Текст книги "Britain's Royal Families"

Автор книги: Элисон Уир

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King Athelstan

FATHER: King Edward the Elder( see here).

MOTHER: Egwina( King Edward the Elder, see here).

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under King Edward the Elder).

ATHELSTAN

He was born in c.895. He succeeded his father as the first King of a united England on 17 July, 924/5, and was crowned on 4 September, 924/5, at Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. The monarchy in England may be said to have been properly established under King Athelstan. Athelstan never married, and had no issue. He died on 27 October, 939, at Gloucester, and was buried in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire (his tomb dates only from the fifteenth century).

He was succeeded by his half-brother Edmund.

Edmund I

FATHER: King Edward the Elder( see here).

MOTHER: Edgiva of Kent( see here, under King Edward the Elder).

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under King Edward the Elder).

EDMUND I

Known as ‘the Magnificent’, he was born in c.920/22. He succeeded his half-brother King Athelstan as King of England on 27 October, 939, and was crowned on 29 November, 939, at Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. From 944 onwards, he was the effective ruler of the whole of England until his death.

Edmund I married firstly, in c.940 (although no record exists as to where):

St Elgiva

Her origins are unknown. She died in c.944 or 946 at Shaftesbury Abbey, Dorset, where she was probably buried (or, less probably, at Shipton Abbey). She has sometimes, erroneously, been described as Abbess of Wilton. After her death, she was popularly reputed a saint.

Issue of marriage:

1   King Edwy( see here).

2   King Edgar( see here).

3   Daughter( name not known), who married Baldwin, Count of Hesdin.

Edmund I married secondly,in c.946:

Ethelfleda

She was the daughter of Alfgar, Ealdorman of the Wilsaetas (Wiltshire?), and was perhaps born at Damerham, Wiltshire. After Edmund’s death, she perhaps married secondly Athelstan, an Ealdorman. She later became a nun at Shaftesbury Abbey, Dorset, where she died after 975, when her Will was dated. She was buried in Shaftesbury Abbey.

EDMUND I

He was murdered on 26 May, 946, at Pucklechurch, Dorset, when an outlaw named Liofa stabbed him whilst he was dining in his hall. He was buried in Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset.

He was succeeded by his brother Edred.

King Edred

FATHER: King Edward the Elder( see here).

MOTHER: Edgiva of Kent( King Edward the Elder, see here).

SIBLINGS: ( King Edward the Elder, see here).

KING EDRED

He was born in c.923/5, and succeeded his brother Edmund I as King of England on 26 May, 946. He was crowned on 16 August, 946, at Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. He expelled the Danes from England in 954, thereupon establishing his authority throughout England.

One authority states that Edred had issue, but gives no details. I have found no other evidence to support this. There is no record of his having been married.

KING EDRED

He died on 23 November, 955, at Frome, Somerset, and was buried in Winchester Cathedral. His bones are now in one of the mortuary chests there.

He was succeeded by his nephew Edwy.

King Edwy

FATHER: Edmund I( see here).

MOTHER: St Elgiva( see here, under Edmund I).

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Edmund I).

KING EDWY

Known as ‘the Fair’, he was born in c.941/3 (certainly before 943). He succeeded his uncle King Edred as King of England on 23 November, 955, and was crowned at Kingston-upon-Thames c.26 January, 956. He was a weak king, and his authority was confined to Wessex from 958, his younger brother Edgar taking over the government of Northumbria and Mercia.

Edwy married, during the winter of 955/6 (although no record exists as to where):

Elgiva

Her father is unknown; her mother, Ethelgiva, of unknown origin, is said by some sources to have been Edwy’s mistress. The marriage was certainly frowned upon by the Church. Late sources state that it was annulled around 958, and that Elgiva was banished from court, possibly to Ireland, but these sources may be too late to be reliable. Elgiva died around September, 959, at Gloucester.

KING EDWY

He died on 1 October, 959, at Gloucester, and was buried in Winchester Cathedral.

He was succeeded by his brother Edgar.

King Edgar

FATHER: Edmund I( see here).

MOTHER: St Elgiva( see here, under Edmund I).

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Edmund I).

