In the year between, 878, Alfred had rebuilt his army and routed the Vikings in a major battle. He now needed a strong ally to help guard his northern border.
The match between Æthelflæd and Æthelred was one of political necessity, but one doubts that any of the parties had any idea of just how important this union was to be to the fledgling English nation!
The most popular year (amongst the academics) for Æthelflæd's birth is 869, which would place her age at ten when her future husband took over the rule of Mercia. Thus there must have been a considerable age difference. The age at which Æthelflæd married is also one of the unknowns but choosing the age of 15 from those offered in the text books helps remove some other anomalies. There is an enduring story about her journey to be wed.
The wedding would form a strong alliance between Wessex and Mercia, which was not in the best interests of the Danish invaders. This was a brutal age when armies and raiding parties swept back and forth over both English and Danish territory, each trying to gain or regain territory. Death might lurk round any corner in a forest path.
And so it was that the Danes sent a band to intercept and murder Æthelflæd and her wedding party. Half of Æthelflæd’s party were killed in the first onslaught, but the remainder fell back to a defensive position in a trench. Here, is it said, our heroine took up a sword and fought alongside her guards, driving the Danes away.
All noble Saxon children would be expected to take weapons training, girls and boys. Every hand might be needed to defend the home and all would be expected to help defend themselves when travelling.
Every free adult Saxon was permitted to carry at least the seax, a long dagger , the very icon of being a Saxon and where the name comes from.
So, the marriage took place and it is evident that Æthelflæd took an active part in running Mercia very soon afterwards, her name appears on charters granting land. Though the couple never took the titles of king and queen it was evident that they used the royal prerogatives with Alfred’s blessing.
In 888 Æthelred was struck down with a debilitating illness, for how long we do not know, but Æthelflæd took on more of her husband’s tasks, including control of the fighting forces. It became a joint rule.
The following year the Mercians started the process of fortifying their territory,
building defensive burhs -
In 890 the Mercian couple established the minster in Gloucester that was to become St Oswald’s and the final resting place for both of them. It was evident that Gloucester held an important position strategically, as an administrative centre and, seemingly, of some personal importance to Æthelflæd in particular.
There was either positive strategic cooperation between the armies of Mercia and Wessex or the two leaders were thinking almost with one mind. Even after the death of Alfred the Great in 899 this continued into the reign of Æthelflæd’s brother, Edward.
Both armies took part in a combined operation against the Vikings in Leicestershire in 909. As a part
of this campaign they acquired the relics of St Oswald, once a very important Anglo-
These relics were deposited in the “new minster” near Gloucester, causing it to be rededicated to St Oswald. The minster was to be endowed with so much wealth by the ruling couple that it became known as “The Golden Minster”.
In 910 there was a major battle at Tettenhall, a battle in which the Mercia-
In those times the normal fate of a noble widow was to enter a nunnery, even have a new one established for her if she was of high rank. Then, in the case of a ruler, the ealdormen would elect one of their number to become the leader or ruler.
But, here was a battle proven military leader whose only fault was her gender. Here Æthelflæd’s Mercian relations and predecessors where to come to her aid. This familial link, and the ties with powerful Wessex, may have proved decisive in the Mercians accepting Æthelflæd where they might not have done so with a person of purely Wessex descent alone.
Æthelflæd needed a title that would both indicate her authority and acknowledge her sex – she was given the title “Lady of the Mercians” to achieve this. It is obvious that Edward, now well established as the king of Wessex, at least agreed to this, but he took control of London from the Mercians.
This was a sensible move for all. Wessex bordered on the Thames south of the then
limits of London – they were in a prime position to defend it and make use of its
resources. It also meant that the Mercian army was not extended to the south-
Æthelflæd stepped up the building of burhs on the eastern border. Not only were these to be defensive but would later act as springboards for raids into enemy territory.
Some sub-
In cooperation with her brother’s forces she recaptured Derby and Leicester in 917.
Derby was a large battle where Æthelflæd lost three of her closest thegns (say it “thanes”*), the equivalent of knights, but Leicester almost welcomed her into the city.
