Ælfgar (Mercia) of Mercia (abt. 1010 - aft. 1062)

Born about 1010 in Mercia, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died after 1062 after about age 52 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England

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Biography

Origins and Earlier Life

Ælfgar was the son of Leofric, who became Earl of Mercia, and Godgifu (Godiva).^[1][2] His birth date is not known, but his parents probably married before 1010.^[1] Ælfgar was old enough in the 1040s to head the list of witnesses to a will,^[1] suggesting that he was born before 1020.

Earl of East Anglia

In 1051 Ælfgar was made Earl of East Anglia,^[3] replacing Harold Godwinson, the future Harold II while the Godwins were in exile.^[1][4] Harold was reinstated in 1052,^[5] but became Earl of Wessex the next year, with Ælfgar succeeding him in East Anglia.^[1][4][6]

First Exile

Ælfgar was outlawed in 1055. He went to Ireland, where he gathered troops, and then sailed to Wales where he joined Gruffydd ap Llywellyn. They sacked Hereford, and it was only with difficulty that they were driven back to Wales. The subsequent peace settlement gave Ælfgar his earldom again.^[1][2][6] The reasons for this short period of exile are obscure and two of the manuscripts of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles say that Ælfgar was banished "without fault". The E manuscript on the other hand says that he was accused of treason.^[6]

Earl of Mercia; Second Exile

In 1057 Ælfgar's father Leofric died, and Ælfgar succeeded him as Earl of Mercia, with Harold Godwinson's brother Gyrth becoming Earl of East Anglia.^[1][2][6][7] Very soon, in 1058, Ælfgar was exiled again, once more joining Gruffydd ap Llywellyn in Wales, who had married Ælfgar's daughter Ealdgyth.^[1][2] The exile was brief and he was soon back in his earldom.^[1][2][6][4]

Death

In 1062 Ælfgar backed the election of Wulfstan as Bishop of Worcester. No more is known of him, but he probably died before Harold Godwinson attacked Gruffydd ap Llywellyn in 1063, as there is no indication that Ælfgar went to assist his son-in-law.^[1] So his death year was probably 1062.

Marriage and Children

Ælfgar married Ælfgifu, whose origins are not certain.^[1][2] The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography suggests that the marriage may have taken place in the late 1020s.^[1] They had four known children:

• Eadwine, who succeeded him as Earl of Mercia^[1][2]
• Morcar, who became Earl of Northumbria in 1065^[1][2]
• Burgheard, who died in 1061 on his way back from Rome^[8]
• Ealdgyth, who married Gruffydd ap Llewellyn^[1][2][9] and Harold Godwinson (the future Harold II)^[1][2]

Research Notes

Medlands suggestion of second marriage

Cawley, in Medlands (as at 27 August 2021), states, with no source, that in about 1058 Ælfgar married a daughter of Gruffydd ap Llywellyn.^[2] There appears to be no evidence to support this.

Coventry Abbey

Orderic Vitalis states that Ælfgar founded Coventry Abbey.^[2] A charter shows it was his father Leofric who did so.^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry by Ann Williams for 'Ælfgar, earl of Mercia", print and online 2004
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11} Charles Cawley. ÆLFGAR (-c1062), entry in "Medieval Lands" database (accessed xx-date-xx).
3. ↑ Michael Swanton.The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, new edition, Phoenix Press, 2000, p. 177
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Donald Henson. A Guide to late Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon Books, 1998, p. 128
5. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry by Robin Fleming for 'Harold II', print and online 2004, revised online 2010
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4} Michael Swantn, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, pp. 184-188
7. ↑ Donald Henson, A Guide to late Anglo-Saxon England, p. 127
8. ↑ S Baxter. The death of Burgheard son of Ælfgar and its context, in Frankland: The Franks and the World of Early Medieval Europe: Essays in Honour of Dame Jinty Nelson, ed. P. Fouracre and D. Ganz (Manchester University Press: Manchester, 2008), pp. 266–84, PDF
9. ↑ Post by Clive West of 22 August 2007 in soc. genealogy. medieval thread "Lady Godiva', web
10. ↑ 'Carta Fundationis Monasterii beatæ Mariæ de Coventry' in William Dugdale, Momastiucon Anglicanum, new edition (ed. John Caley, Henry Ellis and Buylkeley Bandinel), Vol. III, James Bohn, 1846, p. 190, Google Books

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry by Ann Williams for 'Ælfgar, earl of Mercia", print and online 2004
• Cawley, Charles. "Medieval Lands": A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families © by Charles Cawley, hosted by Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG). See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands. Entry for ÆLFGAR (-c1062)
• Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Vol. I, p. 148, entry for 'ÆLFGAR, Earl (d. 1062?)', Wikisource
• Boyer, Carl. Medieval Welsh Ancestors of certain Americans, published by the author, 2004, p. 259
• Birch, Walter de Gray. Domesday Book, A Popular Account of The Exchequer Manuscript, Society For Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, 1908, p. 103, Google Books
• Wikipedia: Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia