Conquest, p. 15
31. Suggested in Williams, Smyth and Kirby, Biographical
Dictionary, s.v. "Thored ealdorman 979–92", p. 223
32. Whitelock (ed.), English Historical Documents, vol. i,
p. 243, n. 4
33. Sawyer 880 (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=s
eek&query=S+880); Sawyer 881 (http://www.anglo-sa
xons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+881,) Anglo-
Saxons.net, retrieved 2009-03-22; Keynes, Atlas of
Attestations, Table LXII (1 of 2)
References
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: An edition with TEI P4 markup, expressed in XML and translated to XHTML1.1 using
XSL, Tony Jebson, 2007, retrieved 2009-03-26
Fletcher, Richard (2003), Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England, London: Penguin Books, ISBN 0-
14-028692-6
Kapelle, William E. (1979), The Norman Conquest of the North: The Region and Its rTansformation, 1000–1135,
London: Croom Helm Ltd, ISBN 0-7099-0040-6
Keynes, Simon (2002), An Atlas of Attestations in Anglo-Saxon Charters, c. 670–106,6 ASNC Guides, Texts, and
Studies, 5, Cambridge: Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Studies, University of CambridgIeS,B N 0-
9532697-6-0, ISSN 1475-8520
Miller, Sean, New Regesta Regum Anglorum, Anglo-Saxons.net, retrieved 2009-03-26
Stafford, Pauline (1989), Unification and Conquest: A Political and Social History of England in thee Tnth and Eleventh
Centuries, London: Edward Arnold, ISBN 0-7131-6532-4
Stenton, Frank (1970), "Preconquest Westmorland", in Stenton, Dorothy Mary, Preparatory to 'Anglo-Saxon England':
Being the Collected Papers of Frank Merry Stento,n Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 214–23,I SBN 0-19-822314-5,
reprinted from Royal Commission on Historical Monuments: Westmorland, 1936, pp. xlviii–lv
Whitelock, Dorothy (1959), "The Dealings of the Kings of England with Northumbria", in Clemoes, Pet,e Trhe Anglo-
Saxons: Studies in some Aspects of their History and Cultuer presented to Bruce Dickins, London: Bowes & Bowes,
pp. 707–88
Whitelock, Dorothy, ed. (1979), English Historical Documents. [Vol.1], c.500–1042, London: Eyre and Spottiswoode,
ISBN 0-19-520101-9
Williams, Ann; Smyth, Alfred P.; Kirby, D. P. (1991), A Biographical Dictionary of Dark Age Britain: England,
Scotland and Wales, c.500–c.1050, London: Seaby, ISBN 1-85264-047-2
Woolf, Alex (2007), From Pictland to Alba, 789–1070, The New Edinburgh History of Scotland, Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press, ISBN 978-0-7486-1234-5
External links
Thored 7 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England; see also Thored 4, Thored 5, Thored 6
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Oslac (?)
Ealdorman of York
x 979–992 x 994
Succeeded by
Ælfhelm
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thored&oldid=783502675"
Categories: 990s deaths Earls and ealdormen of York
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Family/Spouse: Unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Queen of England
• FSID: LJY6-1HD

Notes:

Ælfgifu of York
Queen consort of England
Tenure 980s–1002
Born fl. c. 970
Died c. 1002
Spouse Æthelred the Unready
Issue Æthelstan Ætheling
Ecgberht of England
Edmund Ironside
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
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ælfgifu of York (fl. c. 970 – 1002) was the first wife of
Æthelred the Unready (r. 968–1016), by whom she bore
many offspring, including Edmund Ironside. It is most
probable that she was a daughter of Thored, Earl of southern
Northumbria.
