Æthelfrith of Wessex
Encyclopedia
Æthelfrith was an Ealdorman
of southern Mercia
, occurring in documents in the first part of the 10th century. Having married Æthelgyth, daughter of Æthelwulf, he was father to four Ealdormen: Æthelstan Half-King
(East Anglia
), Ælfstan (Mercia
), Æthelwald (Kent
), and Eadric (Wessex
), and apparently grandfather of Ealdorman Æthelweard 'the Historian'. That the latter called himself 'grandson's grandson' of Æthelred I
, as well as documented patterns of land inheritance, have led to the hypothesis that Æthelfrith was a son of Aethelhelm, Ealdorman of Wiltshire
, one of Æthelred's sons. A further genealogical reconstruction would make Aethelweard, and hence Æthelfrith, an ancestor of King Harold II
.
Ealdorman
An ealdorman is the term used for a high-ranking royal official and prior magistrate of an Anglo-Saxon shire or group of shires from about the ninth century to the time of King Cnut...
of southern Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
, occurring in documents in the first part of the 10th century. Having married Æthelgyth, daughter of Æthelwulf, he was father to four Ealdormen: Æthelstan Half-King
Æthelstan Half-King
Æthelstan , commonly called Æthelstan Half-King, was Ealdorman of East Anglia and the leading member of a very prominent Anglo-Saxon family. Æthelstan became a monk at Glastonbury Abbey in 957.-Origins and career:...
(East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
), Ælfstan (Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
), Æthelwald (Kent
Kingdom of Kent
The Kingdom of Kent was a Jutish colony and later independent kingdom in what is now south east England. It was founded at an unknown date in the 5th century by Jutes, members of a Germanic people from continental Europe, some of whom settled in Britain after the withdrawal of the Romans...
), and Eadric (Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
), and apparently grandfather of Ealdorman Æthelweard 'the Historian'. That the latter called himself 'grandson's grandson' of Æthelred I
Ethelred of Wessex
King Æthelred I was King of Wessex from 865 to 871. He was the fourth son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex...
, as well as documented patterns of land inheritance, have led to the hypothesis that Æthelfrith was a son of Aethelhelm, Ealdorman of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, one of Æthelred's sons. A further genealogical reconstruction would make Aethelweard, and hence Æthelfrith, an ancestor of King Harold II
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
.