Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians
The eldest child of the King Alfred of Wessex, Æthelflæd was thought to have been a strong, independent and well educated lady. During her early years, Æthelflæd witnessed her father take back large swathes of England from the Vikings (Danes), starting with the famous battle of Edington in Wiltshire, a key turning point in the Anglo-Saxon campaign against the Vikings.
As Æthelflæd reached her teens, her father had begun to push the Vikings out of south eastern England and began to reclaim territory for both his own kingdom of Wessex and his northern ally of Mercia.
Mercia itself had not been a proper, independent kingdom for many years. The eastern part of its territory had long been in direct control of the Danish Vikings, with the remaining western part of the kingdom being effectively a puppet of the Vikings. However, when Æthelred (not to be confused with Lady Æthelflæd, whom this article is about!) became ruler of western Mercia in , he decided to try and retake control over his lands.
Although little is known about this period in time, it is thought that Æthelred turned to his Anglo-Saxon neighbour to the south (Alfred of Wessex) to
‘Most famous Queen’, an Irish chronicler called her. Her kingdom of Mercia stretched from Gloucester to Northumbria, from Derby to the Welsh border. She led armies in battle and founded six new towns.
For seven years, from to , she ruled Mercia single-handed – an unheard-of feat for an Anglo-Saxon woman. Since there was no official title for a lone female ruler they called her simply &#;Lady of the Mercians.&#;
Early life
Eldest child of King Alfred of Wessex, Aethelflaed was cherished by her father and received an education normally reserved for a royal son.
At about the age of nine she received a different kind of education, in the harsh realities of her turbulent times. In January Viking invaders swooped down on the palace at Chippenham in Wiltshire where Alfred and his family were staying.
Aethelflaed became a hunted refugee, along with her family. It was not until May that year that Alfred emerged from hiding, rallied an army to defeat the Danes, and regained control of his kingdom.
A painting of King Alfred the Great, the father of Aethelflaed.
Marrying a Mercian
While still in her early teens, Aethelflaed was married off to Aethelred of Mercia, a nobleman from
Aethelflaed was a member of the House of Wessex and the House of Mercia. She was the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great and married Aethelred of Mercia around After the death of her husband she ruled Mercia with the title Lady of the Mercians.
Contents
Aethelflaed of Mercia Family Tree Image
Aethelflaed of Mercia Family Tree in Table Form
Aethelflaed of Mercia Short Biography
Aethelflaed of Mercia Family Tree Image showing:
grandparents, parents, siblings, husband and child
Aethelflaed of Mercia Family Tree in Table Form showing:
grandparents, parents, siblings, husband and child
GRANDPARENTS
Paternal Grandfather – King Aethelwulf – ( – )
Paternal Grandmother – Osburh – (d. )
Maternal Grandfather – Aethelred Mucel – (d. )
Maternal Grandmother – Eadburh – (details unknown)
CHILDREN
Aelfwyn – (c – )
GRANDCHILDREN
None known
(it is thought Aelfwyn entered holy orders after Mercia was taken by King Edward)
Aethelflaed of Mercia Short Biography
Aethelflaed was born around the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great and Ealhswith of Mercia. She married Aethelred of Mercia around as part of a treaty of mutual support between Mercia and
Aethelflaed: The warrior queen who broke the glass ceiling
Alison Hudson, from the British Library, says: "It's about who wrote the history. The main source for the period, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, comes in different versions.
"The most commonly used version was written in Wessex, under the reign of Edward, and it almost writes her out of existence.
"While Aethelflaed is subduing the Welsh and Viking raids, taking Derby and Leicester, the Wessex chronicle concentrates entirely on Edward."
Most of her achievements are contained within a different version of the chronicle.
Ms Hudson says: "This contains something called the Mercian Register, which gives far more credit to Aethelflaed.
"Tellingly, records from Ireland and Wales, beyond the reach of an Edward who has designs on Mercia, really big her up."
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