Contents
1 Identity and background
1.1 Problem of fatherhood
2 Marriage and children
2.1 Sons
2.2 Daughters
3 Life and death
4 Notes
5 Sources
5.1 Primary sources
5.2 Secondary sources
6 External links
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, Sulcard of Westminster (fl. 1080s), merely describes her as being “of very noble English
stock” (ex nobilioribus Anglis), without naming her,[1] while in the early 12th century, William of Malmesbury
has nothing to report. All primary evidence comes from two Anglo-Norman historians. John of Worcester, also
writing in the early 12th century, states that Æthelred's first wife was Ælfgifu, daughter of the nobleman
Æthelberht (comes Agelberhtus) and the mother of Edmund, Æthelstan, Eadwig and Eadgyth.[2] Writing in the
1150s, Ailred of Rievaulx identifies her as a daughter of earl (comes) Thored and the mother of Edmund,
though he supplies no name.[3] Ailred had been seneschal at the court of King David I of Scotland (r. 1124–53),
whose mother Margaret descended from King Æthelred and his first wife. Although his testimony is late, his
proximity to the royal family may have given him access to genuine information.[4]
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.[11]
Some of these sons seem to have spent part of their childhood in fosterage elsewhere, possibly with Æthelred's
mother Ælfthryth.[12]
Out of Ælfgifu's six sons, only Edmund Ironside outlived his father and became king. In 1016 he suffered
several defeats against Cnut and in October they agreed to share the kingdom, but Edmund died within six
weeks and Cnut became king of all England. Æthelred gave three of his daughters in marriage to ealdormen,
presumably in order to secure the loyalties of his nobles and so to consolidate a defence system against Viking
attacks.[13]
Sons
Æthelstan (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-inlaw.[
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, Ælfthryth, Ælfgifu was not anointed queen and never signed charters.[18] She did,
however, make at least some impression on the contemporary record. In a will issued between 975/980 and
987, the thegn Beorhtric and his wife bequeathed to their “lady” (hlæfdige) an armlet worth 30 gold mancuses
and a stallion, calling upon her authority to oversee the implementation of the arrangements set out by will.[19]
In a will of later date (AD 990 x 1001), in which she is addressed as “my lady” (mire hlæfdian), the
noblewoman Æthelgifu promised a bequest of 30 mancuses of gold.[20] Just as little is known of Ælfgifu's life,
so the precise date and circumstances of her death cannot be recovered.[21] In any event, she appears to have
died by 1002, possibly in childbirth, when Æthelred took to wife Emma, daughter of Count Richard of Rouen,
who received or adopted her predecessor's Anglo-Saxon name, Ælfgifu.
Notes
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
S 1511 (possibly AD 980 x 987)
S 1497 (c. AD 990 x 1001)
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.
1. Sulcard of Winchester, Prologus de construccione
Westmonasterii, ed. Scholz, pp. 74, 89; Williams,
Æthelred the Unready, p. 169, note 30.
2. John of Worcester, Chronicon ex Chronicis (West-
Saxon regnal list at the end of Chronicle).
3. '[...] cum jam de filia Torethi nobilissimi comitis filium
suscepisset Edmundum.'--Ailred of Rievaulx,
Genealogia regum Anglorum.
4. Keynes, “Æthelred.”
5. 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.
6. Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 25; Keynes,
“Æthelred”; Handbook of British Chronology, p. 27.
7. His name is only attested for an ealdorman d(ux) on the
witness lists for two spurious royal charters relating to
grants in Tavistock and Exeter. S 838 (AD 981) (http://
www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+83
8) and S 954 (AD 1019) (http://www.anglo-saxons.net/
hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+954). The latter
subscription may be an error forÆ thelweard; see
Williams, Æthelred the Unready. p. 169 note 29.
8. Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 24.
8. Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 24.
9. Williams, Æthelred the Unready, p. 24-5.
10. Keynes, “Æthelred”; Williams, Æthelred the Unready,
p. 25.
11. S 876 (AD 993), S 891 (AD 997), S 899 (AD 1001).
12. Keynes, “Æthelred”
13. Stafford, The Reign of Æthelred II.34-5.
14. John of Worcester, Chronicon, AD 1009.
15. De Obsessione Dunelmi § 2; Handbook of British
Chronology, p. 27.
