Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Count of Mercia
• Appointments / Titles: Duke of East Angles
• Appointments / Titles: Chester, Cheshire, England; Earl of Chester
• Appointments / Titles: Earl of Mercia
• FSID: L1ND-PPG

Notes:

Danish Duke of East Angles
Earl of Chester
Count of Mercia
Athelstane of Mercia

Æthelstan Mannessune (died c. 986) was a landowner and monastic patron in late 10th-century Anglo-Saxon England, coming from a family of secularised priests. Remembered by Ely Abbey as an enemy, he and his family endowed Ramsey Abbey and allegedly provide

Died Isle of Ely
Aethelstan Mannesson Duke of East Angles was born in 0920 as the son of Duke Mannes Angles, Duke of EastAngles. He married Aelfwyn de Mercia about 0953, in England, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 1 daughter. He died on 14 June 0986, in Isle of Ely, England, at the age of 66, and was buried in England.

Family/Spouse: of Mercia, Ælfwyn. Ælfwyn was born in 905 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; died on 12 Jun 938 in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Kingdom of Mercia, England; Countess

Alwara married of Mercia, Sir Leofwine III in 974 in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Leofwine was born between 946 and 950 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; died on 10 Aug 1023 in Kingdom of Mercia, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Coventry, Warwickshire, England; Lord of Coventry
• FSID: L1RR-NTG
• Appointments / Titles: 1017, Kingdom of Mercia, England; King Canute appointed him as Ealdorman [Earl] of Mercia after his brother Northman was killed.

Notes:

Leofric (died 31 August or 30 September 1057) was an Earl of Mercia. He founded monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock. He is most remembered as the husband of Lady Godiva.

Leofric was the son of Leofwine, Ealdorman of the Hwicce,who witnessed a charter in 997 for King Æthelred II. Leofric had three brothers: Northman, Edwin and Godwine. It is likely that Northman is the same as Northman Miles ("Northman the knight") to whom King Æthelred II granted the village of Twywell in Northamptonshire in 1013. Northman, according to the Chronicle of Crowland Abbey, the reliability of which is often doubted by historians, says he was a retainer (knight) of Eadric Streona, the Earl of Mercia. It adds that Northman had been killed upon Cnut's orders along with Eadric and others for this reason. Cnut "made Leofric ealdorman in place of his brother Northman, and afterwards held him in great affection."

Becoming Earl of Mercia, which occurred at some date previous to 1032, made him one of the most powerful men in the land, second only to the ambitious Earl Godwin of Wessex, among the mighty earls. Leofric may have had some connection by marriage to Ælfgifu of Northampton, the first wife of Cnut, which might help to explain why he was the chief supporter of her son Harold Harefoot against Harthacnut, Cnut's son by Emma of Normandy, when Cnut died in 1035. However, Harold died in 1040 and was succeeded by his brother Harthacnut, who made himself unpopular by implementing heavy taxation during his short reign. Two of his tax-collectors were killed at Worcester by angry locals. The king was so enraged by this that in 1041 he ordered Leofric and his other earls to plunder and burn the city, and lay waste to the surrounding area. This command must have sorely tested Leofric, since Worcester was the cathedral city of the Hwicce, his people.

When Harthacnut died suddenly in 1042, he was succeeded by his half-brother Edward the Confessor. Leofric loyally supported Edward when Edward came under threat at Gloucester, from Earl Godwin, in 1051. Leofric and Earl Siward of Northumbria gathered a great army to meet that of Godwin. His advisors counseled Edward that battle would be folly, since there would be important members of the nobility on both sides; the loss of these men, should many die in battle, would leave England open to its enemies. So in the end the issue was resolved by less bloody means: in accordance with Leofric's advice the settlement of the dispute was referred to the Witenagemot, and Earl Godwin and his family were outlawed for a time. Earl Leofric's power was then at its height. But in 1055 Leofric's own son Ælfgar was outlawed, "without any fault," says the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle." Ælfgar raised an army in Ireland and Wales and brought it to Hereford, where he clashed with the army of Earl Ralph of Herefordshire and severely damaged the town. The "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" wryly comments, "And then when they had done most harm, it was decided to reinstate Earl Ælfgar."

Leofric died in 1057 at his estate at Kings Bromley in Staffordshire. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he died on 30 September, but the chronicler of Worcester gives the date as 31 August. Both agree that he was buried in Coventry at St Mary's Priory and Cathedral. Leofric was succeeded by his son Ælfgar as earl.

