Æthelred "Mucel", Ealdorman of the Gaini
| Æthelred "Mucel" | |
|---|---|
| Ealdorman of the Gaini | |
| Reign | c.840's - 895 AD |
| Predecessor | Mucel ? |
| Successor | Æthelwulf |
| Spouse(s) | Eadburh |
|
Issue
Ealhswith, Queen consort of Wessex Æthelwulf | |
| Father | Mucel ? |
Æthelred "Mucel" was an Anglo-Saxon noble from Mercia, who was the father of Ealhswith the wife of Alfred the Great. He is described in charter S349 as dux (ealdorman) of the Gaini, after whom Gainsborough in Lincolnshire is believed to be named.
Background
Æthelred, witnessed several charters between 867 and 895 AD, and he is probably identical with the Ealdorman Mucel who witnessed Mercian charters between 836 and 866 AD, He may have been the son of another Ealdorman Mucel who witnessed Mercian charters from 814 to the 840s.
Family
Æthelred's wife Eadburh is claimed in a charter of the year 868 AD to be a descendant of King Coenwulf of Mercia and his wife Elfrida. King Alfred's biographer Asser says that "Edburga of the royal line of Mercia…was a venerable lady and after the decease of her husband, she remained many years a widow, even till her own death".
Two children are recorded: Ealhswith, who married Alfred the Great (at that time heir-apparent) in 868, and her brother Æthelwulf, who would rule Æthelred's Gaini himself between 895 and 901 AD.[1] Æthelred's granddaughter Æthelflæd (Ealhswith's daughter) was treated as a queen of Mercia; she was not only Lady of the Mercians but a true warrior queen.
References
- ↑ "Æthelwulf 21". Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
Primary sources
External links
- Æthelred Mucel 1 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England; see also Mucel 3