16. Handbook of British Chronology, p. 27.
17. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (MS E) 1048; Handbook of
British Chronology, p. 27.
18. Ryan Lavelle, Aethelred II: King of the English, The
History Press, 2008, p. 56
19. S 1511 (975 or 980 x 987).
20. S 1497 (c. AD 990x 1001).
21. It has been suggested that she died in giving birth.
Trow, Cnut: Emperor of the North, p. 54.
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.
External links
Ælfgifu 17 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Preceded by
Ælfthryth
Queen Consort of England
980s–1002
Succeeded by
Emma of
Normandy
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ælfgifu_of_York&oldid=764712817"
Categories: English royal consorts 10th-century English people 11th-century English people
10th-century women 11th-century women Anglo-Saxon royal consorts House of Wessex
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Family/Spouse: of England, Æthelred. Æthelred (son of of England, King Edgar I and of England, Ælfthryth) was born in 966 in England; died in 1016 in London, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: King
• Nickname: Ironsides
• FSID: LJKD-Q1Q
• Appointments / Titles: Apr 1016, Old St Paul's Cathedral, London, London, England; King of England

Notes:

Edmund

Reign 23 April – 30 November 1016
Predecessor Æthelred the Unready
Successor Cnut the Great
Died 30 November 1016
Oxford or London, England
Burial Glastonbury Abbey
Spouse Ealdgyth
Issue Edward the Exile
Edmund
House Wessex
Father Æthelred the Unready
Mother Ælfgifu of York
Religion Catholicism
Edmund Ironside
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edmund II (died 30 November 1016), usually known as
Edmund Ironside, was King of England from 23 April to 30
November 1016. He was the son of King Æthelred the
Unready and his first wife, Ælfgifu of York. Edmund's reign
was marred by a war he had inherited from his father, his
cognomen "Ironside" was given to him "because of his
valour" in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut the
Great.[1]
Edmund was not expected to be King of England; however,
by 1014 two elder brothers had died, making him the oldest
male heir. His father, Æthelred, was usurped by Sweyn
Forkbeard in that same year, but Sweyn died shortly
thereafter, paving the way for Æthelred and his family to
return to the throne, which they did but not without
opposition. In the process they forced Sweyn's son, Cnut,
back to Denmark, where he assembled an invasion force to
re-conquer England. It would not arrive for another year.
After regaining the throne, the royal family set about
strengthening its hold on the country with the assistance of
Eadric Streona (Edmund's brother-in-law). People who had
sided with the Danes in 1014 were punished, and some were
killed. In one case, two brothers, Morcar and Sigeferth, were
killed and their possessions, along with Sigferth's wife, were
taken by Edmund. Edmund unofficially became the Earl of
the East Midlands and took Ealdgyth for his wife.
Cnut returned to England in August 1015. Over the next few
months, Cnut pillaged most of England. Edmund joined
Æthelred to defend London, but he died on 23 April 1016,
making Edmund King. It was not until the summer of 1016
that any serious fighting was done: Edmund fought five
battles against the Danes, ending in his defeat on 18 October
at the Battle of Assandun, after which they agreed to divide
the kingdom, Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest of the
country. Edmund died shortly afterwards on 30 November, leaving two sons, Edward and Edmund; however,
Cnut became the king of all England, and exiled remaining members of the royal family.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Warrior prince
3 King of England
4 Death
5 Reputation
6 Descendants
7 Ancestry
8 In culture
9 See also
10 Citations
11 Sources
12 External links
Early life
The exact date of Edmund's birth is unclear, but it could have been no later than 993 when he was a signatory to
charters along with his two elder brothers. He was the third of the six sons of King Æthelred the Unready and
his first wife, Ælfgifu, who was probably the daughter of Earl Thored of Northumbria. His elder brothers were
Æthelstan (died 1014) and Egbert (died c. 1005), and younger ones, Eadred, Eadwig and Edgar.[1] He had four
sisters, Eadgyth (or Edith), Ælfgifu, Wulfhilda, and the Abbess of Wherwell Abbey. His mother died around
1000,[2] after which his father remarried, this time to Emma of Normandy, who had two sons, Edward the
Confessor and Alfred and a daughter Goda.
Æthelstan and Edmund were close, and they probably felt threatened by Emma's ambitions for her sons.[3] The
Life of Edward the Confessor, written fifty years later, claimed that when Emma was pregnant with him, all
Englishmen promised that if the child was a boy they would accept him as king.[1] However that claim may just
be propaganda.
Warrior prince
When Sweyn Forkbeard seized the throne at the end of 1013 and Æthelred fled to Normandy, the brothers do
not appear to have followed him, but stayed in England. Æthelstan died in June 1014 and left Edmund a sword
which had belonged to king Offa of Mercia.[1] His will also reflected the close relationship between the
brothers and the nobility of the east midlands.[4]
Sweyn died in February 1014, and the Five Boroughs accepted his son Cnut, who married a kinswoman of
Sigeferth and Morcar, as king. However, Æthelred returned to England and launched a surprise attack which
defeated the Vikings and forced Cnut to flee England. In 1015 Sigeferth and Morcar came to an assembly in
Oxford, probably hoping for a royal pardon, but they were murdered by Eadric Streona. King Æthelred then
ordered that Sigeferth's widow, Ealdgyth, be seized and brought to Malmesbury Abbey, but Edmund seized and
married her in defiance of his father, probably to consolidate his power base in the east midlands.[5] He then
received the submission of the people of the Five Boroughs. At the same time, Cnut launched a new invasion of
England. In late 1015 Edmund raised an army, possibly assisted by his wife's and mother's links with the
midlands and the north, but the Mercians under Eadric Streona joined the West Saxons in submitting to Cnut. In
early 1016 the army assembled by Edmund dispersed when Æthelred did not appear to lead it, probably due to
illness. Edmund then raised a new army and in conjunction with Earl Uhtred of Northumbria ravaged Eadric
Streona's Mercian territories, but when Cnut occupied Northumbria Uhtred submitted to him, only to be killed
by Cnut. Edmund went to London.[1]
King of England
Æthelred died on 23 April 1016, and the citizens and councillors in London chose Edmund as king and
probably crowned him. He then mounted a last-ditch effort to revive the defence of England. While the Danes
laid siege to London, Edmund headed for Wessex, where the people submitted to him and he gathered an army.
He fought inconclusive battles against the Danes and their English supporters at Penselwood in Somerset and
Sherston in Wiltshire. He then raised the siege of London and defeated the Danes near Brentford. They renewed
the siege while Edmund went to Wessex to raise further troops, returning to again relieve London, defeat the
Danes at Otford, and pursue Cnut into Kent. Eadric Streona now went over to Edmund, but at the decisive
Battle of Assandun on 18 October, Eadric and his men fled and Cnut decisively defeated Edmund. There may
have been one further battle in the Forest of Dean, after which the two kings negotiated a peace dividing the
country between them. Edmund received Wessex while Cnut took Mercia and probably Northumbria.[1]
Death
On 30 November 1016, Edmund died. The location of his death is uncertain though it is generally accepted that
it occurred in London, rather than in Oxford where Henry of Huntingdon claimed it to be in his sordid version
of events, which included Edmund’s murder by suffering multiple stab wounds whilst on a privy, while tending
to a call of nature.[6] Geoffrey Gaimar states a similar occurrence with the weapon being a crossbow, but with a
number of other medieval chroniclers including the Encomium Emmae Reginae not mentioning murder, it is
thought Edmund’s cause of death may possibly have been caused by wounds received in battle or by some
disease, but it is certainly a possibility that he was murdered.
Edmund was buried near his grandfather Edgar at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, however the abbey was
destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, any remains of a monument or crypt
would have been plundered and the location of his remains is unclear.
