Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Queen of Wessex

Notes:

Eadgifu of Kent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eadgifu of Kent (also Edgiva or Ediva) (in or before 903 - in or after 966) was the third wife of Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons.

Eadgifu was the daughter of Sigehelm, Ealdorman of Kent, who died at the Battle of the Holme in 902.[1] She became the mother of two sons, Edmund I of England, later King Edmund I, and Eadred of England, later King Eadred, and two daughters, Saint Eadburh of Winchester and Eadgifu.[2] She survived Edward by many years, dying in the reign of her grandson Edgar.

According to a narrative written in the early 960s, her father had given Cooling in Kent to a man called Goda as security for a loan. She claimed that her father had repaid the loan and left the land to her, but Goda denied receiving payment and refused to surrender the land. She got possession of Cooling six years after her father's death, when her friends persuaded King Edward to threaten to dispossess Goda of his property unless he gave up the estate. Edward later declared Goda's lands forfeit and gave the charters to Eadgifu, but she returned most of the estates to Goda, although retained the charters. Some time after this her marriage to Edward took place. After his death King Æthelstan required Eadgifu to return the charters to Goda, perhaps because the king was on bad terms with his stepmother.[3] She disappeared from court during the reign of her step-son, King Æthelstan, but she was prominent and influential during the reign of her two sons.[2] As queen dowager, her position seem to have been higher than that of her daughter-in-law; In a Kentish charter datable between 942 and 944, her daughter-in-law Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury subscribes herself as the king's concubine (concubina regis), with a place assigned to her between the bishops and ealdormen. By comparison, Eadgifu subscribes higher up in the witness list as mater regis, after her sons Edmund and Eadred but before the archbishops and bishops.[4]

Following the death of her younger son Eadred in 955, she was deprived of her lands by her eldest grandson, King Eadwig, perhaps because she took the side of his younger brother, Edgar, in the struggle between them. When Edgar succeeded on Eadwig's death in 959 she recovered some lands and received generous gifts from her grandson, but she never returned to her prominent position at court. She is last recorded as a witness to a charter in 966.[2]

She was known as a supporter of saintly churchmen and a benefactor of churches.[2]

Notes
1. Pauline Stafford dates the Battle of the Holme as 903 and Eadgifu's date of birth as in or before 904, but the battle took place on 13 December 902 (Miller, Edward the Elder)
2. Stafford, Eadgifu
3. Molyneaux, The Formation of the English Kingdom, pp. 70-71
4. S 514 (AD 942 x 946).

References
Miller, Sean (2004). "Edward (called Edward the Elder) (870s?–924), king of the Anglo-Saxons". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8514. Retrieved 10 August 2012.

Molyneaux, George (2015). The Formation of the English Kingdom in the Tenth Century. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-871791-1.

Stafford, Pauline (2004). "Eadgifu (b. in or before 904, d. in or after 966), queen of the Anglo-Saxons, consort of Edward the Elder". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eadgifu_of_Kent&oldid=705224111"
Categories: 10th-century English people 10th-century women Anglo-Saxon royal consorts
10th-century deaths House of Wessex
This page was last edited on 16 February 2016, at 06:23.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may 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.

Family/Spouse: of Wessex, King Edward. Edward (son of of Wessex, King Alfred and of Mercia, Queen Eathswith) was born in 874 in Wantage, Oxfordshire, England; was christened on 31 May 900 in Kingdom of Wessex (England); died on 17 Jul 924 in Farndon, Cheshire, England; was buried after 17 Jul 924 in New Minster, Winchester, Hampshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Nickname: The Magnificent
• FSID: LCTX-4Q3
• Appointments / Titles: Between 27 Oct 939 and 26 May 946; King of England

Notes:

Edmund

King of the English
Tenure 27 October 939 – 26 May 946
Coronation c. 29 November 939 probably at Kingston upon Thames[1]
Predecessor Æthelstan
Successor Eadred
Born 921 Wessex, England
Died 26 May 946 (aged 24–25) Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire, England
Burial Glastonbury Abbey
Spouse Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
Æthelflæd of Damerham
Issue Eadwig, King of England
Edgar, King of England
House Wessex
Father Edward, King of Wessex
Mother Eadgifu of Kent
Religion Roman Catholic
Edmund I
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edmund I (Old English: Ēadmund, pronounced [æːɑdmund]; 921 – 26 May
946), called the Elder, the Deed-doer, the Just, or the Magnificent, was King
of the English from 939 until his death. He was a son of Edward the Elder
and half-brother of Æthelstan. Æthelstan died on 27 October 939, and
Edmund succeeded him as king.
Contents
1 Early life and Military threats
2 Louis IV of France
3 Death and succession
4 Ancestry
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links
Early life and Military threats
Edmund came to the throne as the son of Edward the Elder,[2] and therefore
the grandson of Alfred the Great, great-grandson of Æthelwulf of Wessex
and great-great grandson of Egbert of Wessex, who was the first of the house
of Wessex to start dominating the Anglo Saxon realms. However, being born
when his father was already a middle aged man, Edward lost his father when
he was a toddler, in 924, which saw his 30 year old half brother Athelstan
come to the throne. Edmund would grow up in the reign of Athelstan, even
participating in the Battle of Brunanburgh in his adolescence in 937
Athelstan died in the year 939, which saw young Edmund come to the
throne. Shortly after his proclamation as king, he had to face several military
threats. King Olaf III Guthfrithson conquered Northumbria and invaded the
Midlands; when Olaf died in 942, Edmund reconquered the Midlands.[2] In
943, Edmund became the god-father of King Olaf of York. In 944, Edmund
was successful in reconquering Northumbria.[3] In the same year, his ally
Olaf of York lost his throne and left for Dublin in Ireland. Olaf became the
king of Dublin as Amlaíb Cuarán and continued to be allied to his godfather.
In 945, Edmund conquered Strathclyde but ceded the territory to
King Malcolm I of Scotland in exchange for a treaty of mutual military
support.[3] Edmund thus established a policy of safe borders and peaceful
relationships with Scotland. During his reign, the revival of monasteries in
England began.
Louis IV of France
One of Edmund's last political movements of which there is some knowledge is his role in the restoration of Louis IV of
France to the throne. Louis, son of Charles the Simple and Edmund's half-sister Eadgifu, had resided at the West-Saxon court
for some time until 936, when he returned to be crowned King of France. In the summer of 945, he was captured by the
Norsemen of Rouen and subsequently released to Duke Hugh the Great, who held him in custody. The chronicler Richerus
claims that Eadgifu wrote letters both to Edmund and to Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor in which she requested support for her
son. Edmund responded to her plea by sending angry threats to Hugh.[4] Flodoard's Annales, one of Richerus' sources, report:
Silver penny of Edmund I
Coin of King Edmund
Edmund, king of the English, sent messengers to Duke Hugh about the
restoration of King Louis, and the duke accordingly made a public
agreement with his nephews and other leading men of his kingdom. [...]
Hugh, duke of the Franks, allying himself with Hugh the Black, son of
Richard, and the other leading men of the kingdom, restored to the
kingdom King Louis.[5][6]
Death and succession
On 26 May 946, Edmund was murdered by Leofa, an exiled thief, while attending St
Augustine's Day mass in Pucklechurch (South Gloucestershire).[7] John of Worcester
and William of Malmesbury add some lively detail by suggesting that Edmund had
been feasting with his nobles, when he spotted Leofa in the crowd. He attacked
the intruder in person, but in the event, Leofa killed him. Leofa was killed on the
spot by those present.[8] A recent article re-examines Edmund's death and
dismisses the later chronicle accounts as fiction. It suggests the king was the
victim of a political assassination.[9]
Edmund's sister Eadgyth, the wife of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, died earlier
the same year, as Flodoard's Annales for 946 report.[10]
Edmund was succeeded as king by his brother Eadred, king from 946 until 955.
Edmund's sons later ruled England as:
Eadwig, King of England from 955 until 957, king of only Wessex and Kent from 957 until his death on 1 October 959.
Edgar the Peaceful, king of Mercia and Northumbria from 957 until his brother's death in 959, then king of England
from 959 until 975.
Ancestry
Ancestors of Edmund I of England
16. Egbert of Wessex
8. Æthelwulf of Wessex
17. Redburga
4. Alfred the Great
18. Oslac
9. Osburga
2. Edward the Elder
10. Æthelred Mucil
5. Ealhswith
11. Eadburh
1. Edmund I of England
6. Sigehelm, Ealdorman of Kent
3. Eadgifu of Kent
Diagram based on the information found on Wikipedia
See also
Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
Burial places of British royalty
Edmund the Just, fictional king of Narnia
Notes
1. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England, p. 514
2. Edmund I (king of England)," Edmund-I" (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179333/ )Encyclopædia Britannica
3. David Nash Ford, Edmund the Magnificent, King of the English (AD 921-946, )Early British Kingdoms (http://www.earlybritishkingdom
s.com/adversaries/bios/edmundmag.html.)
4. Richerus, Historiae, Book 2, chapters 49–50. See MGH online (http://mdz10.bib-bvb.de/~db/bsb00000607/images/index.html?id=000006
07&fip=62.251.15.35&no=20&seite=139.)
5. Dorothy Whitelock (tr.), English Historical Documents c. 500–1042. 2nd ed. London, 1979. p. 345.
6. Edmundus, Anglorum rex, legatos ad Hugonem principem pro restitutione Ludowici regis dirigit: et idem princeps proinde conventus
publicos eumnepotibus suis aliisque regni primatibus agit. [...] Hugo, dux Francorum, ascito secum Hugo Nneigro, filio Richardi,
ceterisque regni primatibus Ludowicum regem, [...] in regnum restituit. (FlodoardA,n nales 946.)
Wikisource has original
works written by or about:
Edmund I of England
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Edmund I
of England.
7. "Here King Edmund died on St Augustines’ Day [26 May]. It was widely known how he edned his days, that Liofa stabbed him at
Pucklechurch. And Æthelflæd of Damerham, daughter of Ealdorman Ælfg,a wr as then his queen." Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, MS D, tr.
Michael Swanton.
8. John of Worcester, Chronicon AD 946; William of Malmesbury, Gesta regum, book 2, chapter 144. The description of the circumstances
remained a popular feature in medieval chronicles, such aHs igden's Polychronicon: "But William, libro ij° de Regibus, seyth (says) that
this kyng kepyng a feste at Pulkirchirche, in the feste of seynte Austyn, and seyng a thefe, Leof by name, sytte [th]er amonge hys gestes,
whom he hade made blynde afore for his trespasses –(q uem rex prios propter scelera eliminavera,t whom the King previously due to his
crimes did excile) – , arysede (arrested) from the table, and takenge that man by the heire of the hedde, caste him unto the grownde.
Whiche kynge was sleyn – (sed nebulonis arcano evisceratus est) – with a lyttle knyfe the [th]e man hade in his honde [hand]; and also he
hurte mony men soore with the same knyfe; neverthelesse he was kytte (cut) at the laste into smalle partes by men longyng to the kynge."
Polychronicon, 1527. See Google Books (https://books.google.com/books?id=2lQJAAAAQAAJ&q=HIGDEN)
9. K. Halloran, A Murder at Pucklechurch: The Death of King Edmund, 26 May 946. Midland Histo, rVyolume 40, Issue 1 (Spring 2015),
pp. 120-129.
10. Edmundus rex Transmarinus defungitur, uxor quoque regis Othonis, soror ipsius Edmundi, decessit. "Edmund, king across the sea, died,
and the wife of King Otto, sister of the same Edmund, died also." (.t rDorothy Whitelock, English Historical Documents c. 500–1042. 2nd
ed. London, 1979. p. 345).
References
Flodoard, Annales, ed. Philippe Lauer, Les Annales de Flodoard. Collection des textes pour servir à l'étude et à
l'enseignement de l'histoire 39. Paris: Picard, 1905.
External links
Edmund 14 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Æthelstan
King of the
English
939–946
Succeeded by
Eadred
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edmund_I&oldid=786351603"
Categories: 921 births 946 deaths Anglo-Saxon monarchs Burials at Glastonbury Abbey
10th-century murdered monarchs 10th-century English monarchs English murder victims Christian monarchs
House of Wessex Monarchs of England before 1066
This page was last edited on 18 June 2017, at 22:34.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may 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.

Family/Spouse: of Shaftesbury, Ælfgifu. Ælfgifu was born in 925 in Kingdom of Wessex (England); died in 944 in Kingdom of Wessex (England); was buried in 944 in Kingdom of Wessex (England). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: King of England
• Nickname: The Peaceable
• FSID: 9QDN-T2K

Notes:

Edgar
A contemporary portrayal of King Edgar in the New
Minster Charter.
King of the English
Reign 1 October 959 – 8 July 975
Predecessor Eadwig
Successor Edward
Born 943/944
Died 8 July 975 (aged 31/32)
Winchester, Hampshire
Burial Glastonbury Abbey
Spouse Æthelflæd[1]
Wulfthryth[1]
Ælfthryth
Issue Edward, King of England
Eadgyth[1]
Edmund[2]
Æthelred, King of England
House Wessex
Father Edmund, King of England
Mother Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
Religion Roman Catholic
Edgar the Peaceful
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edgar I (Old English: Ēadgār; c. 943—8 July 975), known as Edgar the Peaceful or the Peaceable,
was King of England from 959 to 975. He was the younger son of King Edmund I and his Queen,
Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury.
Contents
1 Accession
2 Government
3 Benedictine reform
4 Dead Man's Plack
5 Coronation at Bath
6 Death
7 Appearance
8 Ancestry
9 See also
10 Notes
11 Further reading
12 External links
Accession
Edgar was the son of Edmund I and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury. Upon the death of King Edmund in 946,
Edgar's uncle, Eadred, ruled until 955. Eadred was succeeded by his nephew, Eadwig, the son of
Edmund and Edgar's older brother.
Eadwig was not a popular king, and his reign was marked by conflict with nobles and the Church,
primarily St Dunstan and Archbishop Oda. In 957, the thanes of Mercia and Northumbria changed
their allegiance to Edgar.[3] A conclave of nobles declared Edgar as king of the territory north of the
Thames.[4] Edgar became King of England upon Eadwig's death in October 959, aged just 16
Government
One of Edgar's first actions was to recall Dunstan from exile and have him made Bishop of Worcester
(and subsequently Bishop of London and later, Archbishop of Canterbury). Dunstan remained Edgar's
advisor throughout his reign. While Edgar may not have been a particularly peaceable man, his reign
was peaceful. The Kingdom of England was well established, and Edgar consolidated the political
unity achieved by his predecessors. By the end of his reign, England was sufficiently unified in that it
was unlikely to regress back to a state of division among rival kingships, as it had to an extent under
the reign of Eadred. Blackstone mentions that King Edgar standardised measure throughout the
realm.[5] According to George Molyneaux, Edgar's reign, "far more than the reigns of either Alfred or
Æthelstan, was probably the most pivotal phase in the development of the institutional structures that
were fundamental to royal rule in the eleventh-century kingdom".[6]
Benedictine reform
The Monastic Reform Movement that introduced the Benedictine Rule to England's monastic communities peaked during the era of Dunstan, Æthelwold,
and Oswald (historians continue to debate the extent and significance of this movement).[7]
Dead Man's Plack
In 963, Edgar allegedly killed Earl Æthelwald, his rival in love, near present-day Longparish, Hampshire.[8] The event was commemorated by the Dead
Man's Plack, erected in 1825.[8] In 1875, Edward Augustus Freeman debunked the story as a "tissue of romance" in his book, Historic Essays;[9]
however, his arguments were rebutted by naturalist William Henry Hudson in his 1920 book Dead Man's Plack and an Old Thorn.[4]
Coronation at Bath
Edgar was crowned at Bath and along with his wife Ælfthryth was anointed, setting a precedent for a coronation of a queen in England itself.[10] Edgar's
coronation did not happen until 973, in an imperial ceremony planned not as the initiation, but as the culmination of his reign (a move that must have
taken a great deal of preliminary diplomacy). This service, devised by Dunstan himself and celebrated with a poem in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, forms
the basis of the present-day British coronation ceremony.
The symbolic coronation was an important step; other kings of Britain came and gave their allegiance to Edgar shortly afterwards at Chester. Six kings in
Britain, including the King of Scots and the King of Strathclyde, pledged their faith that they would be the king's liege-men on sea and land. Later
chroniclers made the kings into eight, all plying the oars of Edgar's state barge on the River Dee.[11] Such embellishments may not be factual, and what
A coin of Edgar, struck in
Winchcombe (c. 973-75).
actually happened is unclear.[12]
Death
Edgar died on 8 July 975 at Winchester, Hampshire. He left behind Edward, who was probably his illegitimate son
by Æthelflæd (not to be confused with the Lady of the Mercians), and Æthelred, the younger, the child of his wife
Ælfthryth. He was succeeded by Edward. Edgar also had a possibly illegitimate daughter by Wulfthryth, who later
became abbess of Wilton. She was joined there by her daughter, Edith of Wilton, who lived there as a nun until her
death. Both women were later regarded as saints.[13][14]
Some see Edgar's death as the beginning of the end of Anglo-Saxon England, followed as it was by three successful
11th century conquests — two Danish and one Norman.
Appearance
"[H]e was extremely small both in stature and bulk..."[15]
Ancestry
Ancestors of Edgar the Peaceful
16. Æthelwulf of Wessex
8. Alfred the Great
17. Osburga
4. Edward the Elder
18. Æthelred Mucel
9. Ealhswith
19. Eadburh
2. Edmund I of England
10. Sigehelm, Ealdorman of Kent
5. Eadgifu of Kent
1. Edgar
3. Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
7. Wynflaed
See also
House of Wessex family tree
Notes
1. Pauline Stafford, Queen Emma & Queen Edith, Blackwell 2001, pp. 324-325
2. Stafford, op. cit., p. 91
3. "Edgar the Peaceful (c943 - 975) - King of England", BBC, January 13, 200 (5http://news.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-lancashire/%C3%A2%C3%AF%C2%BF%C2%BD%C
3%AF%C2%BF%C2BDplain/A2982387)
4. Hudson, William Henry (1920). Dead Man's Plack and an Old Thorn (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19691/19691-h/19691-h.htm).
5. Blackstone, "Of the King's Prerogative" Bk. 1, Ch. 7 (http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/blackstone/bla-107.htm)
6. Molyneaux, George (2015). The Formation of the English Kingdom in the eTnth Century. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 193I. SBN 978-0-19-871791-1.
7. Lehmberg, Stanford (2013). A History of the Peoples of the British Isles: Form Prehistoric Times to 1688. Routledge. p. 29. ISBN 1134415281.
8. "Deadman's Plack Monument - Longparish - Hampshire - England ("http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-139701-deadman-s-plack-monument-longparhis).
British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
9. Freeman, Edward Augustus (1875).H istoric Essays (https://archive.org/details/historicalessays00free.) MacMillan & Co. pp. 10–25.
10. Honeycutt, Lois (2003). Matilda of Scotland: a Study in Medieval Queenship. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. p. 35.
11. Huscroft, R (2013). The Norman Conquest: A New Introduction. Routledge. p. 21. ISBN 1317866274.
12. Scragg, D. G. (2008), Edgar, King of the English, 959-975: New Interpertations, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, p. 121,I SBN 1843833999, "Precisely what happened at
Chester has been irretrievably obscured by the embellishments of twelfth-century historia"ns
Wikisource has original
works written by or about:
Edgar of England
13. Yorke, Barbara (2004). "Wulfthryth (St Wulfthryth) (d. c.1000), abbess of Wilton" (http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/49423/?back=,8463,49423,8482,49423,848
2). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/49423 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F49423) . Retrieved
17 November 2012. (subscription or UK public library membership (https://global.oup.com/oxforddnb/info/freeodnb/libraries/) required)
14. Williams, Ann (2004). "Edgar (called Edgar Pacificus) (943/4–975) "(http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8463?docPos=1.) Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8463 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F8463). Retrieved 16 May 2012.(subscription or UK public
library membership (https://global.oup.com/oxforddnb/info/freeodnb/libraries/) required)
15. From the Gesta Regum Anglorum of William of Malmesbury (c.1080–1143)
Further reading
Scragg, Donald (ed.). Edgar, King of the English, 959–975: New Interpretations. Publications of the Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon Studies.
Manchester: Boydell Press, 2008. ISBN 1-84383-399-9. Contents (external link).
Keynes, Simon. "England, c. 900–1016." In The New Cambridge Medieval History III. c.900–c.1024, ed. Timothy Reuter. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1999. 456-84.
Sobecki, Sebastian. "Edgar's Archipelago." In The Sea and Englishness in the Middle Ages: Maritime Narratives, Identity and Culture, ed.
Sobecki. Cambridge: Brewer, 2011. 1-30.
External links
Edgar 11 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Medieval Sourcebook: Anglo-Saxon Dooms: laws of King Edgar, a fragment
Edgar the Peaceful at Find a Grave
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Eadwig
King of the English
959–975
Succeeded by
Edward the
Martyr
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edgar_the_Peaceful&oldid=784565550"
Categories: Monarchs of England before 1066 940s births 975 deaths Burials at Glastonbury Abbey Roman Catholic royal saints
10th-century English monarchs Christian monarchs House of Wessex Mercian monarchs
This page was last edited on 9 June 2017, at 00:30.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may 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.

Edgar married of England, Ælfthryth in 964 in Kingdom of Wessex (England). Ælfthryth (daughter of of Devon, Ordgar) was born in 947 in Devon, England; died on 17 Nov 1000 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: King
• Appointments / Titles: King of England
• Nickname: The Unready
• FSID: LT75-86P

Notes:

Æthelred

King of the English
Reign 18 March 978 – 1013 (first time)
Predecessor Edward the Martyr
Successor Sweyn Forkbeard
Reign 1014 – 23 April 1016 (second time)
Predecessor Sweyn Forkbeard
Successor Edmund Ironside
Born c. 966
Died 23 April 1016 (aged about 50) London, England
Burial Old St Paul's Cathedral, London, now lost

Spouse Ælfgifu of York
Emma of Normandy
Issue
Detail Æthelstan
Ecgberht
Edmund, King of England
Eadred
Eadwig

Æthelred the Unready
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Æthelred II, also dubbed the Unready (Old English:
Æþelræd (Old English pronunciation: [æðelræːd])),[1] (c. 966 –
23 April 1016) was King of the English (978–1013 and
1014–1016). He was the son of King Edgar the Peaceful and
Queen Ælfthryth and was around 12 years old when his halfbrother
Edward the Martyr was murdered on 18 March 978.
Although Æthelred was not personally suspected of
participation, the murder was committed at Corfe Castle by
his attendants, making it more difficult for the new king to
rally the nation against the military raids by Danes,
especially as the legend of St Edward the Martyr grew.
From 991 onwards, Æthelred paid tribute, or Danegeld, to
the Danish king. In 1002, Æthelred ordered what became
known as the St. Brice's Day massacre of Danish settlers. In
1013, King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark invaded England,
as a result of which Æthelred fled to Normandy in 1013 and was replaced by Sweyn. He would return as king, however, after Sweyn's death in 1014.

Æthelred's nickname, "the Unready" renders Old English unræd "bad counsel, folly", more accurately (but more rarely) rendered "the Rede-less".

Æthelred's first name, composed of the elements æðele
"noble", and ræd "counsel, advice",[2] is typical of the
compound names of those who belonged to the royal House
of Wessex, and it characteristically alliterates with the names
of his ancestors, like Æthelwulf ("noble-wolf"), Ælfred ("elfcounsel"),
Eadweard ("rich-protection"), and Eadgar ("richspear").[
3]

