Ealhswith

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Ealhswith, depiction in the copy book of Abingdon Abbey (around 1220)

Ealhswith (also Ealhswið, Ealhswiþ, Ealhswyth, Ealhswyð ; * 850/855 in Mercia , † December 5, 902 in Winchester ) was Royal Consort of Wessex .

Life

Ealhswith was the daughter of Æthelred Mucel, the Ealdorman of the Gaini , an ancient tribe from Mercia . Her mother was his wife Eadburg, who came from the royal house of Mercia. Her brother Æthelwulf is documented by a charter from 897.

In 868 she married Alfred , who was probably already at that time the designated heir to the throne of his brother, the West Saxon King Æthelred (865-871). In 871 Alfred became King of the West Saxons. In contrast to her husband, arguably the best documented Anglo-Saxon king, Ealhswith is hardly tangible in the sources. Asser , Alfred's biographer, never mentions her by name and never describes her as “Queen” “according to West Saxon custom”. Nor is she to be found among the witnesses in Alfred's charters that have survived.

In his will, Alfred bequeathed three emblematic lands to his widow in 899: At Edington (Wiltshire) and Lambourn ( Berkshire , Battle of Ashdown ) he had won important victories over the Vikings . The third place, Wantage , was his birthplace. These goods were bocland ; Property that reverted to Alfred's direct male descendants after Ealhswith's death. Presumably as a widow, Ealhswith founded the convent of St Mary's Abbey , also called Nunnaminster , in Winchester around 899 , but she did not live to see its completion around 908. Ealhswith died on December 5, 902 and was buried next to Alfred in the newly built New Minster in Winchester. In a verse from the early 10th century, she is posthumously thought of as the "good and dear mistress of the English".

Ealhswith is venerated as a saint . Her feast day is July 20th.

children

  1. Æthelflæd (* approx. 869, † June 12, 918 in Tamworth) married the Ealdorman Æthelred of Mercia († 911)
  2. Edmund (* approx. 870, † before 899), died as a child
  3. Eduard (* around 871, † July 17, 924), the eldest living son, was Alfred's successor as King of the English in 899.
  4. Æthelgifu (* around 874, † around 896) became the first abbess of the Shaftesbury Abbey founded by Alfred .
  5. Ælfthryth (* approx. 875/877, † June 7, 929 in Gent) married after 893 the Count Balduin II of Flanders (* 863/865, † September 10, 918)
  6. Æthelweard (* approx. 880, † October 16, 920) was the youngest child. He received a good education at court and was given a generous allowance in Alfred's will . He is attested by several documents at the court of his older brother Eduard.

See also

Elswitha Hall in Gainsborough

reception

Elswitha Hall in Gainsborough was named after her in the 18th century .

In the 1969 film Alfred the Great - Vanquisher of the Vikings , Aelhswith is played by Prunella Ransome .

In the historical novels The Last Kingdom (English. The Last Kingdom , 2004) and The White Rider ( The Pale Horseman , 2005) of the British writer Bernard Cornwell Ealhswith was the model for the fictional character Ælswith .

swell

literature

  • Simon Keynes, Michael Lapidge (Eds.): Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources . Penguin Books, 2004, ISBN 9780141909424 .
  • P. McGurk: The metrical calendar of Hampson: a new edition , Analecta Bollandiana, 104 (1986)

Web links

Commons : Ealhswith  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Charter S1442  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / ascharters.net  
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Marios Costambeys: Ealhswith ( Memento of the original from May 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oxforddnb.com archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (paid registration required). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved March 4, 2012
  3. ↑ Charter S1507  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / ascharters.net  
  4. ↑ Saint Elswith in saints.sqpn.com
  5. ↑ Asser: Vita Alfredi
  6. ↑ Alfred the Great - Conqueror of the Vikings. Internet Movie Database , accessed May 22, 2015 .
  7. ↑ Bernard Cornwell: The Last Kingdom . Rowohlt, 2007 and The White Rider . Rowohlt, 2007
personal data
SURNAME Ealhswith
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ealhswið; Ealhswiþ; Ealhswyth; Ealhswyð
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Queen of Wessex
DATE OF BIRTH at 852
PLACE OF BIRTH Mercia
DATE OF DEATH December 5, 902
Place of death Winchester