Reputation
In the view of M. K. Lawson, the intensity of Edmund's struggle against the Danes in 1016 is only matched by
Alfred the Great's in 871, and contrasts with Æthelred's failure. Edmund's success in raising one army after
another suggests that there was little wrong with the organs of government under competent leadership. He was
"probably a highly determined, skilled and indeed inspiring leader of men". Cnut visited his tomb on the
anniversary of his death and laid a cloak decorated with peacocks on it to assist in his salvation, peacocks
symbolising resurrection.[1]
Descendants
Edmund had two children by Ealdgyth, Edward the Exile and Edmund. According to John of Worcester, Cnut
sent them to the king of Sweden where he probably hoped they would be murdered, but the Swedish king
instead forwarded them, together with his daughter, on to Kiev. It has more recently been alleged that the two
sons were sent to Poland and subsequently from there to Hungary.[7] The two boys eventually ended up in
Hungary where Edmund died but Edward prospered. Edward "the Exile" returned to England in 1057 only to
die within a few days of his arrival.[8] His son Edgar the Ætheling was briefly proclaimed king after the Battle
of Hastings in 1066, but later submitted to William the Conqueror. Edgar would live a long and eventful life;
fighting in rebellion against William the Conqueror from 1067-1075; fighting alongside the Conqueror's son
Robert of Normandy in campaigns in Sicily (1085-1087); and accompanying Robert on the First Crusade
(1099-1103). He eventually died in England in 1126.
In 1070 Edward the Exile's daughter, Margaret, became Queen consort to Malcolm III of Scotland. Through her
and her decedents, Edmund is the direct ancestor of every subsequent Scottish monarch, every English monarch
from Henry II onward, and every monarch of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom, down to the present.
Ancestry
Ancestors of Edmund Ironside
Edward the Elder
Edmund I
Eadgifu of Kent
Edgar the Peaceful
Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
Wynflaed
Æthelred the Unready
Ordgar
Ælfthryth
Edmund Ironside
Gunnar
Thored
Ælfgifu of York
In culture
Edmund Ironside is an Elizabethan play about him, which some critics believe to be a very early work by
William Shakespeare.
Edmund is played by John Horn in the 1970 television movie The Ceremony of Innocence.
Edmund is one of the main characters in Justin Hill's novel Shieldwall (2011), first in the Conquest
Trilogy.
See also
House of Wessex family tree
Citations
1. M. K. Lawson, Edmund II, Oxford Online DNB, 2004 (http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8502?docPos=1)
2. Simon Keynes, Æthelred the Unready, Oxford Online DNB, 2009 (http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8915/?back
=,8502)
3. Ryan Lavelle, Aethelred II: King of the English, The History Press, 2008, pp. 172-173
4. Lavelle, op. cit., p. 172
5. Lavelle, op. cit., pp. 169-172
6. Henry of Huntingdon 2002, p. 15.
7. MichaelAnne Guido and John P. Ravilious, "From Theophanu to St. Magraret of Scotland: A study of Agatha's
ancestry", Foundations, vol. 4(2012), pp. 81-121.
8. M. K. Lawson, Edward Ætheling, Oxford Online DNB, 200 4(http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37387/?back=,85
02)
Sources
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Clemoes, Peter. The Anglo-Saxons: Studies Presented to Bruce Dickins, 1959
Henry of Huntingdon History of the English People 1000 - 1154
External links
Edmund 24 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Æthelred the Unready
King of the English
1016
Succeeded by
Cnut the Great
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edmund_Ironside&oldid=781380892"
Categories: Monarchs of England before 1066 10th-century births 1016 deaths
Burials at Glastonbury Abbey 10th-century English people 11th-century English monarchs
Christian monarchs House of Wessex
This page was last edited on 20 May 2017, at 22:01.
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apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

Edmund married of England, Queen Ældgyth between Jun and Aug 1015 in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England. Ældgyth was born in 986 in Kingdom of Wessex (England); died in 1024 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]