Earl Leofric and Godiva were noted for great generosity to religious houses. In 1043 he founded and endowed a Benedictine monastery at Coventry. John of Worcester tells us that "He and his wife, the noble Countess Godgifu, a worshipper of God and devout lover of St Mary ever-virgin, built the monastery there from the foundations out of their own patrimony, and endowed it adequately with lands and made it so rich in various ornaments that in no monastery in England might be found the abundance of gold, silver, gems and precious stones that was at that time in its possession."

In the 1050s Leofric and Godiva appear jointly as benefactors in a document granting land to the monastery of St Mary, Worcester, and the endowment of the minster at Stow St Mary, Lincolnshire. They are commemorated as benefactors of other monasteries as well, at Leominster, Chester, Much Wenlock, and Evesham.

Apart from Northman, killed in 1017, Leofric had at least two other brothers: Edwin was killed in battle by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in 1039, and Godwine died some time before 1057.

Leofric may have married more than once. His famous wife Godiva survived him and may have been a second or later wife. Since there is some question about the date of marriage for Leofric and Godgifu (Godiva), it is not clear whether she was the mother of Ælfgar, Leofric's only known child. If Godiva was married to Earl Leofric later than about 1010, she could not have been the mother of Ælfgar.

Leofric used a double-headed eagle as his personal emblem, and this has been adopted by various units of the British Army as a symbol for Mercia.

Historians disagree extensively on the character of Leofric. Folklore tends to depict him as an unfeeling overlord who imposed over-taxation, whereas many historians object to this, and consider it as part of the Lady Godiva myth; they suggest that he was a strong and respected leader. There is also great disagreement over his reputation as a military leader: some historians believe Leofric to have been weak in this respect, but others go as far as to give him the title "Hammer of the Welsh."

A prose account of Leofric's life, entitled "Visio Leofrici" or the "Vision of Leofric," was written in Old English, surviving in MS Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (CCCC) 367. It is split into four episodes, each of which depict one of Leofric's miraculous visions. The last of these four has been noted for its similarities to the account of Leofric's vision in Osbert's later account of the life of Edward the Confessor.

On screen, Leofric was portrayed by Roy Travers in the British silent short "Lady Godiva: (1928), George Nader in the film "Lady Godiva of Coventry" (1955), and Tony Steedman in the BBC TV series "Hereward the Wake" (1965). He also may have inspired "The Last Kingdom" character, "Leofric" played by Adrian Bower in the BBC series.

-- Wikiwand: Leofric, Earl of Mercia

Leofric married of Mercia, Lady Godiva in 999 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. Godiva (daughter of de Bukenhall, Sir Thorold and de Malet, Lady Eadgyth) was born on 5 Sep 980 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England; died on 10 Sep 1067 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England; was buried on 10 Sep 1067 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LZ8J-9XT
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1051 and 1052, East Anglia, Norfolk, England; Earl of East Anglia
• Appointments / Titles: Apr 1053, Kingdom of Wessex (England); Earl

Notes:

Ælfgar (died c. 1060) was the son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, by his famous mother Godgifu (Lady Godiva). He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on the latter's death in 1057. He gained the additional title of Earl of East Anglia, but also was exiled for a time.

Ælfgar married Aelfgify, sister of William Malet, Lord of Eye.
They had 4 children:
- Burgheard, died returning from Rome 1060, buried at Reims
- Edwin, Earl of Mercia
- Morcar, Earl of Northumbria
- Ealdgyth, married (1st) Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Wales (2nd) Harold Godwinson, King of England.
--------------------------------------------------------------
from www.geni.com

Ælfgar
Also Known As: "Algar III Earl of Mercia", "Aelfgar", "Alfagar of Mercia"
Birthdate: circa 1002 (57)
Birthplace: Mercia, England
Death: between 1059 and 1063 (53-65)
Mercia, England
Place of Burial: Coventry, Warwickshire, England
Immediate Family:
Son of Leofric III, earl of Mercia and Lady Godiva
Husband of Ælfgifu
Father of Ealdgyth; Eadwyne, Duke of Mercia; Morcar, Earl of Northumbria and Burgheard
Occupation: Earl of East Anglia and Mercia, Earl of Mercia, King of Mercia