The story of Æthelred's notorious nickname, Old English
Unræd, goes a long way toward explaining how his
reputation has declined through history. It is usually
translated into present-day English as "The Unready" (less
often, though less confusingly, as "The Redeless").[4] The
Anglo-Saxon noun unræd means "evil counsel", "bad plan",
or "folly".[2] It most often describes decisions and deeds, and once refers to the nature of Satan's deceit. The
element ræd in unræd is the element in Æthelred's name which means "counsel". Thus Æþelræd Unræd is a
pun meaning "Noble counsel, No counsel". The nickname has alternatively been taken adjectivally as "illadvised",
"ill-prepared", "indecisive", thus "Æthelred the ill-advised".
Because the nickname was first recorded in the 1180s, more than 150 years after Æthelred's death, it is doubtful
that it carries any implications for how the king was seen by his contemporaries or near contemporaries.[5]
Early life
Sir Frank Stenton remarked that "much that has brought condemnation
of historians on King Æthelred may well be due in the last resort to the
circumstances under which he became king."[6] Æthelred's father, King
Edgar, had died suddenly in July 975, leaving two young sons behind.
The elder, Edward (later Edward the Martyr), was probably
illegitimate,[7] and was "still a youth on the verge of manhood" in
975.[8] The younger son was Æthelred, whose mother, Ælfthryth, Edgar
had married in 964. Ælfthryth was the daughter of Ordgar, ealdorman of
Devon, and widow of Æthelwold, Ealdorman of East Anglia. At the
time of his father's death, Æthelred could have been no more than 10
years old. As the elder of Edgar's sons, Edward – reportedly a young
man given to frequent violent outbursts – probably would have naturally
succeeded to the throne of England despite his young age, had not he
"offended many important persons by his intolerable violence of speech
and behaviour."[8] In any case, a number of English nobles took to
opposing Edward's succession and to defending Æthelred's claim to the throne; Æthelred was, after all, the son
of Edgar's last, living wife, and no rumour of illegitimacy is known to have plagued Æthelred's birth, as it
might have his elder brother's.[9] Both boys, Æthelred certainly, were too young to have played any significant
part in the political manoeuvring which followed Edgar's death. It was the brothers' supporters, and not the
brothers themselves, who were responsible for the turmoil which accompanied the choice of a successor to the
throne. Æthelred's cause was led by his mother and included Ælfhere, Ealdorman of Mercia and Bishop
Æthelwold of Winchester,[10] while Edward's claim was supported by Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury
and Oswald, the Archbishop of York[11] among other noblemen, notably Æthelwine, Ealdorman of East Anglia,
and Byrhtnoth, ealdorman of Essex. In the end, Edward's supporters proved the more powerful and persuasive,
and he was crowned king at Kingston upon Thames before the year was out.
Edward reigned for only three years before he was murdered by members of his brother's household.[12]
Though little is known about Edward's short reign, it is known that it was marked by political turmoil. Edgar
had made extensive grants of land to monasteries which pursued the new monastic ideals of ecclesiastical
reform, but these disrupted aristocratic families' traditional patronage. The end of his firm rule saw a reversal of
this policy, with aristocrats recovering their lost properties or seizing new ones. This was opposed by Dunstan,
but according to Cyril Hart, "The presence of supporters of church reform on both sides indicates that the
conflict between them depended as much on issues of land ownership and local power as on ecclesiastical
legitimacy. Adherents of both Edward and Æthelred can be seen appropriating, or recovering, monastic
lands."[7] Nevertheless, favour for Edward must have been strong among the monastic communities. When
Edward was killed at Æthelred's estate at Corfe Castle in Dorset in March 978, the job of recording the event,
as well as reactions to it, fell to monastic writers. Stenton offers a summary of the earliest account of Edward's
murder, which comes from a work praising the life of St Oswald: "On the surface his [Edward's] relations with
Æthelred his half-brother and Ælfthryth his stepmother were friendly, and he was visiting them informally
when he was killed. [Æthelred's] retainers came out to meet him with ostentatious signs of respect, and then,
before he had dismounted, surrounded him, seized his hands, and stabbed him. ... So far as can be seen the
murder was planned and carried out by Æthelred's household men in order that their young master might
become king. There is nothing to support the allegation, which first appears in writing more than a century
later, that Queen Ælfthryth had plotted her stepson's death. No one was punished for a part in the crime, and
Æthelred, who was crowned a month after the murder, began to reign in an atmosphere of suspicion which
destroyed the prestige of the crown. It was never fully restored in his lifetime."[13] Nevertheless, at first, the
outlook of the new king's officers and counsellors seems in no way to have been bleak. According to one
chronicler, the coronation of Æthelred took place with much rejoicing by the councillors of the English
people.[14] Simon Keynes notes that "Byrhtferth of Ramsey states similarly that when Æthelred was
consecrated king, by Archbishop Dunstan and Archbishop Oswald, 'there was great joy at his consecration’,
and describes the king in this connection as 'a young man in respect of years, elegant in his manners, with an
attractive face and handsome appearance'."[14] Æthelred could not have been older than 13 years of age in this
year.
During these early years, Æthelred was developing a close relationship to Æthelwold, bishop of Winchester,
one who had supported his unsuccessful claim to the throne. When Æthelwold died, on 1 August 984, Æthelred
deeply lamented the loss, and he wrote later in a charter from 993 that the event had deprived the country of
one "whose industry and pastoral care administered not only to my interest but also to that of all inhabitants of
the country."[14]
Conflict with the Danes
England had experienced a period of peace after the reconquest of the Danelaw in the mid-10th century by
King Edgar, Æthelred's father. However, beginning in 980, when Æthelred could not have been more than 14
years old, small companies of Danish adventurers carried out a series of coastline raids against England.
Hampshire, Thanet and Cheshire were attacked in 980, Devon and Cornwall in 981, and Dorset in 982. A
period of six years then passed before, in 988, another coastal attack is recorded as having taken place to the
south-west, though here a famous battle was fought between the invaders and the thegns of Devon. Stenton
notes that, though this series of isolated raids had no lasting effect on England itself, "their chief historical
importance is that they brought England for the first time into diplomatic contact with Normandy."[15] During
this period, the Normans, who remembered their origins as a Scandinavian people, were well-disposed to their
Danish cousins who, occasionally returning from a raid on England, sought port in Normandy. This led to grave
tension between the English and Norman courts, and word of their enmity eventually reached Pope John XV.
The pope was disposed to dissolve their hostility towards each other, and took steps to engineer a peace
between England and Normandy, which was ratified in Rouen in 991.
Battle of Maldon
Silver penny of Aethelred II
However, in August of that same year, a sizeable Danish fleet began a sustained campaign in the south-east of
England. It arrived off Folkestone, in Kent, and made its way around the south-east coast and up the River
Blackwater, coming eventually to its estuary and occupying Northey Island.[14] About 2 kilometres (1 mile)
west of Northey lies the coastal town of Maldon, where Byrhtnoth, ealdorman of Essex, was stationed with a
company of thegns. The battle that followed between English and Danes is immortalised by the Old English
poem The Battle of Maldon, which describes the doomed but heroic attempt of Byrhtnoth to defend the coast of
Essex against overwhelming odds. Stenton summarises the events of the poem: "For access to the mainland
they (the Danes) depended on a causeway, flooded at high tide, which led from Northey to the flats along the
southern margin of the estuary. Before they (the Danes) had left their camp on the island[,] Byrhtnoth, with his
retainers and a force of local militia, had taken possession of the landward end of the causeway. Refusing a
demand for tribute, shouted across the water while the tide was high, Byrhtnoth drew up his men along the
bank, and waited for the ebb. As the water fell the raiders began to stream out along the causeway. But three of
Byrthnoth's retainers held it against them, and at last they asked to be allowed to cross unhindered and fight on
equal terms on the mainland. With what even those who admired him most called 'over-courage', Byrhtnoth
agreed to this; the pirates rushed through the falling tide, and battle was joined. Its issue was decided by
Byrhtnoth's fall. Many even of his own men immediately took to flight and the English ranks were broken.
What gives enduring interest to the battle is the superb courage with which a group of Byrhtnoth's thegns,
knowing that the fight was lost, deliberately gave themselves to death in order that they might avenge their
lord."[16] This was the first of a series of crushing defeats felt by the English: beaten first by Danish raiders, and
later by organised Danish armies.
England begins tributes
In 991, Æthelred was around 24 years old. In the aftermath of Maldon,
it was decided that the English should grant the tribute to the Danes that
they desired, and so a gafol of £10,000 was paid them for their peace.
Yet it was presumably the Danish fleet that had beaten Byrhtnoth at
Maldon that continued to ravage the English coast from 991 to 993. In
994, the Danish fleet, which had swollen in ranks since 991, turned up
the Thames estuary and headed toward London. The battle fought there
was inconclusive. It was about this time that Æthelred met with the
leaders of the fleet, foremost among them Olaf Tryggvason, and
arranged an uneasy accord. A treaty was signed between Æthelred and
Olaf that provided for seemingly civilised arrangements between the
then-settled Danish companies and the English government, such as
regulation settlement disputes and trade. But the treaty also stipulated
that the ravaging and slaughter of the previous year would be forgotten,
and ended abruptly by stating that £22,000 of gold and silver had been
paid to the raiders as the price of peace.[17] In 994, Olaf Tryggvason,
already a baptised Christian, was confirmed as Christian in a ceremony at Andover; King Æthelred stood as his
sponsor. After receiving gifts, Olaf promised "that he would never come back to England in hostility."[14] Olaf
then left England for Norway and never returned, though "other component parts of the Viking force appear to
have decided to stay in England, for it is apparent from the treaty that some had chosen to enter into King
Æthelred's service as mercenaries, based presumably on the Isle of Wight."[14]
Renewed Danish raids
In 997, Danish raids began again. According to Keynes, "there is no suggestion that this was a new fleet or
army, and presumably the mercenary force created in 994 from the residue of the raiding army of 991 had
turned on those whom it had been hired to protect."[14] It harried Cornwall, Devon, western Somerset and south
Wales in 997, Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex in 998. In 999, it raided Kent, and, in 1000, it left England for
Normandy, perhaps because the English had refused in this latest wave of attacks to acquiesce to the Danish
demands for gafol or tribute, which would come to be known as Danegeld, 'Dane-payment'. This sudden relief
from attack Æthelred used to gather his thoughts, resources, and armies: the fleet's departure in 1000 "allowed
Æthelred to carry out a devastation of Strathclyde, the motive for which is part of the lost history of the
north."[18]
In 1001, a Danish fleet – perhaps the same fleet from 1000 – returned and ravaged west Sussex. During its
movements, the fleet regularly returned to its base in the Isle of Wight. There was later an attempted attack in
the south of Devon, though the English mounted a successful defence at Exeter. Nevertheless, Æthelred must
have felt at a loss, and, in the Spring of 1002, the English bought a truce for £24,000. Æthelred's frequent
payments of immense Danegelds are often held up as exemplary of the incompetency of his government and
his own short-sightedness. However, Keynes points out that such payments had been practice for at least a
century, and had been adopted by Alfred the Great, Charles the Bald and many others. Indeed, in some cases it
"may have seemed the best available way of protecting the people against loss of life, shelter, livestock and
crops. Though undeniably burdensome, it constituted a measure for which the king could rely on widespread
support."[14]
St. Brice's Day massacr e of 1002
Æthelred ordered the massacre of all Danish men in England to take place on 13 November 1002, St Brice's
Day. No order of this kind could be carried out in more than a third of England, where the Danes were too
strong, but Gunhilde, sister of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, was said to have been among the victims. It
is likely that a wish to avenge her was a principal motive for Sweyn's invasion of western England the
following year.[19] By 1004 Sweyn was in East Anglia, where he sacked Norwich. In this year, a nobleman of
East Anglia, Ulfcytel Snillingr met Sweyn in force, and made an impression on the until-then rampant Danish
expedition. Though Ulfcytel was eventually defeated, outside Thetford, he caused the Danes heavy losses and
was nearly able to destroy their ships. The Danish army left England for Denmark in 1005, perhaps because of
their injuries sustained in East Anglia, perhaps from the very severe famine which afflicted the continent and
the British Isles in that year.[14]
An expedition the following year was bought off in early 1007 by tribute money of £36,000, and for the next
two years England was free from attack. In 1008, the government created a new fleet of warships, organised on
a national scale, but this was weakened when one of its commanders took to piracy, and the king and his
council decided not to risk it in a general action. In Stenton's view: "The history of England in the next
generation was really determined between 1009 and 1012...the ignominious collapse of the English defence
caused a loss of morale which was irreparable." The Danish army of 1009, led by Thorkell the Tall and his
brother Hemming, was the most formidable force to invade England since Æthelred became king. It harried
England until it was bought off by £48,000 in April 1012.[20]
Invasion of 1013
Sweyn then launched an invasion in 1013 intending to crown himself king of England, during which he proved
himself to be a general greater than any other Viking leader of his generation. By the end of 1013 English
resistance had collapsed and Sweyn had conquered the country, forcing Æthelred into exile in Normandy. But
the situation changed suddenly when Sweyn died on 3 February 1014. The crews of the Danish ships in the
Trent that had supported Sweyn immediately swore their allegiance to Sweyn's son Cnut the Great, but leading
English noblemen sent a deputation to Æthelred to negotiate his restoration to the throne. He was required to
declare his loyalty to them, to bring in reforms regarding everything that they disliked and to forgive all that
had been said and done against him in his previous reign. The terms of this agreement are of great
constitutional interest in early English History as they are the first recorded pact between a King and his
subjects and are also widely regarded as showing that many English noblemen had submitted to Sweyn simply
because of their distrust of Æthelred.[21] According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:
they [the counsellors] said that no lord was dearer to them than their natural (gecynde) lord, if he would
govern them more justly than he did before. Then the king sent his son Edward hither with his
messengers and bade them greet all his people and said that he would be a gracious (hold) lord to them,
A charter of Æthelred's in 1003 to
his follower, Æthelred.
and reform all the things which they hated; and all the things which had been said and done against him
should be forgiven on condition that they all unanimously turned to him (to him gecyrdon) without
treachery. And complete friendship was then established with oath and pledge (mid worde and mid
wædde) on both sides, and they pronounced every Danish king an exile from England forever.[22]
Æthelred then launched an expedition against Cnut and his allies, the men of the Kingdom of Lindsey. Cnut's
army had not completed its preparations and, in April 1014, he decided to withdraw from England without a
fight leaving his Lindsey allies to suffer Æthelred's revenge. In August 1015, he returned to find a complex and
volatile situation unfolding in England. Æthelred's son, Edmund Ironside, had revolted against his father and
established himself in the Danelaw, which was angry at Cnut and Æthelred for the ravaging of Lindsey and was
prepared to support Edmund in any uprising against both of them.
Death and burial
Over the next few months Cnut conquered most of England, while Edmund rejoined Æthelred to defend
London when Æthelred died on 23 April 1016. The subsequent war between Edmund and Cnut ended in a
decisive victory for Cnut at the Battle of Ashingdon on 18 October 1016. Edmund's reputation as a warrior was
such that Cnut nevertheless agreed to divide England, Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the whole of the
country beyond the Thames. However, Edmund died on 30 November and Cnut became king of the whole
country.[23]
Æthelred was buried in Old St Paul's Cathedral, London. The tomb and his monument were destroyed along
with the cathedral in the Great Fire of London in 1666.[24] A modern monument in the crypt lists his among the
important graves lost.
Legislation
Æthelred's government produced extensive legislation, which he
"ruthlessly enforced."[25] Records of at least six legal codes survive from
his reign, covering a range of topics.[26] Notably, one of the members of his
council (known as the Witan) was Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York, a wellknown
homilist. The three latest codes from Æthelred's reign seemed to
have been drafted by Wulfstan.[27] These codes are extensively concerned
with ecclesiastical affairs. They also exhibit the characteristics of
Wulfstan's highly rhetorical style. Wulfstan went on to draft codes for King
Cnut, and recycled there many of the laws which were used in Æthelred's
codes.[28]
Despite the failure of his government in the face of the Danish threat,
Æthelred's reign was not without some important institutional achievements. The quality of the coinage, a good
indicator of the prevailing economic conditions, significantly improved during his reign due to his numerous
coinage reform laws.[29]
Legacy
Later perspectives of Æthelred have been less than flattering. Numerous legends and anecdotes have sprung up
to explain his shortcomings, often elaborating abusively on his character and failures. One such anecdote is
given by William of Malmesbury (lived c. 1080–c. 1143), who reports that Æthelred had defecated in the
baptismal font as a child, which led St. Dunstan to prophesy that the English monarchy would be overthrown
during his reign. This story is, however, a fabrication, and a similar story is told of the Byzantine Emperor
Constantine Copronymus, another mediaeval monarch who was unpopular among certain of his subjects.
Efforts to rehabilitate Æthelred's reputation have gained momentum since about 1980. Chief among the
rehabilitators has been Simon Keynes, who has often argued that our poor impression of Æthelred is almost
entirely based upon after-the-fact accounts of, and later accretions to, the narrative of events during Æthelred's
long and complex reign. Chief among the culprits is in fact one of the most important sources for the history of
the period, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which, as it reports events with a retrospect of 15 years, cannot help but
interpret events with the eventual English defeat a foregone conclusion. Yet, as virtually no strictly
contemporary narrative account of the events of Æthelred's reign exists, historians are forced to rely on what
evidence there is. Keynes and others thus draw attention to some of the inevitable snares of investigating the
history of a man whom later popular opinion has utterly damned. Recent cautious assessments of Æthelred's
reign have more often uncovered reasons to doubt, rather than uphold, Æthelred's later infamy. Though the
failures of his government will always put Æthelred's reign in the shadow of the reigns of kings Edgar,
Aethelstan, and Alfred, historians' current impression of Æthelred's personal character is certainly not as
unflattering as it once was: "Æthelred's misfortune as a ruler was owed not so much to any supposed defects of
his imagined character, as to a combination of circumstances which anyone would have found difficult to
control."[30]
Origin of the jury
Æthelred has been credited with the formation of a local investigative body made up of twelve thegns who
were charged with publishing the names of any notorious or wicked men in their respective districts. Because
the members of these bodies were under solemn oath to act in accordance with the law and their own good
consciences, they have been seen by some legal historians as the prototype for the English Grand Jury.[31]
Æthelred makes provision for such a body in a law code he enacted at Wantage in 997, which states:
þæt man habbe gemot on ælcum wæpentace; & gan ut þa yldestan XII þegnas & se gerefa mid, &
swerian on þam haligdome, þe heom man on hand sylle, þæt hig nellan nænne sacleasan man
forsecgean ne nænne sacne forhelan. & niman þonne þa tihtbysian men, þe mid þam gerefan
habbað, & heora ælc sylle VI healfmarc wedd, healf landrican & healf wæpentake.[32]
that there shall be an assembly in every wapentake,[33] and in that assembly shall go forth the
twelve eldest thegns and the reeve along with them, and let them swear on holy relics, which shall
be placed in their hands, that they will never knowingly accuse an innocent man nor conceal a
guilty man. And thereafter let them seize those notorious [lit. "charge-laden"] men, who have
business with the reeve, and let each of them give a security of 6 half-marks, half of which shall go
to the lord of that district, and half to the wapentake.
But the wording here suggests that Æthelred was perhaps revamping or re-confirming a custom which had
already existed. He may actually have been expanding an established English custom for use among the Danish
citizens in the North (the Danelaw). Previously, King Edgar had legislated along similar lines in his
Whitbordesstan code:
ic wille, þæt ælc mon sy under borge ge binnan burgum ge buton burgum. & gewitnes sy geset to
ælcere byrig & to ælcum hundrode. To ælcere byrig XXXVI syn gecorone to gewitnesse; to smalum
burgum & to ælcum hundrode XII, buton ge ma willan. & ælc mon mid heora gewitnysse bigcge &
sylle ælc þara ceapa, þe he bigcge oððe sylle aþer oððe burge oððe on wæpengetace. & heora ælc,
þonne hine man ærest to gewitnysse gecysð, sylle þæne að, þæt he næfre, ne for feo ne for lufe ne
for ege, ne ætsace nanes þara þinga, þe he to gewitnysse wæs, & nan oðer þingc on gewitnysse ne
cyðe buton þæt an, þæt he geseah oððe gehyrde. & swa geæþdera manna syn on ælcum ceape
twegen oððe þry to gewitnysse.[34]
It is my wish that each person be in surety, both within settled areas and without. And 'witnessing'
shall be established in each city and each hundred. To each city let there be 36 chosen for
witnessing; to small towns and to each hundred let there be 12, unless they desire more. And
everybody shall purchase and sell their goods in the presence a witness, whether he is buying or
selling something, whether in a city or a wapentake. And each of them, when they first choose to
become a witness, shall give an oath that he will never, neither for wealth nor love nor fear, deny
any of those things which he will be a witness to, and will not, in his capacity as a witness, make
known any thing except that which he saw and heard. And let there be either two or three of these
sworn witnesses at every sale of goods.
The 'legend' of an Anglo-Saxon origin to the jury was first challenged seriously by Heinrich Brunner in 1872,
who claimed that evidence of the jury was only seen for the first time during the reign of Henry II, some 200
years after the end of the Anglo-Saxon period, and that the practice had originated with the Franks, who in turn
had influenced the Normans, who thence introduced it to England.[35] Since Brunner's thesis, the origin of the
English jury has been much disputed. Throughout the 20th century, legal historians disagreed about whether the
practice was English in origin, or was introduced, directly or indirectly, from either Scandinavia or Francia.[31]
Recently, the legal historians Patrick Wormald and Michael Macnair have reasserted arguments in favour of
finding in practices current during the Anglo-Saxon period traces of the Angevin practice of conducting
inquests using bodies of sworn, private witnesses. Wormald has gone as far as to present evidence suggesting
that the English practice outlined in Æthelred's Wantage code is at least as old as, if not older than, 975, and
ultimately traces it back to a Carolingian model (something Brinner had done).[36] However, no scholarly
consensus has yet been reached.
Appearance and character
"[A] youth of graceful manners, handsome countenance and fine person..."[37] as well as "[A] tall, handsome
man, elegant in manners, beautiful in countenance and interesting in his deportment."[38]
Marriages and issue
Æthelred married first Ælfgifu, daughter of Thored, earl of Northumbria, in about 985.[14] Their known
children are:
Æthelstan Ætheling (died 1014)
Ecgberht Ætheling (died c. 1005)[39]
Edmund Ironside (died 1016)
Eadred Ætheling (died before 1013)
Eadwig Ætheling (executed by Cnut 1017)
Edgar Ætheling (died c. 1008)[39]
Eadgyth or Edith (married Eadric Streona)
Ælfgifu (married Uchtred the Bold, ealdorman of Northumbria)
Wulfhilda (married Ulfcytel Snillingr)
Abbess of Wherwell Abbey
In 1002 Æthelred married Emma of Normandy, sister of Richard II, Duke of Normandy. Their children were:
Edward the Confessor (died 1066)
Ælfred Ætheling (died 1036–7)
Goda of England (married 1. Drogo of Mantes and 2. Eustace II, Count of Boulogne)
All of Æthelred's sons were named after predecessors of Æthelred on the throne.[40]
Ancestry
Ancestors of Æthelred the Unready
16. Alfred the Great
8. Edward the Elder
17. Ealhswith
4. Edmund I of England
18. Sigehelm, Ealdorman of Kent
9. Edgiva of Kent
2. Edgar the Peaceful
5. Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
1. Æthelred the Unready
6. Ordgar
3. Ælfthryth, Queen of England
See also
House of Wessex family tree
Burial places of British royalty
Cultural depictions of Æthelred the Unready
Notes
1. Different spellings of this king’s name most commonly found in modern texts are "Ethelred" and "Æthelred" (or
"Aethelred"), the latter being closer to the originaOl ld English form Æþelræd.
2. Bosworth-Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, with Supplement. p.1124
3. Schröder, Deutsche Namenkunde.
4. "Ethelred the Redeless" e.g. in Thomas HodgkinT, he History of England from the Earliest Times to the Norman
Conquest, Volume 1 (1808), p. 373 (https://books.google.ch/books?id=wUkNAAAAIAAJ&pg=AP373). While rede
"counsel" survived into modern English, the negativeu nrede appears to fall out of use by the 15th century; c.fR ichard
the Redeless, a 15th-century poem in reference toR ichard II of England.
5. Keynes, "The Declining Reputation of King Æthelred the Unready", pp. 240–1. For this king's forebear of the same
name, see Æthelred of Wessex.
6. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, p. 374.
7. Hart, Cyril (2007). "Edward the Martyr" (http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8515). Oxford Dictionary of National
Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
8. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, p. 372.
9. Miller, "Edward the Martyr."
10. Higham, The Death of Anglo-Saxon England, pp. 7–8; Stafford, Unification and Conquest, p. 58.
11. Phillips, "St Edward the Martyr."
12. Keynes, The Diplomas of King Æthelred 'the Unready' 978-1016, p. 166.
13. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, p. 373.
14. Keynes, "Æthelred II (c. 966x8–1016)."
15. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, p. 375.
References
16. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, pp. 376–77.
17. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, pp. 377–78.
18. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, p. 379.
19. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, p. 380.
20. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, pp. 381–4.
21. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, pp. 384–6.
22. Williams, Æthelred, p. 123
23. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, pp. 386–393.
24. The Burial of King Æthelred the Unready at St. Paul's, Simon Keynes, The English and Their Legacy, 900-1200: Essays
in Honour of Ann Williams, ed. David Roffe, (Boydell Press, 2012), 129.
25. Wormald, "Æthelred the Lawmaker", p. 49.
26. Liebermann, ed., Die Gesetze der Angelsaschen, pp. 216–70.
27. Wormald, "Wulfstan (d. 1023)."
28. Wormald, The Making of English Law, pp. 356–60.
29. "Ethelred II". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009.
30. Keynes, "A Tale of Two Kings", p. 217.
31. Turner, "The Origins of the Medieval English Jury"p, assim.
32. "III Æthelred" 3.1–3.2, in Liebermann, ed.,D ie Gesetze, pp. 228–32.
33. Note that this terms specifies the north and north-eastern territories in England which were at the time glaerly governed
according to Danish custom; no mention is made of the law's application to thheu ndreds, the southern and English
equivalent of the Danish wapentake.
34. "IV Edgar" 3–6.2, in Liebermann, ed.,D ie Gesetze, pp. 206–14.
35. Turner, "The Origins of the Medieval English Jury", pp. 1–2; Wormald, The Making of English Law, pp. 4–26,
especially pp. 7–8 and 17–18.
36. Wormald, "Neighbors, Courts, and Kings", pp. 598–99, et passim.
37. The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester
38. The Gunnlaugr Saga of Gunnlaugr the Scald
39. M. K. Lawson, Edmund II, Oxford Online DNB, 2004 (http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/8502)
40. Frank Barlow, Edward the Confessor, Yale University Press: London, 1997, p. 28 and family tree in endpap.er
Bosworth, J., & Toller, T. N., eds., An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1882–98); with Supplement (1908–21) .
Gilbride, M.B. "A Hollow Crown review". Medieval Mysteries.com "Reviews of Outstanding Historical Novels set in
the Medieval Period". Retrieved 9 May 2012.
Godsell, Andrew "Ethelred the Unready" in "History For All" magazine September 2000, republished in "Legends of
British History" (2008)
Hart, Cyril, "Edward the Martyr", in C. Matthew, B. Harrison, & L. Goldman (eds.),O xford Dictionary of National
Biography (2007), http://www.oxforddnb.com [accessed 9 November 2008].
Higham, Nick, The Death of Anglo-Saxon England (1997), ISBN 0-7509-2469-1.
Keynes, Simon, "The Declining Reputation of King Æthelred the Unready", in David Hill (ed.E),t helred the Unready:
Papers from the Millenary Conference, British Archaeological Reports, British Series 59 (1978), pp. 227–53.
Keynes, Simon, "A Tale of Two Kings: Alfred the Great and Æthelred the Unready"T, ransactions of the Royal
Historical Society, Fifth Series 36 (1986), pp. 195–217.
Keynes, Simon, "Æthelred II (c. 966x8–1016)", in C. Matthew, B. Harrison, & L. Goldman (eds.),O xford Dictionary of
National Biography (2004), http://www.oxforddnb.com [accessed 12 June 2008].
Liebermann, Felix, ed., Die Gesetze der Angelsaschen, vol. 1 (1903).
Miller,Sean, "Edward the Martyr", in M. Lapidge, J. Bla,i rS. Keynes, & D. Scragg (eds.),T he Blackwell Encyclopædia
of Anglo-Saxon England (1999), p. 163. ISBN 0-631-22492-0.
Phillips, G. E., Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Edward the Martyr". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert
Appleton Company.
Schröder, Edward, Deutsche Namenkunde: Gesammelte Aufsätze zur Kunde deutsche Personen- und Ortsnam e(n1944).
Stafford, Pauline, Unification and Conquest: A Political and Social History of England in thee Tnth and Eleventh
Centuries (1989), ISBN 0-7131-6532-4.
Skinner, Patricia, ed, Challenging the Boundaries of Medieval History: The Legacy of iTmothy Reuter (2009), ISBN
978-2-503-52359-0.
Stenton, F. M. (1971). Anglo-Saxon England. The Oxford History of England.2 (3rd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
ISBN 0192801392.
Turner, Ralph V. (1968). "The Origins of the Medieval English Jury: Frankish, English, or Scandinavian?"T. he Journal
of British Studies. 7 (2): 1–10. JSTOR 175292. doi:10.1086/385549.
Wikisource has the text of
the 1911 Encyclopædia
Britannica article Æthelred
II..
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Æthelred.
Further reading
Cubitt, Catherine (2012). "The politics of remorse: penance and
royal piety in the reign of Æthelred the Unready". Historical
Research. 85 (228): 179–192. doi:10.1111/j.1468-
2281.2011.00571.x.
Hart, Cyril, ed. and tr. (2006). Chronicles of the Reign of
Æthelred the Unready: An Edition and Translation of the Old
English and Latin Annals. The Early Chronicles of England 1.
Keynes, Simon (1980). The Diplomas of King Æthelred ‘the
Unready’ 978–1016. New York: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN 0521227186.
Lavelle, Ryan (2008). Aethelred II: King of the English 978–1016 (New ed.). Stroud, Gloucestershire:
The History Press. ISBN 9780752446783.
External links
Æthelred 32 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Miller, Sean. "Æthelred the Unready". Anglo-Saxons.net. Retrieved 25 November 2007.
Documentary – The Making of England: Aethelred the Unready
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Edward the Martyr
King of the English
978–1013
Succeeded by
Sweyn Forkbeard
Preceded by
Sweyn Forkbeard
King of the English
1014–1016
Succeeded by
Edmund Ironside
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Æthelred_the_Unready&oldid=785907428"
Categories: Monarchs of England before 1066 Medieval child rulers 968 births 1016 deaths
11th-century English monarchs 10th-century English monarchs Christian monarchs House of Wessex
Burials at St Paul's Cathedral
This page was last edited on 16 June 2017, at 03:30.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
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.
Williams, Ann, Æthelred the Unready: The Ill-Counselled King (2003), ISBN 1-85285-382-4.
Wormald, Patrick, The Making of English Law – King Alfred to the Twelfth Century, vol. 1: Legislation and its Limits
(1999).
Wormald, Patrick (1999). "Neighbors, Courts ,and Kings: Reflections on Michael Macnair's Vicini". Law and History
Review. 17 (3): 597–601. JSTOR 744383. doi:10.2307/744383.
Wormald, Patrick, "Wulfstan (d. 1023)", in C. Matthew, B. Harrison, & L. Goldman (eds.),O xford Dictionary of
National Biography (2004), http://www.oxforddnb.com [accessed 12 June 2008].

