Edward the Elder

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Edward the Elder

Edward the Elder , English: Edward the Elder (* around 874; † July 17, 924 in Farndon, Cheshire ) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 to 924 and the son and successor of King Alfred the Great . Under his rule, the Danish Vikings' influence in the north and east of what is now England was reduced. Together with his sister Æthelflæd , Eduard recaptured parts of the Danish-ruled Mercia and East Anglia . By 920 Eduard controlled Wessex , Mercia and most of what is now England as far as the Humber . The contemporary Anglo-Saxon chronicle even reports the submission of Scottish, Welsh and Danish rulers in northern Britain to Edward, although the extent of actual submission is controversial among contemporary historians. Historians, however, consider Eduard, alongside Alfred the Great, Æthelflæd and King Æthelstan, to be the Anglo-Saxon ruler who laid the foundations for a united England.

Historical background

Kingdom of Wessex and the Danelag area around 878

In the second half of the 9th century, Danish and Norwegian Vikings conquered part of the north and east of England. A large part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms fell under their influence, and ultimately even the very existence of the Kingdom of Wessex was threatened. Alfred the Great , King of Wessex 871–899, finally succeeded in pushing back the Vikings with a combination of building fortifications ( burhs ) and military success. The Battle of Edington in 878 was significant, as a result of which he was able to negotiate a peace treaty with the King of the Danish Vikings, Guthrum . Thus England was de facto divided into two parts: a domain of the Danes, the Danelag , and the English domain, mainly King Alfred Wessex and his allies. When Alfred died in 899, his domain was firmly established and tightly managed.

Life

youth

Edward was the son of King Alfred the Great of Wessex and Ealhswith , a noblewoman from the Kingdom of Mercia. Eduard's exact date of birth is not documented; historians estimate it to be between 871 and 874. Eduard was the second oldest son and thus a candidate to succeed his father Alfred the Great , as his older brother Edmund had died before 899. In addition to Eduard, Alfred and Ealswith had other children, five of whom reached adulthood: The oldest child was the daughter Æthelflæd, who married Æthelred , the ruler of Mercia, and after his death ruled Mercia until 918. It was followed by Eduard and Eduard's younger sisters Æthelgifu and Ælfthryth. Æthelgifu later became abbess of Shaftesbury , while Ælfthryth married Baldwin, the Count of Flanders . Finally, the youngest was Æthelweard .

It is known from Alfred's biographer Asser that Eduard and his sister Ælfthryth were brought up together at court by tutors. Alfred is known as a promoter of education and the arts, so it can be assumed that he put some emphasis on raising his children.

King of the Anglo-Saxons

After Alfred's death in 899, Eduard Alfred succeeded him. However, the throne of Wessex was also claimed by Edward's cousin Æthelwold , who as the son of Æthelred , Alfred's brother and predecessor as king, could also claim a right to it. Edward's position as king was threatened for a short time, because Æthelwold got the support of the Vikings in Northumbria and East Anglia . However, that threat ended when Æthelwold fell in battle against Edward's forces in 904.

Edward was crowned king on June 8th (Pentecost) 900. Edward's father, King Alfred the Great, had described himself as King of the Anglo-Saxons after military successes and the expansion of his sphere of influence to the south of Britain. Historians assume that Eduard saw himself not only as King of Wessex, but also as King of the Anglo-Saxons. However, it is controversial how far Edward's influence went beyond Wessex, especially as far as Mercia was concerned. On the one hand, there are historical sources such as the B version of the Anglo-Saxon chronicle and documents from Mercia, in which a reference to Edward's sovereignty is missing. These indicate a certain independence of Mercia. On the other hand, there are also documents in which the rulers of Mercia, Edward's sister Æthelflæd and her husband Æthelred, recognize Edward's sovereignty, as well as other documents in which Eduard himself has lands in Mercia. There is also no separate coinage in the name of Æthelflæd and Æthelred as rulers of Mercia. Some historians therefore consider Eduard to be the second king after Alfred, who ruled over Wessex, Mercia and other dependent kingdoms and thus over all Anglo-Saxons.

Military and political achievements

Eduard achieved his first major military success against the Danish Northumbria, which he invaded in 909 and sacked five weeks before the Danes accepted a peace treaty. When the Danes fought back in 910 and attacked the English part of Mercia, they were finally overtaken and defeated by a joint army from Mercia and Wessex near Tettenhall in what is now Staffordshire . As a consequence, the Danes in Northumbria were so weakened that they subsequently stopped fighting against the Kingdom of Wessex and its allied kingdoms, which gave Eduard the opportunity to take action against the Danes in Mercia and East Anglia.