Aelfgar, Earl (d 1062), was the son of Leofric of Mercia and his wife Godgifu, the 'Lady Godiva' of legend. Bitter jealousy existed between the ancient Mercian house and the new and successful family of Godwine. When, in 1051, Godwine and his sons gathered their forces against the king and his foreign favourites, Aelfgar and Leofric were among the party which stood by Eadward at Gloucester, and on the outlawry of Harold his earldom of East Anglia was given to Aelfgar. The new earl ruled well, and the next year, on the restoration of Godwine's house, cheerfully surrendered the government to Harold. On the death of Godwine in 1053, the West Saxon earldom was given to Harold, and East Anglia was again committed to Aelfgar. In 1055, at the Witenagemont held in London, Aelfgar was accused of treason, and was outlawed 'for little or no fault at all,' according to all the Chronicle writers, save one. The Canterbury writer, however, who was a strong partisan of Harold, says that Aelfgar owned his guilt, though he did so unawares. He fled to Ireland and engaged eighteen ships of the Northmen. He crossed to Wales and made alliance with Gruffydd of North Wales. With Gruffydd and a large host of Welshmen, Aelfgar and his Norse mercenaries invaded Herefordshire. Ralph, the king's nephew, the earl of the shire, met the invaders with an army composed both of Frenchmen and English. He foolishly compelled his English force to go to battle on horseback, contrary to their custom. He and his Frenchmen fled first, and the battle was lost. Aelfgar and his allies entered Hereford. They sacked and burnt the minster and the city, slaying some and taking many captive. To check this invasion the whole force of the kingdom was gathered under Earl Harold and Aelfgar and his allies were chased into South Wales. In 1055 Aelfgar made peace with Harold, was reconciled to the king and restored to his earldom. On the death of Leofric, in 1057, Aelfgar received his father's earldom of Mercia. The position of his new earldom as regards Wales and Ireland encouraged his restlessness, and the weakness and instability of King Eadward the Confessor made rebellion no serious matter. It was probably while the only force capable of maintaining order in the kingdom was removed by the pilgrimage of Harold, that Aelfgar was, in 1058, outlawed for the second time. His old allies were ready to help him. Gruffydd and a fleet of the Northmen, which seems to have been cruising about on the look-out for employment, enabled him to set his outlawry at defiance and to retain his earldom with the strong hand. IN one good deed Aelfgar and Harold acted together. On the surrender of the see of Worcester by Archbishop Aldred in 1062, both the earls joined in recommending Wulfstan for the bishopric. Soon afterwards, probably in the same year, Aelfgar died. His wife's name was Aelfigifu. He left two sons, Eadwine and Morkere, who played a conspicuous part in English history. A charter of the abbey of ST Remigius at Rheims records that Aelfgar gave Lapley to that house for the good of the soul of a son of his named Burchard, who was buried there. His daughter, Aldgyth, married her father's ally Gruffydd, and, after the deaths of Aelfgar and Gruffydd, married as her second husband Harold, her father's old enemy. [Dictionary of National Biography I:148-149]

Aelfgar, of age 1051, d. shortly after 1062, Earl of East Anglia 1053, Earl of Mercia 1057, banished 1058; m. Aelfgifu, by whom 3 known sons: Eadwine, Morkere, and Burchard, whose issue are unknown, and a daughter Aldgyth [as well as Edith or Aldgyth]. [Ancestral Roots, Line 176a-3]

______________________________

Earl of East Anglia 1053; Earl of Mercia 1057.

From Gen-Med Archives, June 19, 1999; author: Leo van de Pas:

"In 1055, he was forced to seek the protection of Gruffyd in Wales, in that year Gruffyd and Alfgar burned down St.Aethelbert's minster and all the town of Hereford. In 1058 Alfgar, without having given reason, was outlawed, and went to Ireland and Wales where he got himself a great band and then travelled to Hereford. After a violent battle Alfgar was reinstated and given back all that had earlier been taken from him."

Bet. 1051-1052 in East Anglia, Norfolk, England; When the Godwins were exiled from England in 1051 Ælfgar was given the Earldom of East Anglia, which had been that of Harold Godwinson. When Harold returned in 1052, the property was restored to him..

Apr 1053; Harold became Earl of Wessex after his fathers death April 1053, and the earldom of East Anglia returned to Ælfgar.

1058; Ælfgar was exiled by King Edward in 1055 but was reinstated later the same year.

Ælfgar married Mallet, ÆlfgifuEngland. Ælfgifu (daughter of of Northumbria, Morcar and of Northumbria, Ealdgyth) was born in 997 in Kingdom of Wessex (England); died in 1092 in Kingdom of Mercia, England; was buried in 1092 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]