Family/Spouse: of York, Queen Consort Ælfgifu. Ælfgifu (daughter of of York, Ealdorman Thored) was born in 968 in Kingdom of Wessex (England); died in 1002 in 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.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
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]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: England; Prince of England
• FSID: K24W-VR4

Notes:

Edward the Exile
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edward the Exile, the Outlaw, the Confessor (1016 – late August 1057), also called Edward Ætheling, was the son of King Edmund Ironside and of Ealdgyth. He spent most of his life in exile following the defeat of his father by Canute the Great.

Exile
After the Danish conquest of England in 1016, Canute had Edward, said to be only a few months old, and his brother, Edmund, sent to the Swedish court of Olof Skötkonung (who was either Canute's half-brother or stepbrother), supposedly with instructions to have the children murdered. Instead, the two boys were secretly sent either to Kiev, where Olof's daughter Ingigerd was the Queen, or to Poland, where Canute's uncle Bolesław I Chrobry was duke. Later Edward made his way to Hungary, probably in the retinue of Ingigerd's son-in-law, András in 1046, whom he supported in his successful bid for the Hungarian throne.

Return
On hearing the news of his being alive, Edward the Confessor recalled him to England in 1056 and made him his heir. Edward offered the last chance of an undisputed succession within the Saxon royal house. News of Edward's existence came at a time when the old Anglo-Saxon monarchy, restored after a long period of Danish domination, was heading for catastrophe. The Confessor, personally devout but politically weak and without children, was unable to make an effective stand against the steady advance of the powerful and ambitious sons of Godwin, Earl of Wessex. From across the Channel William, Duke of Normandy, also had an eye on the succession. Edward the Exile appeared at just the right time. Approved by both king and by the Witan, the Council of the Realm, he offered a way out of the impasse, a counter both to the Godwinsons and to William, and one with a legitimacy that could not be readily challenged.

Edward, who had been in the custody of Henry III, the Holy Roman Emperor, finally came back to England at the end of August 1057. But he died within two days of his arrival. The exact cause of Edward's death remains unclear, but he had many powerful enemies, and there is a strong possibility that he was murdered, although by whom is not known with any certainty. It is known, though, that his access to the king was blocked soon after his arrival in England for some unexplained reason, at a time when the Godwinsons, in the person of Harold, were once again in the ascendant. This turn of events left the throne of England to be disputed by Earl Harold and Duke William, ultimately leading to the Norman Conquest of England. He was buried in Old St Paul's Cathedral.

Family
Edward's wife was named Agatha, whose origins are disputed. Their children were:

Edgar Ætheling (c. 1051 - c. 1126) - Elected King of England after the Battle of Hastings but submitted to William the Conqueror.
Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045 - 16 November 1093) - Married King Malcolm III of Scotland.
Cristina (c. 1057 - c. 1093) - Abbess at Romsey Abbey.
Edward's grandchild Edith of Scotland, also called Matilda, married King Henry I of England, continuing the Anglo-Saxon line into the post-Conquest English monarchy.

Ancestors
Edward the Exile was a direct descendant of a line of Wessex kings dating back, at least on the pages of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, to the arrival of Cerdic of Wessex in 495AD, and from Alfred the Great in the English monarchs family tree. Of his more immediate ancestors, all four of Edward's male-line ancestors shown in the diagram below were Kings of England before Cnut the Great took the crown and sent Edward into exile.

Edward married Aetheling, Princess of England Agatha on 13 Jul 1040 in London, London, England. Agatha was born on 13 Jul 1024 in Esztergom, Komarom-Esztergom, Hungary; died on 13 Jul 1066 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England; was buried after 13 Jul 1066. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: England; Princess of England
• Appointments / Titles: Scotland; Queen of Scotland
• Appointments / Titles: Queen of Wessex "The Exile"
• Appointments / Titles: Saint of Hungary
• Nickname: The Pearl of Scotland
• Nickname: The Pearl of Scotland
• FSID: L8M6-YW7
• Appointments / Titles: Between 7 Jan 1071 and 6 Jan 1072; Queen of Scotland

Notes:

Saint Margaret of Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Margaret of Scotland
StMargareth edinburgh castle2.jpg
Image of Saint Margaret in a window in St Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh
Queen Consort of Scotland
Tenure 1070-93
Born c. 1045
Kingdom of Hungary
Died 16 November 1093
Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Kingdom of Scotland
Burial Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Kingdom of Scotland
Spouse King Malcolm III of Scotland
married 1070; widowed 1093
Issue
more... Edmund, Bishop of Dunkeld
Ethelred
King Edgar of Scotland
King Alexander I of Scotland
King David I of Scotland
Queen Matilda of England
Mary, Countess of Boulogne
House Wessex
Father Edward the Exile
Mother Agatha
Saint Margaret
Queen of Scots
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Communion
Canonized 1250 by Pope Innocent IV
Major shrine Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Scotland
Feast
16 November,

10 June (pre-1970 General Roman Calendar)
Attributes reading
Patronage Scotland, Dunfermline, Fife, Shetland, The Queen's Ferry, and Anglo-Scottish relations
Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045 – 16 November 1093), also known as Margaret of Wessex, was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Margaret was sometimes called "The Pearl of Scotland". Born in exile in the Kingdom of Hungary, she was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the shortly reigned and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. Margaret and her family returned to the Kingdom of England in 1057, but fled to the Kingdom of Scotland following the Norman conquest of England in 1066. In 1070 Margaret married King Malcolm III of Scotland, becoming Queen of Scots. She was a very pious Roman Catholic, and among many charitable works she established a ferry across the Firth of Forth in Scotland for pilgrims travelling to St Andrews in Fife, which gave the towns of South Queensferry and North Queensferry their names. Margaret was the mother of three kings of Scotland, or four, if Edmund of Scotland, who ruled with his uncle, Donald III, is counted, and of a queen consort of England. According to the Vita S. Margaritae (Scotorum) Reginae (Life of St. Margaret, Queen (of the Scots)), attributed to Turgot of Durham, she died at Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1093, merely days after receiving the news of her husband's death in battle. In 1250 Pope Innocent IV canonized her, and her remains were reinterred in a shrine in Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland. Her relics were dispersed after the Scottish Reformation and subsequently lost. Mary, Queen of Scots at one time owned her head, which was subsequently preserved by Jesuits in the Scottish College, Douai, France, from where it was subsequently lost during the French Revolution.

Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Return to England
3 Journey to Scotland
4 Progeny
5 Piety
6 Death
7 Veneration
7.1 Canonization and feast day
7.2 Institutions bearing her name
8 Ancestry
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
12 Further reading
13 External links
Early life

Margaret from a medieval family tree.
Margaret was the daughter of the English prince Edward the Exile, and granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, king of England. After the Danish conquest of England in 1016, King Canute the Great had the infant Edward exiled to the continent. He was taken first to the court of the Swedish king, Olof Skötkonung, and then to Kiev. As an adult, he travelled to Hungary, where in 1046 he supported the successful bid of King Andrew I for the Hungarian crown. King Andrew I was then also known as "Andrew the Catholic" for his extreme aversion to pagans and great loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church. The provenance of Margaret's mother, Agatha, is legally disputed, but Margaret was born in Hungary c. 1045. Her brother Edgar the Ætheling and sister Cristina were also born in Hungary around this time. Margaret grew up in a very religious environment in the Hungarian court.