KING EDGAR

Known as ‘the Peaceable’, he was born in 942/4. He took over the government of Northumbria and Mercia from his brother King Edwy in 958, and was styled King of those realms from that date. He succeeded Edwy on 1 October, 959, but was not crowned until 11 May, 973, as St Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury, would not agree to crown Edgar until he amended his way of life. The coronation, which took place in Bath Abbey, followed the new form of service devised by St Dunstan and based on European models. This is the form of Coronation Rite used, with modifications, in the 20th century.

Edgar married firstly, in c.961/2 (although no record exists as to where):

Ethelfleda

Known as ‘the Fair’, she was the daughter of Ealdorman Ordmaer by his wife Ealda. Later sources allege that she was divorced by Edgar in c.964, so that he could marry his second wife, but this is probably a fabrication, and it is likely that Ethelfleda died in c.962/4, probably by 965 (although one unreliable source gives the date of her death as 972/3). She was buried in Wilton Abbey, Wiltshire, where she is said to have retired after her alleged divorce.

Issue of marriage:

1   King Edward the Martyr( see here).

Edgar married secondly, in c.964/5 (perhaps earlier) (although no record exists as to where):

Elfrida

Alternatively known as Alstrita or Elstrudis, she was the daughter of Ordgar, Ealdorman of Devon. She was born in c.945 at Lydford Castle, Devon. She married firstly, in c.962/3, Ethelwald, Ealdorman of East Anglia ( d.963), and had issue:

1  Edgar.

2  (?) Ethelfleda (963?–1016?), Abbess of Romsey. She may have been Ethelwald’s daughter by his first wife, although one account says she was his posthumous child.

Elfrida is said to have had an adulterous affair with King Edgar whilst still married to Ethelwald, and some sources allege that Ethelwald was murdered on Edgar’s orders. Elfrida was crowned with her husband on 11 May, 973, at Bath Abbey: this was the first instance of the coronation of a Queen of England. She became a nun in c.986 at Wherwell Abbey, Hampshire, where she died, possibly on 17 November, 1002 (?); she was alive in 999, but had died before the end of 1002. She was probably buried in Wherwell Abbey.

Issue of marriage:

1   Edmund

He was born in c.965, and died in 970/72. He was buried in Romsey Abbey, Hampshire.

2   Ethelred II( see here).

King Edgar also had the following illegitimate issue:

By St Wulfrida ( c.945–1000), Abbess of Wilton,

1  St Edith (962?–984), Abbess of Barking and Nunnaminster.

KING EDGAR

He died on 8 July, 975, at Winchester, and was buried in Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset.

He was succeeded by his son Edward.

King Edward the Martyr

FATHER: King Edgar( see here).

MOTHER: Ethelfleda( see here, under Edgar).

SIBLINGS: Edward did not have any full brothers or sisters.

KING EDWARD

Known as ‘the Martyr’, he was born in c.962/3. He succeeded his father as King of England on 8 July, 975, and was crowned at Kingston-upon-Thames that same year (the date is unspecified). He was murdered on 18 March, 978 (not 979, as is sometimes stated), at Corfe Castle, Dorset, probably on the orders of his stepmother, Elfrida of Devon. He was buried in Wareham Abbey, Dorset; later on, his remains were moved to Shaftesbury Abbey, Dorset.

He was succeeded by his half-brother Ethelred.

Ethelred II

FATHER: King Edgar( see here).

MOTHER: Elfrida of Devon( see here, under Edgar).

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Edgar).

ETHELRED II

Known as ‘the Unraed’ or ‘the Redeless’ (both of which mean ‘without counsel’), he was born in c.966/9. He succeeded his half-brother Edward as King of England on 18 March, 978, and was crowned on 4 April, 978 (or 4 May, 979), at Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. He abdicated in favour of King Sweyn in the autumn of 1013, and fled to Normandy, but was restored to the throne after Sweyn’s death on 3 February, 1014.

Ethelred II married firstly, in c.980/85 (although no record exists as to where):

Elgiva

Alternatively known as Elfleda, she was the daughter either of Ealdorman Ethelbert, or of Thored, Ealdorman of York, by his wife Hilda. She was born in c.963, and died in February, 1002, at Winchester.

Issue of marriage:

1   Athelstan

He was born in c.986, and was killed in battle, fighting the Danes, in c.1012/15. One writer, Thietmar of Merseberg, states that Athelstan was alive late in 1016, but he is an unreliable source, and it is thought that Athelstan was almost certainly dead by the end of 1015.