In other situations she took advantage of Edward’s attack on the Danes north of London, where their attention was strongest, to attack the Danelaw from the west. In one case Æthelflæd recaptured York and the Viking leaders there swore fealty to her. Then they asked for her help in protecting them from the Norse raiders!
Æthelflæd’s final battle was to be at Tamworth in the year 918, but the record do
not say how she actually died. Her age must have been about 49 at this time, less
than ten percent of women reached this age in Anglo-
She had evidently coached her daughter, Ælfwynn, to take her place, and at the age of about 20 she was older than her mother when she took some power. Unfortunately Uncle Edward was having none of this. He called Ælfwynn to his court for Christmas and then stripped her of all power.
Little is know of Ælfwynn’s future. She could not be allowed to marry for fear of using her husband to stir rebellion in an attempt to regain what she might see as her inheritance. There is a statue outside a church near Wolverhampton that is said to be of the Lady Wulfrun (from whom Wolverhampton is said to have been named) This implies that she did marry,or at least have one productive affair, but there seems to be little academic interest in such stories.
*”thegns” is pronounced “thanes” -
Wall plaque in Hare Lane, Gloucester.
The figure on the left represents Osric, the founder of the church that was to become the cathedral.
Like Boudicca before and Joan d’Arc after her Æthelflæd's story is a meld of fact and legend, not an area where the academic historians like to tread. Add to this the potential for reference to modern gender politics and the story is treated to the whole range from extreme academic caution to a degree of fictitious romanticism. This telling of the story will take a path through the various versions that ignores some possible anomalies and is intended to only be a “sketch”..
Æthelflæd was the eldest child of King Alfred the Great. She could well be called a Warrior Princess and was an able tactician and diplomat, being voted “Lady of the Mercians” on the death of her husband. The story has a very hazy start, little is known of her before her marriage to Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians.
The story should start before Æthelflæd’s marriage, at the time when King Alfred was in near exile on the island of Æthelney, in the Somerset marshes, in 877 and the future of the English nation was very much ion the balance. There is no record that Æthelflæd was also there but it was evident, from Æthelred’s first appearance in the records in 879, that a very special relationship existed between him and Alfred.
The monument, showing Æthelflæd with her nephew (and the wrong type of sword), by the burh (fortified mound) in Tamworth.
Window in Chester Cathedral.
The ruins of St Oswald’s, the burial place of both Æthelflæd and Æthelred. The actual burial place has never been found but part of a high quality carved and (once) painted stone coffin lid was fund.
Much of what is visible is a mixture of Anglo Saxon and Norman architecture, but this does not stop the site being a very important one in the early history of ecclesiastical buildings.
Variations (found so far) on the name:
Æthelflæd Æthelflæda Æthelflad Æthelflada Athelfled Athelfleda
Aethelflaed Aethelflaeda Aethelflad Aethelflada Aethelfled Aethelfleda
Ethelflad Ethelflada Ethelfled Ethelfleda
Gender politics are mentioned above, and they did raise their ugly head in more modern times. Later writers lamented the fact that she was a woman, endowing her with manly qualities to satisfy their prejudices. She may well have been a bit of a battle axe (no doubt she could wield one) but life was tough in those times and one had to be strong and resourceful to survive.
See these for sources on life for Anglo Saxon women
Anglo-
The digraph “æ” makes is has the same sound as the “a” in “ash”; “a” on its own would
have had a sound like the “a” in “bath”, ā is as in “pane” (and ē as in “bee”, ō
as in “wrote” etc.) Every letter would be pronounced distinctly, it would sound like
a very heavy “Geordie” dialect to our ears -
Names, both of people and places, all had meanings:
Æthelflæd = noble beauty
Æthelred = noble counsel
Ælfwynn = elf friend
Alfred (as Ælfred) = elf counsel
Edward (as Eadweard) = rich guardian
Osric = God ruler
Oswald (as Osweald) = God power
Æthelney = Noble island
To translate, select and copy the text and then paste into