Return to England
Still a child, she came to England with the rest of her family when her father, Edward the Exile, was recalled in 1057 as a possible successor to her great-uncle, the childless St. King Edward the Confessor. Whether from natural or sinister causes, her father died immediately after landing, and Margaret continued to reside at the English court where her brother, Edgar Ætheling, was considered a possible successor to the English throne. When Edward the Confessor died in January 1066, Harold Godwinson was selected as king, possibly because Edgar was considered too young. After Harold's defeat at the Battle of Hastings later that year, Edgar was proclaimed King of England, but when the Normans advanced on London, the Witenagemot presented Edgar to William the Conqueror, who took him to Normandy before returning him to England in 1068, when Edgar, Margaret, Cristina, and their mother Agatha fled north to Northumbria, England.

Journey to Scotland
According to tradition, the widowed Agatha decided to leave Northumbria, England with her children and return to the continent. However, a storm drove their ship north to the Kingdom of Scotland in 1068, where they sought the protection of King Malcolm III. The locus where it is believed that they landed is known today as St Margaret's Hope, near the village of North Queensferry, Fife, Scotland. Margaret's arrival in Scotland, after the failed revolt of the Northumbrian earls, has been heavily romanticized, though Symeon of Durham implied that her first meeting of Malcolm III may not have been until 1070, after William the Conqueror's Harrying of the North.

King Malcolm III was a widower with two sons, Donald and Duncan. He would have been attracted to marrying one of the few remaining members of the Anglo-Saxon royal family. The marriage of Malcolm and Margaret occurred in 1070. Subsequently, Malcolm executed several invasions of Northumberland to support the claim of his new brother-in-law Edgar and to increase his own power. These, however, had little effect save the devastation of the County.

Progeny
Margaret and Malcolm had eight children, six sons and two daughters:

Edward (c. 1071 — 13 November 1093), killed along with his father Malcolm III in the Battle of Alnwick
Edmund of Scotland (c.1071 – post 1097)
Ethelred of Scotland, Abbot of Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland
Edgar of Scotland (c.1074 — 11 January 1107), King of Scotland, regnat 1097-1107
Alexander I of Scotland (c.1078 — 23 April 1124), King of Scotland, regnat 1107-24
Edith of Scotland (c. 1080 – 1 May 1118), also named "Matilda", married King Henry I of England, Queen Consort of England
Mary of Scotland (1082-1116), married Eustace III of Boulogne
David I of Scotland (c.1083 – 24 May 1153), King of Scotland, regnat 1124-53
Piety

Malcolm greeting Margaret at her arrival in Scotland; detail of a mural by Victorian artist William Hole
Margaret's biographer Turgot of Durham, Bishop of St. Andrew's, credits her with having a civilizing influence on her husband Malcolm by reading him narratives from the Bible. She instigated religious reform, striving to conform the worship and practices of the Church in Scotland to those of Rome. This she did on the inspiration and with the guidance of Lanfranc, a future Archbishop of Canterbury. She also worked to conform the practices of the Scottish Church to those of the continental Church, which she experienced in her childhood. Due to these achievements, she was considered an exemplar of the "just ruler", and moreover influenced her husband and children, especially her youngest son, the future King David I of Scotland, to be just and holy rulers.

"The chroniclers all agree in depicting Queen Margaret as a strong, pure, noble character, who had very great influence over her husband, and through him over Scottish history, especially in its ecclesiastical aspects. Her religion, which was genuine and intense, was of the newest Roman style; and to her are attributed a number of reforms by which the Church [in] Scotland was considerably modified from the insular and primitive type which down to her time it had exhibited. Among those expressly mentioned are a change in the manner of observing Lent, which thenceforward began as elsewhere on Ash Wednesday and not as previously on the following Monday, and the abolition of the old practice of observing Saturday (Sabbath), not Sunday, as the day of rest from labour (see Skene's Celtic Scotland, book ii chap. 8)." The later editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica, however, as an example, the Eleventh Edition, remove Skene's opinion that Scottish Catholics formerly rested from work on Saturday, something for which there is no historical evidence. Skene's Celtic Scotland, vol. ii, chap. 8, pp. 348–350, quotes from a contemporary document regarding Margaret's life, but his source says nothing at all of Saturday Sabbath observance, but rather says St. Margaret exhorted the Scots to cease their tendency "to neglect the due observance of the Lord's day."

She attended to charitable works, serving orphans and the poor every day before she ate and washing the feet of the poor in imitation of Christ. She rose at midnight every night to attend the liturgy. She successfully invited the Benedictine Order to establish a monastery in Dunfermline, Fife in 1072, and established ferries at Queensferry and North Berwick to assist pilgrims journeying from south of the Firth of Forth to St. Andrew's in Fife. She used a cave on the banks of the Tower Burn in Dunfermline as a place of devotion and prayer. St. Margaret's Cave, now covered beneath a municipal car park, is open to the public. Among other deeds, Margaret also instigated the restoration of Iona Abbey in Scotland. She is also known to have interceded for the release of fellow English exiles who had been forced into serfdom by the Norman conquest of England.

Margaret was as pious privately as she was publicly. She spent much of her time in prayer, devotional reading, and ecclesiastical embroidery. This apparently had considerable effect on the more uncouth Malcolm, who was illiterate: he so admired her piety that he had her books decorated in gold and silver. One of these, a pocket gospel book with portraits of the Evangelists, is in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England.

Malcolm was apparently largely ignorant of the long-term effects of Margaret's endeavours, not being especially religious himself. He was content for her to pursue her reforms as she desired, which was a testament to the strength of and affection in their marriage.

Death
Her husband Malcolm III, and their eldest son Edward, were killed in the Battle of Alnwick against the English on 13 November 1093. Her son Edgar was left with the task of informing his mother of their deaths. Margaret was not yet 50 years old, but a life of constant austerity and fasting had taken their toll. Already ill, Margaret died on 16 November 1093, three days after the deaths of her husband and eldest son. She was buried before the high altar in Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland. In 1250, the year of her canonization, her body and that of her husband were exhumed and placed in a new shrine in the Abbey. In 1560 Mary Queen of Scots had Margaret's head removed to Edinburgh Castle as a relic to assist her in childbirth. In 1597 Margaret's head ended up with the Jesuits at the Scottish College, Douai, France, but was lost during the French Revolution. King Philip of Spain had the other remains of Margaret and Malcolm III transferred to the Escorial palace in Madrid, Spain, but their present location has not been discovered.

Veneration

Site of the ruined Shrine of St. Margaret at Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Scotland

St Margaret's Chapel in Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

St Margaret's Church in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Canonization and feast day
Pope Innocent IV canonized St. Margaret in 1250 in recognition of her personal holiness, fidelity to the Roman Catholic Church, work for ecclesiastical reform, and charity. On 19 June 1250, after her canonisation, her remains were transferred to a chapel in the eastern apse of Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland. In 1693 Pope Innocent XII moved her feast day to 10 June in recognition of the birthdate of the son of James VII of Scotland and II of England. In the revision of the General Roman Calendar in 1969, 16 November became free and the Church transferred her feast day to 16 November, the date of her death, on which it always had been observed in Scotland. However, some traditionalist Catholics continue to celebrate her feast day on 10 June.

She is also venerated as a saint in the Anglican Church.

Institutions bearing her name
Several churches throughout the world are dedicated in honour of St Margaret. One of the oldest is St Margaret's Chapel in Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland, which her son King David I founded. The Chapel was long thought to have been the oratory of Margaret herself, but is now thought to have been established in the 12th century. The oldest edifice in Edinburgh, it was restored in the 19th century and refurbished in the 1990s. Numerous other institutions are named for her as well.
Queen of Scotland

Born in exile in Hungary. Margaret and her family returned to England in 1057, but fled to the Kingdom of Scotland following the Norman conquest of England of 1066. Around 1070 Margaret married Malcolm III of Scotland, becoming his queen consort. She was a pious woman, and among many charitable works she established a ferry across the Firth of Forth for pilgrims traveling to Dunfermline Abbey. Margaret was the mother of three kings of Scotland (or four, if one includes Edmund of Scotland, who ruled Scotland with his uncle, Donald III) and of a queen consort of England. She died at Edinburgh Castle in 1093, just days after receiving the news of her husband's death in battle. In 1250 she was canonized by Pope Innocent IV, and her remains were reinterred in a shrine at Dunfermline Abbey. Her relics were dispersed after the Scottish Reformation and subsequently lost. Per Wikipedia.org

Margaret married of Scotland, Malcolm III in 1070 in Scotland. Malcolm (son of of Scotland, King of Alpa Duncan I and mac Siward, Sybilla Suthen) was born on 1 Apr 1031 in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland; died on 22 Nov 1093 in Alnwick, Northumberland, England; was buried after 22 Nov 1083 in Dunfermline Abbey, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Between 15 Oct and 10 Dec 1066, England; Disputed King of England

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Kingdom of Wessex (England); Princess of Wessex
• Occupation: Abbess of Romsey, Hampshire, England

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: [Atheling]
• Appointments / Titles: Princess
• Appointments / Titles: Queen of England
• Appointments / Titles: Queen of England
• FSID: KHP1-CFX
• Name: Eadgyth "Matilda"Ætheling Dunkeld of Scotland Queen of England
• Name: Eadgyth (Edith)
• Name: Matilda Atheling Canmore
• Name: Matilda of England
• Name: Matilda of Scotland
• Name: Matilda of Scotland
• Name: Matilda of Scotland or Adelya
• Appointments / Titles: Between 11 and 14 Nov 1100; Queen Consort of England
• Birth: Oct 1079, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
• Death: 8 May 1118, Westminster Palace, Westminster, London, England

Notes:

Matilda of Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Edith of Scotland)
Matilda of Scotland
Matylda zena.jpg
Queen consort of England
Tenure 11 November 1100 – 1 May 1118
Coronation 11 November 1100
Born c. 1080
Dunfermline, Scotland
Died 1 May 1118 (aged 38)
Westminster Palace
Burial Westminster Abbey
Spouse Henry I of England
Issue Matilda, Holy Roman Empress
William Adelin
House House of Dunkeld
Father Malcolm III of Scotland
Mother Saint Margaret of Scotland
Matilda of Scotland (c. 1080 – 1 May 1118), originally christened Edith, was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry I.

Matilda was the daughter of the English princess Saint Margaret and the Scottish king Malcolm III. At the age of about six Matilda was sent with her sister to be educated in a convent in southern England, where her aunt Cristina was abbess. It is not clear if she spent much time in Scotland thereafter. In 1093, when she was about 13, she was engaged to an English nobleman when her father and brother Edward were killed in a minor raid into England, and her mother died soon after; her fiance then abandoned the proposed marriage. In Scotland a messy succession conflict followed between Matilda's uncle Donald III, her half-brother Duncan II and brother Edgar until 1097. Matilda's whereabouts during this no doubt difficult period are uncertain.

But after the suspicious death of William II of England in 1100 and accession of his brother Henry I, Matilda's prospects improved. Henry moved quickly to propose to her. It is said that he already knew and admired her, and she may indeed have spent time at the English court. Edgar was now secure on the Scottish throne, offering the prospect of better relations between the two countries, and Matilda also had the considerable advantage of Anglo-Saxon royal blood, which the Norman dynasty largely lacked. There was a difficulty about the marriage; a special church council was called to be satisfied that Matilda had not taken vows as a nun, which her emphatic testimony managed to convince them of.

Matilda and Henry married in late 1100. They had two children who reached adulthood and two more who died young. Matilda led a literary and musical court, but was also pious. She embarked on building projects for the church, and took a role in government when her husband was away; many surviving charters are signed by her. Matilda lived to see her daughter Matilda become Holy Roman Empress but died two years before the drowning of her son William. Henry remarried, but had no further legitimate children, which caused a succession crisis known as The Anarchy. Matilda is buried in Westminster Abbey and was fondly remembered by her subjects as "Matilda the Good Queen" and "Matilda of Blessed Memory". There was an attempt to have her canonized, which was not pursued.

Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Marriage
3 Queen
3.1 Works
4 Death
5 Legacy
6 Issue
7 Appearance and character
8 Notes and sources
9 References
10 External links
Early life
Matilda was born around 1080 in Dunfermline, the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret. She was christened (baptised) Edith, and Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, stood as godfather at the ceremony. The English queen Matilda of Flanders was also present at the baptismal font and served as her godmother. Baby Matilda pulled at Queen Matilda's headdress, which was seen as an omen that the younger Matilda would be queen one day.

The Life of St Margaret, Queen of Scotland was later written for Matilda possibly by Turgot of Durham. It refers to Matilda's childhood and her relationship with her mother. In it, Margaret is described as a strict but loving mother. She did not spare the rod when it came to raising her children in virtue, which the author presupposed was the reason for the good behaviour Matilda and her siblings displayed, and Margaret also stressed the importance of piety.

When she was about six years old, Matilda of Scotland (or Edith as she was then probably still called) and her sister Mary were sent to Romsey Abbey, near Southampton in southern England, where their aunt Cristina was abbess. During her stay at Romsey and, some time before 1093, at Wilton Abbey, both institutions known for learning, the Scottish princess was much sought-after as a bride; refusing proposals from William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey, and Alan Rufus, Lord of Richmond. Hériman of Tournai claimed that William Rufus considered marrying her. Her education went beyond the standard feminine pursuits. This was not surprising as her mother was a great lover of books. Her daughters learned English, French, and some Latin, and were sufficiently literate to read St. Augustine and the Bible.

In 1093, her parents betrothed her to Alan Rufus, Lord of Richmond, one of her numerous suitors. However, before the marriage took place, her father entered into a dispute with William Rufus. In response, he marauded the English king's lands where he was surprised by Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria and killed along with his son, Edward. Upon hearing of her husband and son's death, Margaret, already ill, died on 16 November. Edith was now an orphan. She was abandoned by her betrothed who ran off with a daughter of Harold Godwinson, Gunhild of Wessex. However, he died before they could be married.

She had left the monastery by 1093, when Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote to the Bishop of Salisbury ordering that the daughter of the King of Scotland be returned to the monastery that she had left. She did not return to Wilton and until 1100, is largely unaccounted for in chronicles.

Marriage
After William II's death in the New Forest in August 1100, his brother, Henry, immediately seized the royal treasury and crown. His next task was to marry and Henry's choice was Matilda. Because Matilda had spent most of her life in a convent, there was some controversy over whether she was a nun and thus canonically ineligible for marriage. Henry sought permission for the marriage from Archbishop Anselm, who returned to England in September 1100 after a long exile. Professing himself unwilling to decide so weighty a matter on his own, Anselm called a council of bishops in order to determine the canonical legality of the proposed marriage. Matilda testified that she had never taken holy vows, insisting that her parents had sent her and her sister to England for educational purposes, and her aunt Cristina had veiled her to protect her "from the lust of the Normans." Matilda claimed she had pulled the veil off and stamped on it, and her aunt beat and scolded her for this act. The council concluded that Matilda was not a nun, never had been and her parents had not intended that she become one, giving their permission for the marriage.