Between 907 and 920 Eduard, his sister Æthelflæd and her husband Æthelred, the ruler of Mercia, cooperated in the fight against the Danes in north-east England. In 917, the kingdom of East Anglia was retaken under Edward the Elder and became the Earldom (county) in the Kingdom of Wessex. By building fortifications and establishing fortified places ( burhs ), Eduard secured the defense of his sphere of influence, as well as through campaigns of conquest. In 918 Eduard achieved, for example, that the Danes in Stamford (Lincolnshire) submitted to him and conquered Nottingham , then a fortified place ( burh ); both places belonged to the Five Boroughs of Mercia , the most important settlements of the Danish Vikings in Mercia. Derby and Leicester, also part of the Five Boroughs, had been taken by Æthelflæd.

Eduard continued the castle building program that his father Alfred had started in order to establish better defenses against the Danes. Fortifications were built in Thelwall ( Cheshire ) in 919 and Bakewell ( Derbyshire ) in 920 under Edward's rule . Eduard also occupied Manchester in 919 , where he probably repaired existing fortifications as early as Roman times.

While Mercia had retained a certain independence under Æthelred and Æthelflæd, this changed with the death of Æthelflæd in 918. After her death, Æthelflæd's daughter Ælfwynn first took over the rule in Mercia; however, after a few months it was deposed by Eduard, after which Mercia was controlled directly by Eduard.

Edward had thus expanded his sphere of influence during his reign of Wessex and the dependent kingdoms in the south of England via Mercia to south of the River Humber in the north. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the kings of Scotland and the Welsh Strathclyde , the ruler of the northern Humbrian kingdom Bamburgh and the Norwegian Viking king Ragnald of York finally recognized Edward's suzerainty. Whether this was actually a submission is controversial among contemporary historians. An alternative interpretation of the sources and the historical situation is that the submission mentioned by the Chronicle may have been a peace treaty that established the distribution of power between Edward and the Danish, Welsh and Scottish rulers.

Eduard died in 924 on his estate in Farndon, south of Chester , shortly after attempting to quell a local rebellion in the city of Chester. Eduard's son Æthelweard only survived Eduard by a few days. Eduard's successor was Eduards son Æthelstan , who is also called the first king of England.

Aftermath

Eduard was portrayed in admiration in later medieval historiography, but was later rather forgotten. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that relatively few sources have survived from his lifetime, so there are no royal documents for the years from 909 to 921. On the other hand, Edward's achievements are overshadowed by the deeds of his father, King Alfred the Great, as well as his son Æthelstan, who is considered the first king of a united England. There is a large number of biographies and historical research papers on Alfred and Æthelstan, as well as on other personalities from the time of Edward such as Æthelflæd, the ruler of Mercia. According to historian Nick Higham, Eduard is one of the most neglected English kings in historical research, although during his 25-year reign he made significant contributions to expanding his realm and establishing a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of England.

This changed, among other things, with the publication of a conference volume in 2001, in which the most important research results on Eduard were brought together. Historical works since the 2000s consider Edward's accomplishments during his 25-year reign to be impressive. Eduard is regarded as an important architect of medieval England due to his expansion policy, as is Alfred, Æthelflæd and Æthelstan.

Marriages and offspring

In his first marriage he was married to Egwina († 901/2), the daughter of a nobleman from Wessex . He had the following children with her:

  • Æthelstan (King of England)
  • Alfred († very young)
  • St. Edith (* around 900; † after 927 in Tamworth ) ⚭ January 30, 925/926, Sihtric Caoch, King of Northumbria († 927); abbess of Tamworth since 927 .

In his second marriage he married Elfleda († 920) in 901/902, the daughter of Count Ethelhelm. He had the following children with her:

  • Edwin († 933), sub-king of Kent
  • Elfweard († August 1, 924 in Oxford), King of England (July 17 - August 1, 924)
  • Edfleda, nun in Winchester
  • Eadgifu (Edgiva, Ogive; * around 905, † after 951) ⚭ 1) 918/919, King Charles III. of West Franconia (* 879; † 929); ⚭ 2) 951, Heribert Graf von Meaux and Troyes (* around 910; † 980/984).
  • Edhilda (* around 907/910; † January 26, 937) ⚭ 926/927, Hugo the Great , Duke of France and Count of Paris (* around 895; † 956).
  • Editha (* around 910/913; † 946/947) ⚭ 930, Otto I , King of Eastern Franconia (* 912; † 973)
  • Elgiva († 1005) ⚭ Duke Boleslav II of Bohemia († 999)
  • Ethelfleda, Abbess of Romsey Abbey
  • Ethelhilda, nun at Romsey Abbey