2   Edmund II( see here).

3   Edgar

He died in 1012/15 (or, less probably, in c.1008).

4   Edred

He died in 1012/15.

5   Edric(?)

He has perhaps been confused with his brother Edred, and may not have existed. No dates are recorded.

6   Edward(?)

He is said to have died by c.1004. The evidence for his existence is very slender; charters said to have been attested by him have been proved spurious.

7   Edwy

He was murdered in 1017 on the orders of King Canute, and was buried in Tavistock Abbey, Devon.

8   Egbert

He died in c.1005.

9   Edith

She married Edric Streona, Ealdorman of Mercia (who was executed in 1017), in c.1007/9, and had issue:

1  Son; name not known (born before 1009).

Edith perhaps married secondly Thurcytel Thorgils Havi, a Danish Earl in England (who was killed in 1039), and perhaps had issue:

2  Harold, who married Gunhilda of Wendland, a granddaughter of King Sweyn. Harold died in 1042.

10   Elgiva

She married Uhtred, Earl of Northumbria (who was killed in 1016 or 1018), and had issue:

1  Edith ( see here, under Malcolm II, King of Scotland). She married Maldred of Scotland, Lord of Allerdale, and had issue.

11   Wulfhilda

She married Ulfcytel Snylling, Ealdorman of East Anglia (who was killed in 1016).

12   Daughter

Her name is not known. She married one Athelstan (who was killed in 1010).

13   Daughter

Her name is not known. She became Abbess of Wherwell, and died after 1051.

Ethelred II married secondly, on 5 April, 1002, at Winchester Cathedral:

Emma

She was the daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, by his wife Gunnora, and she was born in c.985/7 in Normandy. In 1017, after the death of Ethelred II, she married secondly King Canute, and had issue ( see here, under King Canute). She died on 14 March, 1052, probably at Winchester, and was buried in Winchester Cathedral. Her bones now lie in one of the mortuary chests there.

Issue of marriage:

1   King Edward the Confessor( see here).

2   Alfred

Born before 1012, he was styled ‘Atheling’. He was brutally murdered on 5 February, 1037 (or, less probably, 1036), at Ely, Cambridgeshire, probably on the orders of Earl Godwine ( see here, under Harold II). He was buried in Ely Cathedral.

3   Goda

Alternatively known as Godgifu, she was born between 1004 and 1014. She married firstly Drogo (or Dreux), Count of Mantes and the Vexin ( d.1035), and had issue:

1  Ralph, Earl of Hereford ( d.1057), who married Gytha, perhaps the daughter of Osgood Clapa, and had issue.

2  Walter III, Count of Mantes and the Vexin ( d.after 1063), who married Biota, daughter of Herbert, Count of Maine.

3  Fulk, Bishop of Amiens (1030–1058).

Goda married secondly Eustace II, Count of Boulogne ( d.1093), in c.1036. It is possible that there was a child of this union, probably a daughter who married and had issue. The only evidence pointing to this is the fact that Eustace of Boulogne had a grandson who was given as hostage to William I in 1067.

Goda was dead by 1049.

ETHELRED II

He died on 23 April, 1016, in London, and was buried in Old St Paul’s Cathedral, London. His tomb was lost in the Great Fire of 1666.

He was succeeded by his son Edmund.

King Sweyn

FATHER: Harold Bluetooth, King of Denmark.

MOTHER: Gunhilda, first wife of Harold, or Cyrid, his second wife, or Aesa, his concubine.

SIBLINGS:

Thyra

She married Thorgils Sprakalegg, and had issue:

1 Gytha, mother of Harold II( see here).

KING SWEYN

Known as ‘Forkbeard’, he was born in c.960 in Denmark. He succeeded his father as King of Denmark on 1 November, 986. He is said by some sources to have been deposed in 987 and restored in 1000. He usurped the throne of England in the autumn of 1013, having defeated and deposed Ethelred II; he claimed the throne by right of conquest, but had no dynastic claim to it. He was never crowned.

