Edward the Elder was the King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 to 924. He was the elder son of Alfred the Great and Ealhswith.
He succeeded his father to the throne and had to defeat a challenge from his cousin Aethelwold, who had a strong claim to the throne as the son of Alfred's elder brother and predecessor, Aethelred I.
After the battle, the Vikings still ruled Northumbria, East Anglia, and Eastern Mercia. Wessex and western Mercia remained under Anglo-Saxon control. In the early 880s, Aethelred, Lord of the Mercians, the ruler of western Mercia, accepted Alfred's lordship and married his daughter Aethelflaed.
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Around 886, Alfred adopted the new title "King of the Anglo-Saxons" as the ruler of all Anglo-Saxons not subject to Danish rule. Edward inherited the new title when Alfred died in 899.
In 910, a Mercian and West Saxon army defeated an invading Northumbrian army, ending the threat from the northern Vikings. In the decade that followed, Edward and his sister Æthelflæd, who had succeeded as Lady of the Mercians following the death of her husband in 911, conquered Viking-ruled southern England.
There is some debate about how far Mercia was dominated by Wessex during this period. After Aethelflaed's death in June 918, her daughter Aelfwynn briefly became the second Lady of the Mercians, but in December, Edward took her into Wessex and imposed direct rule on Mercia.
By the end of the 910s, Edward ruled Wessex, Mercia, and East Anglia, and only Northumbria remained under Viking rule.
In 924, Edward faced a Mercian and Welsh revolt at Chester. He put down the revolt but died at Farndon in Cheshire on 17 July 924.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, Athelstan.
Family Overview
Edward the Elder was the son of one of the greatest Kings of England and the brother to a successful Queen of Mercia.
He would have three wives and seemed to be a bit more promiscuous than his father and son Athelstan.
Three of his sons would become King and try to continue what Alfred, Edward, and Athelstan had completed.
His grandsons would ascend to the throne after the passing of his sons.
Each of his surviving daughters married foreign royalty and influenced the country they became a part of.
Family Tree Chart
Parents:
Alfred the Great (849 - 899) - He was the King of Wessex from 871 to 899. He was a skilled military leader and a wise administrator. He is credited with saving England from the Viking invasion and with laying the foundations for the English nation. He was also a patron of learning and culture. He translated many important works from Latin into Old English, and he founded a number of schools and libraries. He is considered one of the greatest kings in English history.
Ealhswith of Gaini (852 - 902) - She was the queen consort of Alfred the Great and was known as a strong and capable woman who played an important role in her husband's reign. She was also a devout Christian and a patron of the church. She founded a number of monasteries and churches, and she was instrumental in the revival of learning in England during the reign of her husband.
Spouse:
Ecgwynn of Cent (unknown - 899) - She was the mother of Athelstan, who would become the next great King of England. She may have been related to St Dunstan, the aristocratic tenth-century Archbishop of Canterbury. But William of Malmesbury also stated that Athelstan's accession in 924 was opposed by a nobleman who claimed that his mother was a concubine of low birth.
Aelfflaed of Wiltshire (878 - 919) - She married King Edward around 899. She attested one charter in 901, where she was described as "conjux regis" (wife of the king). She never attested as queen, and although it was previously thought that she was consecrated as queen when Edward was crowned in 900, this is now thought unlikely. Edward put her aside in order to marry Eadgifu. She is reported to have retired to Wilton Abbey, where she was joined by two of her daughters.
Eadgifu of Kent (903 - 966) - She was born after King Edward had lost one wife and married another. She would have been much younger than him, and this would allow her to insert herself into the affairs of her children and grandchildren. After Edward's death, she disappeared during Athelstan's reign and resurfaced during the reign of her two sons. She then took sides in the conflict with her grandsons, which caused more chaos in England.
Children:
Athelstan (895 - 939) - He would become the King to unite England and remove the last of the Vikings from England. He was raised in his Aunt's court in Mercia. After his father's death, he ascended to the throne, where he reigned until he was around 45 years old. He did not marry or have an heir.
Eadgifu of Wessex (902 - unknown) - Born around 902 as the daughter of Edward I the Elder and his wife Aelfflaed. She was married to Charles III of the Franks in 917 and bore him one son, Louis. After his death, she sent her son to England, where he lived at her half-brother's court.
Aelfweard of Wessex (904 - 924) - He claimed the throne of Wessex after his father's death. His half-brother Athelstan claimed the throne of Mercia, and it seemed that there would be a conflict as to who would rule a united Wessex and Mercia. However, his death three weeks later ended the possibility of conflict.
Eadhilda of Wessex (908 - 937) - In 926, King Athelstan received an embassy from his cousin, Adelolf, Count of Boulogne, on behalf of Hugh, and Athelstan agreed to give his half-sister, Eadhild, in marriage in return for an enormous quantity of gifts and relics.
Edith of Wessex (910 - 946) - She married Otto I von Sachson, Holy Roman Emperor, who was considered by many historians to be the founder of the Holy Roman Empire. The couple had at least four surviving children, including their youngest, who would become Otto II. She died young and was buried at the Cathedral in Magdeburg, Germany.
Edmund the Magnificient (921 - 946) - During his reign, the kingdom was plagued by Irish Viking raiders. He was forced to cede to them, Northumbria, but he succeeded in recapturing it in 944, taking advantage of factionalism among the enemy leaders. In 945, he and King Malcolm I of Scotland signed a treaty of mutual military support, ensuring safe borders and peaceful relationships with Scotland. He married a second time in early 946 to Aethelflaed. Later that year, on St Augustine's Day at Pucklechurch, South Gloucestershire, he was murdered by an outlaw, Leofa, an exiled thief, who was then himself killed. Eadmund's sons were still minors of less than five years, and so he was succeeded by his brother.
Eadred (923 - 955) - He succeeded to the throne in May 946 upon the murder of his brother. He was crowned king on August 16, 946, at Kingston-upon-Thames, London. In 947, Eric Bloodaxe led the Norsemen residing in Northumbria against Eadred. In 954, the Northumbrians expelled Eric, and Eadred regained control of the region after the battle of Stainemore. He provided impetuous to monastic reform by appointing Aethelwold to the Abbacy of Abingdon. The man who would become Saint Dunstan was one of his chief advisors, and he relied upon him a great deal in his latter years. Having suffered from an unidentified chronic illness for several years, he succumbed at about age 32.
Siblings:
Aethelflaed of Wessex (870 - 918) - She married Mercia and became known as the "Lady of the Mercians". When her husband became ill and died, she took over as leader of the Mercians and improved their defenses. She also worked with her brother Edward to build fortifications against the Danes.
Edmund of Wessex (873) - He died in childhood
Aethelgifu of Wessex (875 - 896) - She was the first Abbess of Shaftesbury Abbey, which her father founded. He left her property in his will.
Aelfthryth of Wessex (877 - 929) - She married a count of Flanders who had a mutual interest in protecting their lands against Viking raiders.
Aethelweard of Wessex (880 - 922) - There is not much known about him except that he had some children. His son Turketul would serve as chancellor for Aethelstan.