In his third marriage he married Edgiva around 920 (* around 905; † August 25, 968), the daughter of Count Sigehelm of Kent. He had the following children with her:

  • Edmund I (King of England)
  • Eadred (King of England)
  • St. Edburga (around 922 - June 15, 960), nun in Nunnaminster
  • Edgiva (* around 923) ⚭ either Ludwig III., King of Provence (* around 880; † June 5, 928) or Ebehard, Count on the Nordgau († around 960)

Eduard also had at least one illegitimate son:

Historical sources

Coin from Edward the Elder

Research on Edward the Elder is difficult due to the poor historical sources. While for Eduard's father, Alfred the Great, a contemporary biography of Asser , his will and a large number of documents are available in addition to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , the source situation is difficult for Eduard: For example, all royal documents from the years 909 to 921 are missing. The research zu Eduard therefore uses not only written sources but also findings from archeology and numismatics .

The most important written sources on Edward is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, especially version A, which focuses on the events in Wessex during Edward's lifetime. The coins that were minted in Edward's time are known from archaeological excavations. Since coins with Edward's portrait were also found in Mercia, this is interpreted as an indication that Mercia recognized Edward's sovereignty. In addition, the wide variety of coin finds of Edward's coins in large parts of what is now England indicate that Edward significantly expanded his sphere of influence. Finally, archaeological excavations confirm the building activities of Edward, who secured his kingdom during his reign with fortifications against attacks from the Danelag and Wales.

See also

literature

  • NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 .
  • Sean Miller: Edward [called Edward the Elder] (870s? -924), king of the Anglo-Saxons . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004.
  • Frank Stenton: Anglo-Saxon England. 3. Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1971, ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5 .

Web links

Commons : Edward the Elder  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Sarah Foot: Æthelstan. The first king of England . Yale University Press, New Haven CT et al. 2011, ISBN 978-0-300-18771-7 , pp. 17 .
  2. ^ Frank Stenton: Anglo-Saxon England. 3. Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1971, ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5 , pp. 260-265, 323.
  3. ^ Karl-Friedrich Krieger: History of England from the beginnings to the 15th century , 5th edition. CH Beck, Munich 2018, ISBN 978-3-406-72824-2 , p. 66.
  4. ↑ Barbara Yorke: Edward as ætheling . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , pp. 25-26.
  5. ↑ Barbara Yorke: Edward as ætheling . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , pp. 27-28.
  6. ↑ a b c d Karl-Friedrich Krieger: History of England from the beginnings to the 15th century , 5th edition. CH Beck, Munich 2018, ISBN 978-3-406-72824-2 , pp. 66-67.
  7. ↑ Simon Keynes: Edward, king of the Anglo-Saxons . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , pp. 40-66.
  8. ^ Frank Stenton: Anglo-Saxon England. 3. Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1971, ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5 , pp. 323-324.
  9. ^ A b c Nicholas J. Higham, Martin J. Ryan: The Anglo-Saxon World . Yale University Press, New Haven / London 2013, ISBN 978-0-300-21613-4 , p. 301.
  10. ↑ Bailey, Maggie: Ælfwynn, second lady of the Mercians . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , pp. 112-127.
  11. ↑ Michael R. Davidson: The (non-) submission of the northern kings in 920 . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , pp. 200-211.
  12. ^ David Griffiths: The north-west frontier . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , pp. 167, 182.
  13. ↑ Nick Higham: Edward the Elder's reputation . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , pp. 1-11.
  14. ^ NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 .
  15. ↑ Nick Higham: Edward the Elder's reputation . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , p. 311.
  16. ↑ Timothy Venning: The Kings & Queens of Anglo-Saxon England . Amberley Publishing 2011, ISBN 9781445608976 .
  17. ↑ Simon Keynes: Edward, king of the Anglo-Saxons . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , p. 55.
  18. ^ Nicholas J. Higham, Martin J. Ryan: The Anglo-Saxon World . Yale University Press, New Haven / London 2013, ISBN 978-0-300-21613-4 , p. 300.
  19. ^ Stewart Lyon: The coinage of Edward the Elder . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , pp. 67-78.
  20. ^ David Griffiths: The north-west frontier . In: NJ Higham, DH Hill (Ed.): Edward the Elder 899-924 . Routledge, London / New York 2001, ISBN 0-415-21497-1 , pp. 167-187.
predecessor Office successor
Alfred the Great King of England
899–924 		Æthelweard
personal data
SURNAME Edward the Elder
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Edward I.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of the Anglo-Saxons (899-924)
DATE OF BIRTH at 874
DATE OF DEATH July 17, 924
Place of death Farndon , Cheshire