Sweyn married firstly, in c.990 (although no record exists as to where):

Gunhilda

She was probably the daughter of Mjeczislas I, Duke of Poland, by Dubrawka, daughter of Boleslaw I, Duke of Bohemia, or, less probably, the daughter of Boleslaw, King of Wendland. Sweyn later divorced her, probably before 1000. She died in c.1015. One source gives the date of her death as 992, but this must be wrong.

Issue of marriage:

1   Harold

He was born in c.994 in Denmark. He succeeded his father as King of Denmark on 3 February, 1014, and died in 1018/19.

2   King Canute( see here).

The following were possibly the children of Gunhilda, although they may have been the issue of Sweyn by his second wife ( below):

3   Gytha

She married Erik Hakonson, a Danish Earl in England, and Earl of Hlathir in Norway in 1013, and had issue:

1  Haakon, Earl of Worcester ( d.1029/30), who married Gunhilda, daughter of Wytgeorn, King of Wendland ( below).

4   Santslaue

Alternatively called Svantoslava, she was born and died in Denmark. No dates are recorded.

5   Thyra

She is said to have been born in c.993 in Denmark – probably the eldest child of Sweyn and Gunhilda, although this is open to doubt. She married Godwine, later Earl of Wessex ( see here, under Harold II), and had issue, but no details of them are recorded. She died in 1018.

6   Daughter

Her name is not known. She married Wytgeorn, King of Wendland, and had issue:

1  Gunhilda; she married firstly Haakon, Earl of Worcester ( d.1029/30) ( above), and secondly, Harold ( d.1042), son of Edith, the daughter of Ethelred II.

Sweyn married secondly, probably before 1000 (although no record exists as to where):

Sigrid

Alternatively known as Sigrith or Syritha, and called ‘the Haughty’, she was the daughter of Skogul Toste of Sweden, and was born in Sweden. She married firstly Eric VI, King of Sweden ( d.995), and had issue:

1  Olaf Svenski, King of Sweden ( d.1022), who married a lady called Astrid, and had issue.

One source gives the date of Sigrid’s death as 995, but this is impossible. It is likely that she died before 1013, as she has never been referred to as Queen of England.

Issue of marriage:

1   Astrid

Alternatively called Estrith, or Margaret. She married either Richard II, Duke of Normandy ( d.1027), or Robert II, Duke of Normandy ( see here, under William I), between 1017 and 1027. If her husband was Robert, then he repudiated her shortly after the marriage took place. She married secondly Ulf Thorgilson, a Danish Earl in England ( d.1035; he was the brother of Gytha, mother of Harold II), and had issue:

1  Sweyn Estrithson, King of Denmark ( d.1074/6), who married a lady called Gunhilda. He left illegitimate issue only.

2  Beorn, Earl of Danish Mercia. He was murdered in 1049.

3  Osbeorn ( d.1086?).

Sigrid may also have been the mother of Sweyn’s four other daughters ( above).

KING SWEYN

He died on 3 February, 1014, at Gainsborough, Lincs., and was buried in England (location unknown). His remains were later moved to Roeskild Cathedral, Denmark.

He was succeeded by Ethelred II ( preceding chapter), who was in turn succeeded by Edmund, the son of Ethelred.

Edmund II

FATHER: Ethelred II( see here).

MOTHER: Elgiva( see here, under Ethelred II).

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Ethelred II).

EDMUND II

Known as ‘Ironside’, he was born between c.988 and 993. He succeeded his father as King of England on 23 April, 1016, and was crowned during the same month at Old St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Edmund II married, in late summer (August?), 1015, at Malmesbury, Wiltshire:

Edith

Her origins are unknown. She married firstly Sigeferth (son of Earngrim), a Thane in East Anglia (he was murdered in 1015). The date of her death is not known.

Issue of marriage(who may have been twins):

1   Edward

He was born in 1016: he was aged 41 at his death. He was styled ‘Atheling’, but spent the greater part of his youth in exile in Hungary. He died in 1057, in London, where he was buried in Old St Paul’s Cathedral.

Edward married (no record exists of the date), in Hungary:

Agatha

She was probably the daughter of Bruno, Bishop of Augsburg, and brother of Henry III, Emperor of Germany. With less probability, she was the daughter of Stephen, King of Hungary, by Gisela, daughter of Conrad II, Emperor of Germany, and sister of the Emperor Henry III. She is described as ‘a kinswoman’ of the Emperor Henry III. Upon reaching old age, she became a nun at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, probably after the death of her daughter, Queen Margaret of Scotland, in 1093.