Matilda and Henry seem to have known one another for some time before their marriage — William of Malmesbury states that Henry had "long been attached" to her, and Orderic Vitalis says that Henry had "long adored" her character. It is possible that Matilda had spent some time at William Rufus's court and that the pair had met there. It is also possible Henry was introduced to his bride by his teacher Bishop Osmund. Whatever the case, it is clear that the two at least knew each other prior to their wedding. Additionally, the chronicler William of Malmesbury suggests that the new king loved his bride.

Matilda's mother was the sister of Edgar the Ætheling, proclaimed but uncrowned King of England after Harold, and, through her mother, Matilda was descended from Edmund Ironside and thus from the royal family of Wessex, which in the 10th century had become the royal family of a united England. This was extremely important because although Henry had been born in England, he needed a bride with ties to the ancient Wessex line to increase his popularity with the English and to reconcile the Normans and Anglo-Saxons. In their children, the two factions would be united, further unifying the new regime. Another benefit was that England and Scotland became politically closer; three of Matilda's brothers became kings of Scotland in succession and were unusually friendly towards England during this period of unbroken peace between the two nations: Alexander married one of Henry I's illegitimate daughters and David lived at Henry's court for some time before his accession.

Matilda had a small dower but it did incorporate some lordship rights. Most of her dower estates were granted from lands previously held by Edith of Wessex. Additionally, Henry made numerous grants on his wife including substantial property in London. Generosity aside, this was a political move in order to win over the unruly Londoners who were vehement supporters of the Wessex kings.

Queen

The seal of Matilda
After Matilda and Henry were married on 11 November 1100 at Westminster Abbey by Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury, she was crowned as "Matilda," a hallowed Norman name. By courtiers, however, she and her husband were soon nicknamed 'Godric and Godiva'. These two names were typical English names from before The Conquest and mocked their more rustic style, especially when compared to the flamboyance of William II.

She gave birth to a daughter, Matilda, born in February 1102, and a son, William, called "Adelin", in November 1103. As queen, she resided primarily at Westminster, but accompanied her husband on his travels around England, and, circa 1106–1107, probably visited Normandy with him. Matilda was the designated head of Henry's curia and acted as regent during his frequent absences.

During the English investiture controversy (1103-07), she acted as intercessor between her husband and archbishop Anselm. She wrote several letters during Anselm's absence, first asking him for advice and to return, but later increasingly to mediate.

Works
Matilda had great interest in architecture and instigated the building of many Norman-style buildings, including Waltham Abbey and Holy Trinity Aldgate.[16] She also had the first arched bridge in England built, at Stratford-le-Bow, as well as a bathhouse with piped-in water and public lavatories at Queenhithe.[17]

Her court was filled with musicians and poets; she commissioned a monk, possibly Thurgot, to write a biography of her mother, Saint Margaret. She was an active queen and, like her mother, was renowned for her devotion to religion and the poor. William of Malmesbury describes her as attending church barefoot at Lent, and washing the feet and kissing the hands of the sick. Matilda exhibited a particular interest in leprosy, founding at least two leper hospitals, including the institution that later became the parish church of St Giles-in-the-Fields.[18] She also administered extensive dower properties and was known as a patron of the arts, especially music.

She was patroness of the monk Bendeit's version of The Voyage of Saint Brendan, c.1106-1118.[19]

Death
After Matilda died on 1 May 1118 at Westminster Palace, she was buried at Westminster Abbey. The death of her son, William Adelin, in the tragic disaster of the White Ship (November 1120) and Henry's failure to produce a legitimate son from his second marriage led to the succession crisis of The Anarchy.

Legacy
After her death, she was remembered by her subjects as "Matilda the Good Queen" and "Matilda of Blessed Memory", and for a time sainthood was sought for her, though she was never canonized. Matilda is also thought to be the identity of the "Fair Lady" mentioned at the end of each verse in the nursery rhyme London Bridge Is Falling Down. The post-Norman conquest English monarchs to the present day are related to the Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex monarchs via Matilda of Scotland as she was the great-granddaughter of King Edmund Ironside, see House of Wessex family tree.

Issue
Matilda and Henry had issue

Euphemia (July/August 1101), died young
Matilda of England (c. February 1102 – 10 September 1167), Holy Roman Empress, Countess consort of Anjou, called Lady of the English
William Adelin, (5 August 1103 – 25 November 1120), sometimes called Duke of Normandy, who married Matilda (d.1154), daughter of Fulk V, Count of Anjou.
Elizabeth (August/September 1104), died young
Appearance and character
"It causes pleasure to see the queen whom no woman equals in beauty of body or face, hiding her body, nevertheless, in a veil of loose clothing. Here alone, with new modesty, wishes to conceal it, but what gleams with its own light cannot be hidden and the sun, penetrating his clouds, hurls his rays." She also had "fluent, honeyed speech." From a poem of Marbodius of Rennes.

Notes and sources
Jump up ^ She is known to have been given the name "Edith" (the Old English Eadgyth, meaning "Fortune-Battle") at birth, and was baptised under that name. She is known to have been crowned under a name favoured by the Normans, "Matilda" (from the Germanic Mahthilda, meaning "Might-Battle"), and was referred to as such throughout her husband's reign. It is unclear, however, when her name was changed, or why. Accordingly, her later name is used in this article. Historians generally refer to her as "Matilda of Scotland"; in popular usage, she is referred to equally as "Matilda" or "Edith".
Jump up ^ Though Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror and Henry's mother, was descended from Alfred the Great
Jump up ^ Huneycutt, Lois (2003). Matilda of Scotland: a Study in Medieval Queenship. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. p. 10.
Jump up ^ "The Life of St Margaret, Queen of Scotland". Retrieved 14 March 2011.
Jump up ^ Hollister 2001:128.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. New York City, New York: Pegasus Books LLC. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-60598-105-5.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. pp. 42–43.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. p. 43.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. p. 45.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. pp. 44–45.
Jump up ^ Hollister 2001:126.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. pp. 46–47.
Jump up ^ Huneycutt. Matilda of Scotland: a Study in Medieval Queenship. p. 73.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. p. 50.
Jump up ^ Huneycutt. Matilda of Scotland: a Study in Medieval Queenship. p. 76.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. p. 53.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. p. 63.
Jump up ^ Hilton, Lisa (2010). Queen Consort. pp. 47–48.
Jump up ^ closed access publication – behind paywall Ritchie, R.L.G. (1950). The Date of the "Voyage of St Brendan". Medium Ævum. Oxford, UK: Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature. 19: 64–66. doi:10.2307/43626381. ISSN 0025-8385. JSTOR 43626381. OCLC 6733541455. (Registration required (help)).

Matilda married Beauclerc, King of England Henry ILondon, London, England. Henry (son of Beauclerc, King of England William and of Flanders, Matilda) was born in Sep 1068 in Selby, Yorkshire, England; was christened on 12 Aug 1100 in Selby, Yorkshire, England; died on 8 Dec 1135 in London, London, England; was buried on 4 Jan 1136 in Reading Abbey, Reading, Berkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• House: House of Dunkeld
• FSID: L8WY-WD4
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1124 and 1153; King of Scotland
• Appointments / Titles: 25 Apr 1124, Scotland; King

Notes:

“Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial & Medieval Families,” Douglas Richardson (2013):
“DAVID I, King of Scots, youngest son by his father's 2nd marriage, probably born about 1085. He married before Midsummer 1113 MAUD OF NORTHUMBERLAND, widow of Simon de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon and Northampton (living 8 August 1111) [see BEAUCHAMP 3], and daughter and co-heiress of Waltheof, Earl of Northumberland, by Judith, daughter of Lambert, Count of Lens [see BEAUCHAMP 2 for her ancestry]. She was born about 1072 (aged 18 in 1090). They had two sons, Malcolm and Henry [Earl of Northumberland], and two daughters, Clarice and Hodierne. David was recognized as Earl of Huntingdon to the exclusion of his step-son, Simon; the earldom of Northampton reverted to the crown. As Earl of Huntingdon, he made various grants to St. Andrew's, Northampton. In 1113 he founded an abbey at Selkirk, afterwards removed to Kelso, and gave it land at Hardingstone and Northampton. He founded another abbey at Jedworth in 1118. He succeeded his brother, Alexander I, as King of Scotland 25 April 1124. In 1127 he joined in the Barons' recognition of Empress Maud to succeed her father on the throne of England. When Stephen seized the crown, David took arms against him. His wife, Queen Maud, died 1130 or 1131, and was buried at Scone. About 1132 he gave the church of Tottenham, Middlesex to the canons of the church of Holy Trinity, London. In 1136 King David I resigned the earldom of Huntingdon to his son, Henry, who did homage to Stephen. David was defeated at the Battle of Standard 22 August 1138. DAVID I, King of Scots, died at Carilie 24 May 1153; and was buried at Dunfermline, Fife.
[References match those with his wife’s entry.]
Children of King David I, by Maud of Northumberland:
i. MALCOLM OF SCOTLAND, said to have been strangled when aged two. Scots Peerage 1 (1904): 3-5 (sub Kings of Scotland). Dunbar Scottish Kings (1906): 58-70.
ii. HENRY OF SCOTLAND, Earl of Northumberland [see next].
iii. CLARICE OF SCOTLAND, died unmarried. Scots Peerage 1 (1904): 3-5 (sub Kings of Scotland). Dunbar Scottish Kings (1906): 58-70. Tanner Fams., Friends, & Allies (2004): 313 (Scotland ped.).
iv. HODIERNE OF SCOTLAND, died unmarried. Scots Peerage 1 (1904): 3-5 (sub Kings of Scotland). Dunbar Scottish Kings (1906): 58-70. Tanner Fams., Friends, & Allies (2004): 313 (Scotland ped.).“
______________________
Scottish Monarch and Saint. Son of Malcolm III Canmore and Saint Margaret of Scotland. He succeeded his brother Alexander in 1124. David accelerated the process, begun by his mother, of introducing the Roman Catholic church into Scotland, displacing the Celtic church. He founded many abbeys, including Melrose, Holyrood, Paisley, and Dryburgh. He also introduced the orders of the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller into Scotland. He married his queen, Matilda in 1114. They had 2 sons and 2 daughters, all of whom pre-deceased their father. At the time of David's death at the old age of 73, Scotland stretched further south than ever before or since. Though never formally canonized, David is recognized on both Catholic and Protestant calendars. His feast day is May 24. He was succeeded by his grandson, William I "The Lion."
Bio by: Kristen Conrad

David married of Huntingdon, Matilda in 1113 in Scotland. Matilda (daughter of Siwardsson, Waltheof of Northumbria and of Lens, Countess of Lens Judith) was born on 2 Jul 1072 in Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire, England; was christened in 1080 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland; died on 23 Apr 1131 in Old Scone, Perthshire, Scotland; was buried after 23 Apr 1131 in Scone Abbey, Old Scone, Perthshire, Scotland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Burial: Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England
• Appointments / Titles: Empress
• Appointments / Titles: Queen of England
• FSID: LRRR-5KK
• Birth: 1102, Oxfordshire, England
• Birth: 7 Feb 1102, Winchester, Hampshire, England
• Birth: 14 Feb 1102, London, London, England
• Appointments / Titles: Between 14 Jan 1114 and 30 May 1125; German Queen
• Appointments / Titles: Between 14 Jan 1114 and 30 May 1125; Holy Roman Empress
• Appointments / Titles: Between 14 Jan 1114 and 30 May 1125; Queen of Italy
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1126 and 7 Jan 1127; declared heiress-presumptive, throne disputed with Stephen of Blois
• Appointments / Titles: Between 14 Apr 1141 and 7 Jan 1149; Lady of the English (disputed)
• Death: 1167, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France
• Death: 1167, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France
• Death: 10 Sep 1167, Cathédral Notre-Dame de Rouen, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France
• Death: 17 Sep 1167, Cathédral Notre-Dame de Rouen, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France

Notes:

READ ONLY -- HENRY II IS LOCKED.

Empress Matilda (c. 7 February 1102 – 10 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was the claimant to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as a child when she married the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. She travelled with her husband into Italy in 1116, was controversially crowned in St. Peter's Basilica, and acted as the imperial regent in Italy. Matilda and Henry had no children, and when he died in 1125, the crown was claimed by Lothair II, one of his political enemies.

Meanwhile, Matilda's younger brother, William Adelin, died in the White Ship disaster of 1120, leaving England facing a potential succession crisis. On Henry V's death, Matilda was recalled to Normandy by her father, who arranged for her to marry Geoffrey of Anjou to form an alliance to protect his southern borders. Henry I had no further legitimate children and nominated Matilda as his heir, making his court swear an oath of loyalty to her and her successors, but the decision was not popular in the Anglo-Norman court. Henry died in 1135 but Matilda and Geoffrey faced opposition from the Norman barons and were unable to pursue their claims. The throne was instead taken by Matilda's cousin Stephen of Blois, who enjoyed the backing of the English Church. Stephen took steps to solidify his new regime, but faced threats both from neighbouring powers and from opponents within his kingdom.

In 1139 Matilda crossed to England to take the kingdom by force, supported by her half-brother, Robert of Gloucester, and her uncle, King David I of Scotland, while Geoffrey focused on conquering Normandy. Matilda's forces captured Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, but the Empress's attempt to be crowned at Westminster collapsed in the face of bitter opposition from the London crowds. As a result of this retreat, Matilda was never formally declared Queen of England, and was instead titled the Lady of the English. Robert was captured following the Rout of Winchester in 1141, and Matilda agreed to exchange him for Stephen. Matilda became trapped in Oxford Castle by Stephen's forces that winter, and was forced to escape across the frozen River Isis at night to avoid capture. The war degenerated into a stalemate, with Matilda controlling much of the south-west of England, and Stephen the south-east and the Midlands. Large parts of the rest of the country were in the hands of local, independent barons.

Matilda returned to Normandy, now in the hands of her husband, in 1148, leaving her eldest son to continue the campaign in England; he eventually succeeded to the throne as Henry II in 1154. She settled her court near Rouen and for the rest of her life concerned herself with the administration of Normandy, acting on Henry's behalf when necessary. Particularly in the early years of her son's reign, she provided political advice and attempted to mediate during the Becket controversy. She worked extensively with the Church, founding Cistercian monasteries, and was known for her piety. She was buried under the high altar at Bec Abbey after her death in 1167.

Family/Spouse: Plantagenet, Duke Geoffrey V. Geoffrey (son of of Anjou, Fulk V and du Maine, Countess Ermentrude) was born on 31 Aug 1113 in Anjou, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France; died on 14 Sep 1151 in Château-du-Loir, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France; was buried after 14 Sep 1151 in St Julian Church, Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Physical Description: suffered from blepharoptosis, a drooping or falling of the upper eyelid, apparently his left eyelid
• Appointments / Titles: Count of Anjou
• Appointments / Titles: Count of Bar-Le-Duc
• Appointments / Titles: Count of Maine
• Appointments / Titles: Count of Nantes
• Appointments / Titles: Duke of Maine
• Appointments / Titles: Duke of Normandy
• Appointments / Titles: King
• Appointments / Titles: King of England
• Appointments / Titles: Lord of Ireland
• Appointments / Titles: Lord of Ireland
• Occupation: Reigned 1154-1189. First ruler of the House of Plantagenet.
• Religion: Catholic
• Birth: 5 Mar 1133, Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France
• Birth: 19 Mar 1133, Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1154 and 7 Jan 1190; King of England
• Appointments / Titles: 26 Dec 1154; Ascended to the throne
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1216 and 7 Jan 1217; Duke of Aquitaine
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1216 and 7 Jan 1220; His Regent was William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1219 and 7 Jan 1228; His Regent was Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent

Notes:

Known for his piety, holding lavish religious ceremonies and giving generously to charities; he was particularly devoted to the figure of Edward the Confessor, whom he adopted as his patron saint.

bio by: Kristen Conrad
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Jan 01, 2001
Find A Grave Memorial# 1951

English Monarch. The son of Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou and Queen Matilda, Henry was born in LeMans France, and acceded the throne of England in 1154, where he was crowned on December 19. He was the first of the Angevin kings, and one of England's most effective monarchs. He refined the government and created a self-standing bureaucracy. Henry was ambitious, intelligent, and energetic, and it is said he spoke every language used in Europe, though it is unlikely he spoke English. He married Eleanor of Aquitaine on May 18, 1152. This marriage brought under his rule the French counties of Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine, Gascony, Anjou, Aquitaine, and Normandy - meaning Henry had more land and more power than the King of France. In 1162, Henry's best friend and chancellor, Thomas Beckett, was named Archbishop of Canterbury. Beckett distanced himself from Henry and angered the king when he opposed the coronation of young Prince Henry. In a fit of frustration, Henry publicly conveyed his wish to be free of Beckett. Four knights took the king at his word and murdered the archbishop in his cathedral. Henry endured a limited storm of protest over the incident, but the controvery quickly passed. As a result of the treachery of his sons, often with the encouragement of their mother, Henry was defeated in 1189 and forced to accept humiliation and peace. He died at Chinon, France at the age of 56.

Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (French: Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress or Henry Plantagenet, ruled as Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Nantes, King of England (1154–89)

Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry assumed the throne when he was only nine in the middle of the First Barons' War. Cardinal Guala declared the war against the rebel barons to be a religious crusade and Henry's forces, led by William Marshal, defeated the rebels at the battles of Lincoln and Sandwich in 1217. Henry promised to abide by the Great Charter of 1225, which limited royal power and protected the rights of the major barons. His early rule was dominated first by Hubert de Burgh and then Peter des Roches, who re-established royal authority after the war. In 1230 the King attempted to reconquer the provinces of France that had once belonged to his father, but the invasion was a debacle. A revolt led by William Marshal's son, Richard, broke out in 1232, ending in a peace settlement negotiated by the Church.

Following the revolt, Henry ruled England personally, rather than governing through senior ministers. He travelled less than previous monarchs, investing heavily in a handful of his favourite palaces and castles. He married Eleanor of Provence, with whom he had five children. Henry was known for his piety, holding lavish religious ceremonies and giving generously to charities; the King was particularly devoted to the figure of Edward the Confessor, whom he adopted as his patron saint. He extracted huge sums of money from the Jews in England, ultimately crippling their ability to do business, and as attitudes towards the Jews hardened, he introduced the Statute of Jewry, attempting to segregate the community. In a fresh attempt to reclaim his family's lands in France, he invaded Poitou in 1242, leading to the disastrous Battle of Taillebourg. After this, Henry relied on diplomacy, cultivating an alliance with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Henry supported his brother Richard in his bid to become King of the Romans in 1256, but was unable to place his own son Edmund on the throne of Sicily, despite investing large amounts of money. He planned to go on crusade to the Levant, but was prevented from doing so by rebellions in Gascony.

By 1258, Henry's rule was increasingly unpopular, the result of the failure of his expensive foreign policies and the notoriety of his Poitevin half-brothers, the Lusignans, as well as the role of his local officials in collecting taxes and debts. A coalition of his barons, initially probably backed by Eleanor, seized power in a coup d'état and expelled the Poitevins from England, reforming the royal government through a process called the Provisions of Oxford. Henry and the baronial government enacted a peace with France in 1259, under which Henry gave up his rights to his other lands in France in return for King Louis IX of France recognising him as the rightful ruler of Gascony. The baronial regime collapsed but Henry was unable to reform a stable government and instability across England continued.

In 1263 one of the more radical barons, Simon de Montfort, seized power, resulting in the Second Barons' War. Henry persuaded Louis to support his cause and mobilised an army. The Battle of Lewes occurred in 1264, where Henry was defeated and taken prisoner. Henry's eldest son, Edward, escaped from captivity to defeat de Montfort at the Battle of Evesham the following year and freed his father. Henry initially enacted a harsh revenge on the remaining rebels, but was persuaded by the Church to mollify his policies through the Dictum of Kenilworth. Reconstruction was slow and Henry had to acquiesce to various measures, including further suppression of the Jews, to maintain baronial and popular support. Henry died in 1272, leaving Edward as his successor. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, which he had rebuilt in the second half of his reign, and was moved to his current tomb in 1290. Some miracles were declared after his death but he was not canonised.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_England#Children

Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (French: Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress or Henry Plantagenet, ruled as Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Nantes, King of England (1154–89) and Lord of Ireland; at various times, he also controlled Wales, Scotland and Brittany. Henry was the son of Geoffrey of Anjou and Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England. He became actively involved by the age of 14 in his mother's efforts to claim the throne of England, then occupied by Stephen of Blois, and was made Duke of Normandy at 17. He inherited Anjou in 1151 and shortly afterwards married Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII of France had recently been annulled. Stephen agreed to a peace treaty after Henry's military expedition to England in 1153: Henry inherited the kingdom on Stephen's death a year later

Henry married Plantagenet, Agnes in Mistress. Agnes was born in 1135; died in 1185. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: of Aquitaine, Queen Eleanor. Eleanor (daughter of of Aquitaine, WIlliam X and de Châtellerault, Elaeanor) was born on 13 Dec 1122 in Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, France; was christened in Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France; died on 7 Apr 1204 in Mirabell Castle, Tarn-et-Garonne, Midi-Pyrénées, France; was buried after 7 Apr 1204 in Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey (sometimes Hamelin of Anjou and, anachronistically, Hamelin Plantagenet[a] (c.1129—1202) was an English nobleman who was prominent at the courts of the Angevin kings of England, Henry II, Richard I, and John. He was an

Family/Spouse: de Warenne, Isabella. Isabella was born in 1137 in Surrey, England; died on 20 Jul 1199 in Lewes, Sussex, England; was buried after 20 Jul 1199 in Lewes Priory (Historical), Lewes, Sussex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: 9C6M-LL8

Family/Spouse: de Verdun, Nicolas. Nicolas was born in 1175 in Alton, Staffordshire, England; died on 23 Oct 1231 in Farnham Royal, Buckinghamshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Plantagenet, King John Lackland of England. John (son of Plantagenet, King of England Henry II and of Aquitaine, Queen Eleanor) was born on 31 Dec 1166 in Kings Manor House (Historical), Oxford, Oxfordshire, England; died on 18 Oct 1216 in Newark Castle, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England; was buried on 19 Oct 1216 in Worcester Cathedral, Worcester, Worcestershire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Burial: Worcester Cathedral, Worcester, Worcestershire, England
• Appointments / Titles: Duke of Bedford
• House: House of Plantagenet
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1177 and 7 Jan 1186; Lord of Ireland
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1189 and 1199, Gloucestershire, England; Earl
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1199 and 1204, Maine (Historical), France; Count
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1199 and 1204, Poitou-Charentes, France; Count
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1199 and 1216, Aquitaine, France; Duke
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1199 and 1216, England; King
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1199 and 7 Jan 1217; King of England
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1202 and 1216, Angoulême, Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France; Count
• Death: 19 Oct 1216, Newark Castle, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England

Notes:

John, the youngest of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, was at first not expected to inherit significant lands; became Henry's favourite child. John grew up to be around 5 ft 5 in. John's first period of rule in Ireland was not a success. Ireland had only recently been conquered by Anglo-Norman forces, and tensions were still rife between Henry II, the new settlers and the existing inhabitants.[28] John infamously offended the local Irish rulers by making fun of their unfashionable long beards. In order to remarry, John first needed to abandon Isabel, Countess of Gloucester, his first wife; as a cousin, John could not have legally wed her without this. Marrying Isabella of Angoulême, John was acquiring a key land route between Poitou and Gascony, which significantly strengthened his grip on Aquitaine. At the start of John's reign there was a sudden change in prices, as bad harvests and high demand for food resulted in much higher prices for grain and animals. This inflationary pressure was to continue for the rest of the 13th century and had long-term economic consequences for England. From Henry II onwards, ira et malevolentia had come to describe the right of the king to express his anger and displeasure at particular barons or clergy, building on the Norman concept of malevoncia – royal ill-will.[116] In the Norman period, suffering the king's ill-will meant difficulties in obtaining grants, honours or petitions; John was deeply suspicious of the barons. Chroniclers complained that John's mistresses were married noblewomen, which was considered unacceptable. During the remainder of his reign, John focused on trying to retake Normandy and England itself had to be secured against possible French invasion, John became involved in a dispute with Pope Innocent III that would lead to the king's excommunication. John refused Innocent's request that he consent to Langton's appointment, but the pope consecrated Langton anyway. He barred Langton from entering England and seized the lands of the archbishopric and other papal possessions.
Neither John nor the rebel barons seriously attempted to implement the peace accord. The failure of the agreement led rapidly to the First Barons' War. The rebel barons responded by inviting Prince Louis of France to lead them: Louis had a claim to the English throne by virtue of his marriage to Blanche of Castile, a granddaughter of Henry II. John contracted dysentery, which would ultimately prove fatal. By October 1216 John faced a "stalemate", "a military situation uncompromised by defeat". John's illness grew worse. John died on the night of 18 October. John's first wife, Isabel, Countess of Gloucester, was released from imprisonment in 1214; she remarried twice, and died in 1217. John's second wife, Isabella of Angoulême, left England for Angoulême soon after the king's death; she became a powerful regional leader, but largely abandoned the children she had had by John.
Popular representations of John first began to emerge during the Tudor period: Shakespeare's King John, Sir Walter Scott's historical romance, Ivanhoe, Howard Pyle's book The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Excerpts from Wikipedia.org.
Name: King John
Born: December 24, 1166 at Beaumont Palace : Oxford
Parents: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine
House of: Angevin ( Plantagenet)
Ascended to the throne: April 6, 1199 aged 32 years
Crowned: May 27, 1199 at Westminster Abbey
Married: 1) Isabella of Gloucester, (annulled 1199), (2) Isabella, Daughter of Count of Angouleme
Children: Two sons including Henry III, three daughters and several illegitimate children
Died: October 18, 1216 at Newark Castle, aged 49 years, 9 months, and 24 days
Buried at: Worcester
Reigned for: 17 years, 6 months, and 13 days
Succeeded by: his son Henry III
---------------
John was nicknamed Lackland, probably because, as the youngest of Henry II's five sons, it was difficult to find a portion of his father's French possessions for him to inherit. He was acting king from 1189 during his brother Richard the Lion-Heart's absence on the Third Crusade. The legend of Robin Hood dates from this time in which John is portrayed as Bad King John. He was involved in intrigues against his absent brother, but became king in 1199 when Richard was killed in battle in France.

King John signs Magna Carta 1215
Most of his reign was dominated by war with France. Following the peace treaty of Le Goulet there was a brief peace, but fighting resumed again in 1202. John had lost Normandy and almost all the other English possessions in France to Philip II of France by 1204. He spent the next decade trying to regain these without success and was finally defeated by Philip Augustus at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. He was also in conflict with the Church. In 1205 he disputed the pope's choice of Stephen Langton as archbishop of Canterbury, and Pope Innocent III placed England under an interdict, suspending all religious services, including baptisms, marriages, and burials. John retaliated by seizing church revenues, and in 1209 was excommunicated. Eventually, John submitted, accepting the papal nominee, and agreed to hold the kingdom as a fief of the papacy; an annual monetary tribute was paid to the popes for the next 150 years by successive English monarchs.

His concessions did not buy peace for long and the Barons War continued. The barons sought French aid and Prince Louis of France landed in England supported by attacks from the North by Alexander II of Scotland. John fled and according to legend lost most of his baggage and the crown jewels when crossing the tidal estuaries of the Wash. He became ill with dysentery and died at Newark Castle in October 1216.
Timeline for King John
Year Event
1199 John accedes to the throne on the death of his brother, Richard I.
1204 England loses most of its possessions in France.
1205 John refuses to accept Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury
1208 Pope Innocent III issues an Interdict against England, banning all church services except baptisms and funerals
1209 Pope Innocent III excommunicates John for his confiscation of ecclesiastical property
1209 Cambridge University founded
1212 Innocent III declares that John is no longer the rightful King
1213 John submits to the Pope’s demands and accepts the authority of the Pope
1214 Philip Augustus of France defeats the English at the Battle of Bouvines
1215 Beginning of the Barons' war. The English Barons march to London to demand rights which they lay down in the Magna Carta.
1215 John meets the English barons at Runnymede, agrees to their demands, and seals the Magna Carta which set limits on the powers of the monarch, lays out the feudal obligations of the barons, confirms the liberties of the Church, and grants rights to all freemen of the realm and their heirs for ever. It is the first written constitution.
1215 The Pope decrees that John need not adhere to the Magna Carta, and civil war breaks out
1216 The barons seek French aid in their fight against John. Prince Louis of France lands in England and captures the Tower of London
1216 John flees North and loses his war chest of cash and jewels in the Wash estuary
1216 John dies of a fever at Newark and is buried Worcester Cathedral

Family/Spouse: le Boteler, Regina Clementia. Regina (daughter of Plantagenet, King of England Henry II and Plantagenet, Agnes) was born on 19 Jun 1166 in Maine (Historical), France; died on 7 Sep 1201 in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France; was buried after 7 Sep 1201 in England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married de Taillefer, Queen of England Isabelle on 24 Aug 1200 in Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, France. Isabelle (daughter of de Taillefer, Aymar and de Courtenay, Alice) was born on 2 Sep 1188 in Angoulême, Charente, Poitou-Charentes, France; was christened in 1188 in France; died on 10 Jun 1246 in Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France; was buried in Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: de Ferrers, Agatha. Agatha was born in 1168 in Stowe-by-Chartley, Staffordshire, England; died in 1189 in Chinon, Indre-et-Loire, Centre, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, England; Earl of Surrey
• Appointments / Titles: Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, England; Earl of Surrey
• Appointments / Titles: Warren Hall, Knutsford, Cheshire, England; Earl of Warrenne
• Appointments / Titles: Warren Hall, Knutsford, Cheshire, England; Earl of Warrenne
• FSID: LDYW-LFJ
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1200 and 7 Jan 1209, Surrey, England; High Sheriff of Surrey
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1202 and 7 Jan 1241, Surrey, England; 5th Earl of Surrey
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1204 and 7 Jan 1207, England; Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1208 and 7 Jan 1214, England; Warden of the Welsh Marches
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1214 and 7 Jan 1215, England; Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1215 and 7 Jan 1216; Magna Charta Surety
• Appointments / Titles: Between 8 Jan 1217 and 7 Jan 1227, Surrey, England; High Sheriff of Surrey

Family/Spouse: Marshall, Countess Matilda. Matilda (daughter of Marshal, Earl William and FitzGilbert, Isabel de Clare) was born in Sep 1192 in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales; was christened between 8 Sep and 7 Oct 1201; died on 3 Apr 1248 in Tintern Abbey, Tintern, Monmouthshire, Wales; was buried on 11 Apr 1248 in Tintern Abbey, Tintern, Monmouthshire, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Heiress of Croxden
• FSID: LHH4-X9T

Notes:

They all retained the surname of their mother, apparently because yet another Theobald, a son by Theobald Butler's 1st wife, inherited the Butler properties, offices, and privilidges

Rohesia married de Botiller, Theobald II on 11 Sep 1225 in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. Theobald (son of Walter, Theobald I and le Vavasour, Maud) was born between 8 Jan and 7 Feb 1200 in Arklow Abbey, Arklow, Wicklow, Ireland; was christened between 8 Jun and 7 Jul 1206 in Arklow, Wicklow, Ireland; died on 26 Jul 1230 in Poitiers, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France; was buried after 26 Jul 1230 in Arklow Abbey, Arklow, Wicklow, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Duke of Aquitaine
• Appointments / Titles: King
• Appointments / Titles: King of England
• Appointments / Titles: Lord of Ireland
• FSID: 9C69-MKH
• Occupation: King Of England 1216-1272
• Appointments / Titles: Between 4 Nov 1216 and 24 May 1220; King of England
• Burial: 27 Nov 1272, Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England

Henry married Berenger, Eleanor on 14 Jan 1236 in Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, Kent, England. Eleanor (daughter of Berenger, Count Raimund IV and de Savoie, Countess Béatrice) was born on 1 Jul 1223 in Aix, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France; was christened in Fontevrault Abbey, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France; died on 25 Jun 1291 in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England; was buried on 11 Sep 1291 in Abbey of St. Mary and St. Melor, Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Princess of England
• Appointments / Titles: Princess of Wales
• FSID: 9HFS-GG1

Notes:

Joan, Lady of Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joan of Wales
Eglwys y Santes Fair, Biwmares, Ynys Mon, Church of St Mary and St Nicholas, Beaumaris, North Wales 61.jpg
Detail of Joan's sarcophagus in St Mary's and St Nicholas's Church, Beaumaris
Born c. 1191
Died 2 February 1237 (aged 45–46)
Spouse Llywelyn the Great
House Plantagenet
Father John of England
Mother Clemence
Joan, Lady of Wales and Lady of Snowdon, also known by her Welsh name of Siwan, (c. 1191 – 2 February 1237) was the wife of Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales and Gwynedd, effective ruler of most of Wales.

