Thored Gunnarsson (938 - 992)

Born 0938 in Wessex, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 0992 at about age 54 in Wessex, England

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Biography

Note: ref: Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) (25 Apr 10) -

Thored (Old English: Ðoreð or Þoreð; fl. 979-992) was a 10th century ealdorman of York, ruler of the southern half of the old Kingdom of Northumbria on behalf of the king of England. He was the son of either Gunnar or Oslac, northern ealdormen. If he was the former, he may had attained adulthood by the 960s, when a man of his name raided Westmorland. Other potential appearances in the records are likewise uncertain until 979, the point from which Thored's period as ealdorman can be accurately dated.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that "Thored, son of Gunner" ravaged Westmoreland in 966.^[1]

There are speculations that "Thored was Earl of the part of Northumbria which was previously called Deira, maybe Yorkshire, the territory being different from Northumbria which Ælfric "ealdorman" ruled around the same time" ^[2][3]

Married HILDA, daughter of ---.

Thored & his wife had one child: Gunner aka: Gunnar

Thorad is probably "UNCONNECTED NOBILITY OF DANISH ORIGIN" ^[4]

Although historians differ in their opinions about his relationship, if any, to Kings Edgar the Peaceable and Edward the Martyr, it is generally thought that he enjoyed a good relationship with King Æthelred II. His daughter Ælfgifu married Æthelred. Thored was ealdorman in Northumbria for much of Æthelstan's reign, disappearing from the sources in 992 after being appointed by Æthelred to lead an expedition against the Vikings.

Two accounts of Thored's origins have been offered by modern historians. The first is that he was a son of Oslac, ealdorman of York from 966 until his exile in 975. This argument is partly based on the assertion by the Historia Eliensis, that Oslac had a son named Thorth (i.e. "Thored"). The other suggestion, favored by most historians, is that he was the son of a man named Gunnar. This Gunnar is known to have held land in the East and North Ridings of Yorkshire.

All in all, the combined evidence suggests that Æthelred's first wife was Ælfgifu, the daughter of Earl Thored. This magnate is likely to have been the Thored who was a son of Gunnar and earl of (southern) Northumbria.

Sources

1. ↑ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
2. ↑ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, E, 991
3. ↑ http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLAND,%20AngloSaxon%20nobility.htm#_ftn814
4. ↑ MEDIEVAL LANDS: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families by Charles Cawley © Foundation for Medieval Genealogy & Charles Cawley 2000-2018.