Issue of marriage:

 (i)   Edgar

He was born in c.1053 (certainly by 1058) in Hungary, and was styled ‘Atheling’. In October, 1066, the Witan in London elected him King of England upon hearing of the death of Harold II at Hastings. He was not crowned, and by December, 1066, he had submitted to William I and abandoned all claims to the throne. He died after 1125, perhaps in 1130 (?).

(ii)   Margaret

( see here, under Malcolm III, King of Scotland).

(iii)   Christina

Born in Hungary, she became a nun, firstly – according to some authorities – at Wilton Abbey, Wiltshire, and then, in c.1086, at Romsey Abbey in Hampshire. She is sometimes called Abbess of Romsey, but only on very slender evidence. She died before 1102 (?).

2   Edmund

He was born either in 1016, or in 1017. He was taken to Hungary by his family in childhood, where he later died. Some sources state that he died young, but he must have lived at least into his teens.

Edmund married (no record exists of the date) in Hungary:

Hedwig

She was either the daughter of Stephen I, King of Hungary, by Gisela, daughter of Conrad II, Emperor of Germany, or the daughter of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria.

After Edmund’s death, she married secondly Eppo, Count of Nellenburg.

EDMUND II

He died on 30 November, 1016, in Oxford or in London, and was buried in Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset.

He was succeeded by Canute, son of King Sweyn, who claimed the throne by right of conquest.

King Canute

FATHER: King Sweyn( see here).

MOTHER: Gunhilda of Poland( see here, under King Sweyn).

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under King Sweyn).

KING CANUTE

Alternatively called Cnut or Knud, and known as ‘the Great’, he was born in c.995 in Denmark. He succeeded Edmund II as King of England on 30 November, 1016, claiming the throne by right of conquest, and is said to have been crowned on 6 January (?), 1017, at Old St Paul’s Cathedral in London, although there is no contemporary evidence for this. He succeeded his brother Harold as King of Denmark in 1018/19, and became King of Norway by right of conquest in 1028.

Canute married, on 2 July, 1017 (although no record exists as to where):

Emma

She was the widow of Ethelred II ( see here, under Ethelred II).

Issue of marriage:

1   King Harthacanute( see here).

2   Gunhilda

Alternatively called Ethelfrida, she adopted the name Kunigunde upon her marriage. Born in c.1020, she married Henry III, Emperor of Germany ( d.1056), on 10 June, 1036, at Nimeguen, Germany, and had issue:

1  Beatrice ( b.1037), Abbess of Quedlinburg.

Gunhilda died on 16 or 18 July, 1038, on the Adriatic coast.

3   Daughter

Her name is not known; neither are her dates. She died aged about 8, and was buried in Bosham Church, Sussex.

Canute also had the following illegitimate issue:

By Elgiva (996?–1044?), daughter of Alfhelm, Ealdorman of Northampton, by his wife Wulfrun; some sources state that Elgiva was Canute’s ‘handfast’ wife, according to Danish custom; others state that she was his repudiated wife; at all events, their union was uncanonical. They had issue:

1  Sweyn, King of Norway (1015?–1036/7).

2  Harold I ( see here).

There were contemporary doubts in certain court circles that Canute was the father of Elgiva’s two sons.

KING CANUTE

He died on 12 November, 1035, at Shaftesbury, Dorset, and was buried in Winchester Cathedral. His bones now lie in one of the mortuary chests there.

He was succeeded by his son Harthacanute.

King Harthacanute

FATHER: King Canute( see here).

MOTHER: Emma of Normandy( see here, under King Canute).

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under King Canute).

KING HARTHACANUTE

Alternatively called Hardicanute, he was born in c.1018, and was designated titular King of Denmark in 1028. He succeeded his father as King of Denmark on 12 November, 1035, and as King of England on the same day, in his absence from that country. He remained in Denmark, and his authority in England was usurped by his half-brother Harold I in 1037. He was restored to the English throne on 17 March, 1040, upon the death of Harold I. He is said to have been crowned in June, 1040, at Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, but no contemporary evidence exists to show that he was consecrated at all.

