Ælfweard of Wessex
Encyclopedia
Ælfweard was the second son
of Edward the Elder
, the eldest born to his second wife Ælfflæd
.
simply states that Ælfweard died soon after his father's death on 17 July 924 and that they were buried together at Winchester Cathedral
. Manuscript D of the Chronicle specifies that he outlived his father by only 16 days. No reign is explicitly attributed to him here. However, a list of West-Saxon kings in the 12th-century Textus Roffensis
mentions him as his father's successor, with a reign of four weeks. He is also described as king in the New Minster Liber Vitae, a 11th-century source based in part on earlier material. On the other hand, William of Malmesbury
, relying on a poem, related that Edward's eldest son (by his first wife Ecgwynn
), Athelstan
, succeeded directly under the terms of King Alfred's will (since lost). The poem had once been considered a near-contemporary authority, but Michael Lapidge
has shown this to be based on a misunderstanding of William's reference to "a certain obviously ancient book".
This conflicting documentation has led to alternative interpretations, some modern historians concluding that he had succeeded his father in preference to his older half-brother Athelstan
, while others maintain that Athelstan was the only heir to his father. Alternatively, a divided rule has been suggested, since the so-called Mercian register of the Chronicle reports that Athelstan became king of the Mercians, and William of Malmesbury
, though denying a reign for Ælfweard, reports that Athelstan was educated at the Mercian court of his aunt Æthelflæd. By this theory, Ælfweard would have succeeded his father in Wessex and Athelstan in Mercia, the latter only acquiring Wessex following his brother's death shortly thereafter.
If king, Ælfweard was probably never crowned, dying 2 August 924 at Oxford
. Athelstan himself was not crowned king of the Anglo-Saxons until 4 September 925 more than a year later.
Son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or man in relation to his parents. The female analogue is a daughter.-Social issues regarding sons:In pre-industrial societies and some current countries with agriculture-based economies, a higher value was, and still is, assigned to sons rather than daughters,...
of Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
, the eldest born to his second wife Ælfflæd
Ælfflæd, wife of Edward the Elder
Ælfflæd was the second wife of Edward the Elder, king of the English.Ælfflæd was the daughter of an ealdorman Æthelhelm. There were several contemporaries of this name, but some historians, including Pauline Stafford and David H. Kelley, have identified him as Æthelhelm, a son of Edward's uncle,...
.
Kingship and death
The Anglo-Saxon ChronicleAnglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
simply states that Ælfweard died soon after his father's death on 17 July 924 and that they were buried together at Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
. Manuscript D of the Chronicle specifies that he outlived his father by only 16 days. No reign is explicitly attributed to him here. However, a list of West-Saxon kings in the 12th-century Textus Roffensis
Textus Roffensis
The Textus Roffensis, or in full, Textus de Ecclesia Roffensi per Ernulphum episcopum , refers to a manuscript in which two originally separate manuscripts written about the same time, between 1122 and 1124, are bound together...
mentions him as his father's successor, with a reign of four weeks. He is also described as king in the New Minster Liber Vitae, a 11th-century source based in part on earlier material. On the other hand, William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
, relying on a poem, related that Edward's eldest son (by his first wife Ecgwynn
Ecgwynn
Ecgwynn or Ecgwynna , was the first consort of Edward the Elder, later king of the English , by whom she bore the future King Æthelstan , and a daughter who married Sihtric Cáech, Norse king of Dublin and Northumbria. Extremely little is known about her background and life...
), Athelstan
Athelstan of England
Athelstan , called the Glorious, was the King of England from 924 or 925 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, grandson of Alfred the Great and nephew of Æthelflæd of Mercia...
, succeeded directly under the terms of King Alfred's will (since lost). The poem had once been considered a near-contemporary authority, but Michael Lapidge
Michael Lapidge
Michael Lapidge D.Litt. is a Canadian historical linguist, fellow of Clare College, Cambridge and Fellow of the British Academy A lecturer in Anglo-Saxon studies at Cambridge from 1974 onwards, Lapidge was Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon from 1991 to 1998...
has shown this to be based on a misunderstanding of William's reference to "a certain obviously ancient book".
This conflicting documentation has led to alternative interpretations, some modern historians concluding that he had succeeded his father in preference to his older half-brother Athelstan
Athelstan of England
Athelstan , called the Glorious, was the King of England from 924 or 925 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, grandson of Alfred the Great and nephew of Æthelflæd of Mercia...
, while others maintain that Athelstan was the only heir to his father. Alternatively, a divided rule has been suggested, since the so-called Mercian register of the Chronicle reports that Athelstan became king of the Mercians, and William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
, though denying a reign for Ælfweard, reports that Athelstan was educated at the Mercian court of his aunt Æthelflæd. By this theory, Ælfweard would have succeeded his father in Wessex and Athelstan in Mercia, the latter only acquiring Wessex following his brother's death shortly thereafter.
If king, Ælfweard was probably never crowned, dying 2 August 924 at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Athelstan himself was not crowned king of the Anglo-Saxons until 4 September 925 more than a year later.
See also
- House of Wessex family treeHouse of Wessex family treeThe following chart is a family tree of the kings of the House of Wessex, a dynasty whose members were Kings of Wessex, and then, from Athelstan onwards, Kings of England....