Early life[edit]
Joan was a natural daughter of King John of England. She should not be confused with her half-sister, Joan, Queen consort of Scotland.

Little is known about her early life. Her mother's name is known only from Joan's obituary in the Tewkesbury Annals, where she is called "Regina Clementina" (Queen Clemence); there is no evidence that her mother was in fact of royal blood. Joan may have been born in France, and probably spent part of her childhood there, as King John had her brought to the Kingdom of England from Normandy in December 1203 in preparation for her wedding to prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth.

Thomas Pennant, in "Tours in Wales", Volume 2, published London, 1810, writes : "It is said that Llewelyn the Great had near this place [Trefriw] a palace; ... The church of Trefriw was originally built by Llewelyn, for the ease of his princess, who before was obliged to go on foot to Llanrhychwyn, a long walk among the mountains."

Marriage[edit]
Joan married Llywelyn the Great between December 1203 and October 1204. The wedding was celebrated at St Werburgh's Abbey in Chester. She and Llywelyn had at least two children together:

Elen ferch Llywelyn (Helen or Ellen) (1207–1253), married (1) John the Scot, Earl of Chester and (2) Robert II de Quincy
Dafydd ap Llywelyn (c. 1212–1246) married Isabella de Braose, died at Abergwyngregyn.
Some of Llywelyn's other recorded children may also have been Joan's:

Gwladus Ddu (1206–1251), married (1) Reginald de Braose and (2) Ralph de Mortimer (had issue).
Susanna, who was sent to England as a hostage in 1228.
Angharad ferch Llywelyn
Margaret, who married (1) Sir John de Braose (called 'Tadody'), the grandson of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber. She married (2) Sir Walter de Clifford and had children by both husbands.[1]
In April 1226 Joan obtained a papal decree from Pope Honorius III, declaring her legitimate on the basis that her parents had not been married to others at the time of her birth, but without giving her a claim to the English throne.[2]

Adultery with William de Braose[edit]
At Easter 1230, William de Braose, who was Llywelyn's prisoner at the time, was discovered with Joan in Llywelyn's bedchamber. William de Braose was hanged on 2 May 1230, according to local folklore at Abergwyngregyn; the place was known as 'Gwern y Grog'. A letter from Nicholas, Abbot of Vaudy, suggests that the execution took place at Crogen near Bala (crogi = to hang).[3]

Joan was placed under house arrest for twelve months after the incident. She was then, according to the Chronicle of Chester, forgiven by Llywelyn, and restored to favour. She may have given birth to a daughter early in 1231.

Joan was never called Princess of Wales, but, in Welsh, "Lady of Wales".

Death and burial
She died at the royal home at Abergwyngregyn, on the north coast of Gwynedd, in 1237. Llywelyn's great grief at her death is recorded; he founded a Franciscan friary on the seashore at Llanfaes, opposite the royal home, in her honour. The friary was consecrated in 1240, shortly before Llywelyn died. It was destroyed in 1537 by Henry VIII of England during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. A stone coffin originally identified as Joan's can be seen in St Mary's and St Nicholas's parish church, Beaumaris, Anglesey. Above the empty coffin is a slate panel inscribed: "This plain sarcophagus, (once dignified as having contained the remains of Joan, daughter of King John, and consort of Llewelyn ap Iowerth, Prince of North Wales, who died in the year 1237), having been conveyed from the Friary of Llanfaes, and alas, used for many years as a horsewatering trough, was rescued from such an indignity and placed here for preservation as well as to excite serious meditation on the transitory nature of all sublunary distinctions. By Thomas James Warren Bulkeley, Viscount Bulkeley, Oct 1808"

The slate panel at Beaumaris
In recent years, doubt has been cast on the identity of the woman depicted on the coffin lid, which is not thought to belong to the coffin on which it now rests. Experts have suggested that the costume and style of carving belong to a much later decade than the 1230s when Joan died, although the coronet suggests a member of the royal family. Eleanor de Montfort is considered the most likely alternative.[4]

Fiction
Joan and her affair with William de Braose is the subject of Saunders Lewis's Welsh verse play Siwan. Edith Pargeter's novel The Green Branch is set in Wales and the Welsh Marches in 1228–31, when Llewelyn ruled Gwynedd and most of the rest of Wales.[5] Although named Joanna, Joan is the main character of Sharon Kay Penman's novel Here Be Dragons.[6]

References
1 Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd Edition, Vol. I, pg 387.
2 Douglas Richardson, Kimball G. Everingham, Plantagenet ancestry: a study in colonial and medieval families. Genealogical Pub Co, 2004
3 The Acts of Welsh Rulers: 1120–1283, ed. Huw Pryce. University of Wales Press, 2005. ISBN 9780708323830. p. 429. Accessed 6 October 2015
4 Madeleine Gray (2014). "Four weddings, three funerals and a historic detective puzzle: a cautionary tale" (PDF). Transactions of the Anglesey Antiquarian Society and Field Club. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
5 "Carla Nayland Book Review – The Green Branch by Edith Pargeter". carlanayland.org.
6 Penman, Sharon Kay (1985). Here Be Dragons. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. ISBN 9780030627736.

Joan married ap Iorwerth, Prince Llewelyn on 23 Apr 1205 in England. Llewelyn (son of ap Owain Gwynedd, Iorwerth and verch Madog, Margred) was born in 1173 in Aberffraw Castle, Aberffraw, Anglesey, Wales; died on 18 Apr 1240 in Aberconwy Abbey, Conwy, Caernarvonshire, Wales; was buried after 18 Apr 1240 in Aberconwy Abbey, Conwy, Caernarvonshire, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LTTW-D77
• Possessions: Castle Acre, Norfolk, England
• Possessions: Holt Castle, Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales
• Possessions: Conisbrough Castle, Conisbrough, Yorkshire, England
• Appointments / Titles: 1240; 6th Earl of Surrey
• Appointments / Titles: 1254; Knighted

Notes:

John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey (1231 – c. 29 September 1304) was a prominent English nobleman and military commander during the reigns of Henry III of England and Edward I of England. During the Second Barons' War he switched sides twice, ending up in support of the king, for whose capture he was present at Lewes in 1264. Warenne was later appointed a Guardian of Scotland and featured prominently in Edward I's wars in Scotland.

Warenne was the son and heir of William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey, and Maud Marshal. His mother was the daughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and widow of Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk, making Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk his elder half-brother.

A boy when his father died, Warenne became a royal ward. Peter of Savoy was appointed guardian of his holdings and Warenne was raised at the royal court. In 1247, he married Henry III's half-sister Alice le Brun de Lusignan, a marriage that created resentment amongst the English nobility, who did not like seeing a wealthy English nobleman marrying a penniless foreigner.
...
Warenne died on 29 September 1304 in Kennington, Kent. He was interred in Lewes Priory at a service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was succeeded by his grandson, also called John.
Issue
Warenne and Alice de Lusignan had three children:
1. Eleanor, who married Henry Percy and was the mother of Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick (see Percy Family)
2. Isabella, who married John Balliol (briefly the King of Scots), and was the mother of Edward Balliol;
3. William, who married Joan, daughter of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, and was accidentally killed at a tournament on 15 December 1286. Their son John succeeded his grandfather as earl of Surrey; their daughter Alice de Warenne married Edmund Fitzalan, 9th Earl of Arundel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_de_Warenne,_6th_Earl_of_Surrey

==========
“Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial & Medieval Families,” Douglas Richardson (2013):
“JOHN DE WARENNE, Knt., 7th Earl of Surrey, of Lewes, Sussex, Reigate, Surrey, Grantham and Stamford, Lincolnshire, Conisbrough, Yorkshire, etc., Constable of Bamburgh, Hope, and Pevensey Castles, Warden of the Maritime Parts, cos. Surrey and Sussex, 1295, Joint Warden north of Trent, 1295, justice itinerant, son and heir by his father's 2nd marriage, born in or after August 1231. He married in August 1247 ALICE (or ALIX) DE LUSIGNAN, daughter of Hugues [X] le Brun (or de Lusignan), Count of La Marche and Angoulême, seigneur of Lusignan, Château-Larcher, Montreuil-Bonnin, and la Mothe-Saint-Heray de Lusignan, by Isabel, widow of John, King of England [see ENGLAND 5], and daughter and heiress of Ademar Ill Taillefer, Count of Angoulême [see ENGLAND 5 for her ancestry]. Alice was the uterine half-sister of King Henry III of England [see ENGLAND 6]. They had one son, William, Knt., and two daughters, Eleanor and Isabel. By an unknown noblewoman, he had also two illegitimate sons, [Master] John [Vicar of Dewsbury, York, Rector of Dorking, Surrey and Fishlake, Yorkshire, Prebendary of Thockrington, living 1330] and [Master] William (Rector of Hatfield, Yorkshire, living 1314). He was with Edward, Prince of Wales, in Gascony in 1254, and knighted with him in Spain. In 1255 he joined the other nobles in their resistance to the influx of foreigners into England. In Sept. 1255 he was instructed to escort the King of Scotland to the King. His wife, Alice, died 9 Feb. 1255/6. In 1257 he accompanied Richard, Earl of Cornwall, King elect of the Romans, to Almain. In 1260 he went overseas in the service of Prince Edward. He joined Simon de Montfort and Prince Edward with many of the magnates in 1263. He was in the prince's army at the Battle of Lewes 14 May 1264, whence he and the king's brothers fled to Pevensey, subsequently crossing to France. In 1265 he fought at the Battle of Evesham under Prince Edward. He was in joint command of the royalist forces at Chesterfield in 1266. In 1266 he quitclaimed to the Prior and Convent of Lewes his right to the advowson of the church of Dewsbury, Yorkshire. In 1267 he received a pardon for excesses committed in the recent time of disturbance. He took the cross 24 June 1268, though it does not appear that he went on crusade. In May 1270 the king granted him a writ to recover certain parcels of land which belonged to David de Ashby in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, together with the wardship of Isabel, daughter of Stephen, son and heir of the said David de Ashby, against Alan la Zouche, Knt. and Ellen his wife, who the earl said unlawfully occupied the land. In July 1270 he quarreled in Westminster Hall with Alan la Zouche, Knt. and attacked him so violently that he died on 10 August following, his son escaping with difficulty. The earl fled to his castle at Reigate, Surrey, pursued by Prince Edward, and begged for mercy. On 4 August 1270 he was pardoned upon his agreeing to pay a substantial sum to the king. On 20 Nov. 1272, four days after the king's death, he swore allegiance to Prince Edward, then on his way home from a crusade. The Earl was one of the guardians of the realm until his return. In 1274-5 John d'Eiville arraigned an assize of mort d'ancestor against him touching the manor of Greetwell, Lincolnshire. In the same period, John son of Gilbert de Cokerington arraigned an assize of mort d'ancestor against him touching possessions in North Kynton and Covenham, Lincolnshire. In the same period, Simon le Franceis and others arraigned an assize of novel disseisin against him and others touching a tenement in Helpringham, Lincolnshire. In 1277-8 William Foliot and Isabel his wife arraigned an assize of novel disseisin against Ellen widow of Alan la Zouche and John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, touching a tenement in Ashby, Northamptonshire. He was summoned to serve against the Welsh in 1277 and 1294, and against the Scots, 1291, 1297, and 1300. He was heir c.1282 to his sister, Isabel de Warenne, Countess of Arundel, by which he inherited the patronage of Marham Abbey, Norfolk, which abbey was founded by his sister in 1251. In 1282 the king granted him the land of Bromfield and Yale, together with the Castle of Dinas Bran in Denbighshire. In 1290 he was going as the king's envoy to Scotland. In 1291 he was appointed Keeper of Scotland. He defeated the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar 27 April 1296. On 3 Sept. 1296 he was appointed Keeper of the realm of Scotland. In August 1297 the Scots attacked his advance guard, under Henry de Percy, but were repelled; but on 10 Sept. the Earl was defeated with great slaughter at Stirling, and fled to Berwick, which he abandoned and lost. In Dec. 1297 he was appointed Captain of the army to oppose the invading Scots; in Jan. and Feb. 1297/8 he marched into Scotland. He commanded the rear-guard at the Battle of Falkirk 22 July 1298. In 1300 he commanded the second division at the Siege of Caerlaverock. He signed the Barons' letter to Pope Boniface VIII in 1301 as Comes Warenne. SIR JOHN DE WARENNE, 7th Earl of Surrey, died testate at Kennington, near London, about 29 Sept. 1304. He and his wife, Alice, were buried before the high altar at Lewes Priory, Sussex.

==========
Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
JOHN de Warenne (1231 or after-Kennington [Nov] 1304, bur Lewes Priory). The Chronicle of Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire, names (in order) ”Johannes de Garren comes de Garren et Isabella de Aubeni soror eius et comitissa de Arundel” as the children of “Johanni de Garrene comiti de Surrey” and his wife Matilda Marshal of the Earls of Pembroke[1256]. He succeeded his father in 1240 as Earl of Surrey. Henry III King of England agreed that “unam filiarum filiæ...comitis [Sabaudiæ]” would marry “vel Johanni de Warenna qui si vixerit comes erit Warennæ, vel Edmundo de Lacy qui si vixerit comes erit Lincolniæ” by charter dated 1246[1257]. He was one of the guardians of the realm on the death of King Henry III, until the return of Edward I from crusade. He was appointed keeper of the realm of Scotland 3 Sep 1296, but never assumed the post as he was defeated by the Scots at the battle of Stirling[1258]. The Annales Londonienses record the death "circiter festum Exaltationis Sanctæ Crucis…apud Newentone" in 1304 of "comes Warenniæ" and his burial "in ecclesia Sancti Pancratii Lewensi"[1259].

John married de Lusignan, Alice in 1251 in Alnwick, Northumberland, England. Alice (daughter of de Lusignan, Count Hugh X and de Taillefer, Queen of England Isabelle) was born in 1223 in Lusignan, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France; was christened in 1224 in Lusignan, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France; died on 9 Feb 1256 in Lewes, Sussex, England; was buried on 14 Feb 1256 in Lewes Priory (Historical), Lewes, Sussex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]