KING HARTHACANUTE

He died unmarried (and childless), on 8 June, 1042, at Lambeth in London, and was buried in Winchester Cathedral.

He was succeeded by his half-brother Edward, the son of Ethelred II.

Harold I

FATHER: King Canute(?) ( see here).

MOTHER: Elgiva of Northampton, Canute’s concubine or handfast wife.

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under King Canute).

HAROLD I

He was born in c.1016/17, perhaps at Northampton. He was probably illegitimate, but contemporary doubts as to his paternity were probably mere political propaganda. In 1037, when King Harthacanute was still in Denmark, Harold usurped the throne of England and was recognised as King, being crowned that same year at Oxford.

Harold I married(although no record exists of the date or the place):

Elgiva

Her origins are unknown, as are her dates.

Issue of marriage:

1   Elfwine

He was born in London, but no dates are recorded for his life. Some sources infer he was illegitimate, but they are unreliable. He became a monk at Sainte-Foi Abbey, Conques, Aquitaine, his own foundation.

HAROLD I

He died on 17 March, 1040, at Oxford, and was buried, according to a faint tradition, in the old Abbey Church of St Peter at Westminster. It is less probable that he was buried in Winchester Cathedral, as is sometimes stated. His body, after a dishonourable exhumation, was reburied, probably in St Clement Danes Church, Strand, London (less probably, in St Olave’s Church, Southwark, London). He was succeeded by his half-brother Harthacanute, whom he had once deposed ( previous chapter), who, in turn, was succeeded by Edward, son of Ethelred II.

King Edward the Confessor

FATHER: Ethelred II( see here).

MOTHER: Emma of Normandy( see here, under Ethelred II).

SIBLINGS: ( see here, under Ethelred II).

KING EDWARD

Known as ‘the Confessor’, he was born around c.1003/4 (by 1005) at Islip, Oxon. When he succeeded his half-brother King Harthacanute, on 8 June, 1042, the crown of England reverted from the usurping Danish dynasty to the line of Cerdic once more, and for the last time. Edward was crowned on 3 April, 1043, at Winchester Cathedral.

King Edward married, on 23 January, 1045 (although no record exists as to where):

Edith

She was the daughter of Godwine, Earl of Wessex, by his wife Gytha ( see here, under Harold II), and she was born in c.1020. Edith was perhaps anointed and crowned on her wedding day, but details of the ceremony have not been recorded. Her marriage to Edward was purely platonic, the King being unwilling, for religious reasons, to consummate it, hence there were no children. Edith died on 18 December, 1075, either at the Palace of Westminster or at Winchester, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

KING EDWARD

He died on 4/5 January, 1066, at the Palace of Westminster, and was buried in the new Westminster Abbey, built by his command and only recently consecrated.

He was succeeded by Harold, Earl of Wessex, his brother-in-law, to whom he left his throne, with the support of the Witan, there being no adult claimant to the crown of the line of Cerdic.

On 7 February, 1161, Edward the Confessor was canonised, thus becoming the only King of England to be made a saint.

Harold II

FATHER: Godwine

He was the son of Wulfnoth, Cyld of Sussex, and was born in c.987. He married firstly Thyra, daughter of King Sweyn, and secondly, in c.1019/20, Gytha ( below). He was first created Earl in 1018, but his earldom is unknown. He was created Earl of Wessex and Kent in 1020. He died on 15 April, 1053, at Winchester Castle, of apoplexy, and was buried in Winchester Cathedral.

MOTHER: Gytha

She was the daughter of Thorgils Sprakalegg by Thyra, daughter of Harold Bluetooth, King of Denmark (and sister of King Sweyn); some authorities state that Thorgils was the son of Thyra, not her husband. Gytha was born in Denmark. She married Earl Godwine in c.1019/20. She died in exile, perhaps in Flanders, after June, 1069.

SIBLINGS:

1   Edith

( see here, under King Edward the Confessor).

2   Sweyn

He was born in c.1023, and was created Earl of Mercia in 1043. He died on 29 September, 1052, in exile, at Lycia, near Constantinople, in Byzantium.

Sweyn had the following illegitimate issue:

By Edgiva, Abbess of Leominster, a nun whom he abducted and with whom he contracted an uncanonical marriage:

1  Haakon ( b.1046/7).

2  Tostig.

3   Tostig

He was born in c.1026, and was created Earl of Northumbria in c.1055. In that year, or later, he was also created Earl of Northampton and Nottingham. He was deprived of his earldoms on 3 October, 1065. He was killed on 25 September, 1066, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in Northumberland, fighting his brother Harold II in alliance with Harold Hardraada, King of Norway. Tostig was buried in York Minster.

Tostig married, in October, 1051 (although no record exists as to where):

Judith

Alternatively known as Fausta, she was the daughter of Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders, by Eleanor, daughter of Richard II, Duke of Normandy. After Tostig’s death, she married secondly Welf IV, Duke of Bavaria.

Issue of marriage:

  (i)   Skule

He grew up, married, and had issue. No further details are recorded.

  (ii)   Ketel

He grew up, married and had issue. No further details are recorded.

4   Gyrth

He was created Earl of East Anglia in 1057, and was killed on 14 October, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, Sussex.

5   Leofwine

He was created Earl of Kent, Surrey, Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in c.1057, and was killed on 14 October, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, Sussex.

6   Wulfnoth

He died after 1087, either in Normandy, or at Salisbury, Wiltshire.

7   Alfgar

He is said to have been a monk at Rheims in France.

8   Edgiva

Nothing is known of her beyond her name.

9   Elgiva

She died in c.1066.

10   Gunhilda

She is said to have become a nun, either at St Omer in France, or at Bruges in Flanders. She died on 24 August, 1087, at Bruges, and was buried in Bruges Cathedral.

HAROLD II

Surnamed Godwineson, he was born in c.1020/22. He was created Earl of East Anglia in c.1045, and succeeded his father as Earl of Wessex on 15 April, 1053. He was created Earl of Hereford in 1058, and styled ‘Duke of the English’ from 1064. He succeeded Edward the Confessor as King of England on 6 January, 1066, having been chosen by the King as his successor with the support of the Witan. Harold II was crowned on 6 January, 1066, probably at St Paul’s Cathedral in London (some authorities state he was crowned at Westminster Abbey, but there is no evidence for this).

Harold II married, either in c.1064 or in March (?), 1066, at York:

Edith

She was the daughter of Alfgar, Earl of Mercia, by Edgiva or Elgiva Malet, or by Elfleda, daughter of Ealdred, Earl of Northumbria. She was born in c.1042. She married firstly Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Wales (killed in 1063), either in c.1050 or in c.1056/7, and had issue:

1  Meredith ( d.1070).

2  Idwal ( d.1070).

3  Nesta, who married Osbern FitzRichard, Lord of Richard’s Castle and Byton, and had issue.

After the death of Harold, Edith went into exile on the Continent where she died after 1070.

Issue of marriage, who may have been twins:

1   Harold

He was born in December, 1066, in Chester. He grew up in exile on the Continent, and died after 1098.

2   Ulf

He was perhaps born in December, 1066, in Chester, although some authorities have stated that he was an illegitimate son of Harold by his mistress Edith Swanneshals ( below). Ulf is said by some chroniclers to have drowned at sea before 1070, but he is recorded as being alive in 1087 in Normandy, after which he disappears from the records.

Harold II also had the following illegitimate issue:

Probably by Edith Swanneshals (‘Swan Neck’):

1  Godwine.

2  Edmund.

3  Magnus.

4  Gunhilda; she became a nun at Wilton Abbey, Wiltshire.

5  Gytha; she married Vladimir II, Prince of Novgorod and Kiev ( d.1125), and had issue. One of her descendants was Philippa, wife of Edward III.

6  Ulf ( see above). He may have been Harold’s legitimate son by his wife.

HAROLD II

He was killed on 14 October, 1066, at the Battle of Senlac (now known as the Battle of Hastings, although it took place eleven miles away at Battle in Sussex). Harold may have been felled by an arrow between his eyes, although this theory may be based upon a misinterpretation of the Bayeux Tapestry, in which case he was probably struck down by a sword stroke dealt by a mounted Norman knight. Harold was buried either on the battlefield or, less probably, on the seashore at Hastings. Later on, his remains were removed to Waltham Abbey, Essex.

He was succeeded by William, Duke of Normandy, the victor of Hastings.