Ælfthryth (Devon) of Devon (947 - abt. 1000)

Born 0947 in Devon, England

Descendants

Died about 1000 at about age 53 in Wherwell Abbey, Hampshire, England

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Biography

Ælfthryth was the daughter of Ordgar,^[1] who held lands in the south-west of England and who may have become Ealdorman of Devon.^[2] 'Medlands' gives her birth place as Lydford Castle, Devon, and suggests a birth date of 945,^[3] though there appears to be no firm source for this.

Ælfthryth married twice. Her first husband was Æthelwold, Ealdorman of East Anglia, who died in 962 according to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.^[2]

In 964 or 965 she became the second wife of King Edgar.^[1][2] They had two sons:

• Eadmund, who died in 970 or 971 and was buried at Romsey Abbey^[1]
• Æthelred the Unready, who became king on his half-brother Edward's death in 978^[1]

During Edgar's reign Ælfthryth appears to have had some influence in the running of the realm. Her witnessing of charters was not particularly unusual, but in addition Bishop Æthelwold, when he sought the freedom of Taunton in 968, made a generous gift of gold to her in return for her assistance.^[4] She was involved in the reform of English religious communities, and in about 970 was given general oversight of nunneries.^[2] She founded a nunnery at Wherwell in Hampshire.^[2]

After Edgar's death in 975, her stepson Edward became king. He was murdered in 978 as he came to visit her, and the killers were adherents of Ælfthryth, leading to suspicion that she may have been complicit in the killing, to bring her son Æthelred to the throne.^[2] During Æthelred's reign, she helped to oversee the education of his children.^[2]

In 985 Ælfthryth became a nun at Wherwell.^[3] She died in about 1000 and was buried at Wherwell Abbey.^[2] In 1002 her son Æthelred gave privileges to the Abbey for the benefit of her soul.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Michael Swanton (translator and editor). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, revised edition, Phoenix Press, 2000, pp. 119-123
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry for 'Ælfthryth (d. 999x1001)', print and online 2004, available online on subscription and via some libraries
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Charles Cawley. Ælfthryth, entry in "Medieval Lands" database (accessed 23 March 2021)
4. ↑ Honeycutt, Lois. Matilda of Scotland: a Study in Medieval Queenship, The Boydell Press. 2003, p. 37, viewable on Google Books

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, entry for 'Ælfthryth (d. 999x1001)', 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 'Ælfthryth'
• Wikipedia: Ælfthryth, wife of Edgar
• Wikipedia: Edgar of England