King Æthelwulf of England

Abt 795 - 858  (63 years)    Has more than 100 ancestors and more than 100 descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Æthelwulf of England
  Prefix	King
  Birth	Abt 795
  Gender	Male
  Death	13 Jan 858
  Siblings	2 Siblings
  + 1. King Æthelwulf of England,   b. Abt 795   d. 13 Jan 858  (Age 63 years) ▻ Judith de France,  m. 1 Oct 856 ;   Osburh of Wight   2. Editha of Wessex,   b. 808   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Athelstan of Wessex,   b. 810   d. 850  (Age 40 years)
  Person ID	I6507	Geneagraphie | Voorouders HW, Ahnen BvS
  Last Modified	19 Mar 2010

  
  

  Father	King Ecgbert III of Wessex,   b. 770-775   d. 4 Feb 839 (Age 64 years)
  Mother	Redburga der Karolingen,   b. 744   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F2973	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Judith de France,   b. Abt 844   d. Aft 870 (Age 27 years)
  Marriage	1 Oct 856	Verberie sur Oise
  Family ID	F2931	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	29 Aug 2000

  
  

  Family 2	Osburh of Wight,   b. 810   d. Yes, date unknown
  Children	1. Athelstan of England   d. 854   2. Æthelswyth of England   d. Yes, date unknown   3. King Æthelbald of England,   b. 834   d. 20 Dec 860 (Age 26 years)   4. King Æthelbert of England,   b. 836   d. 866 (Age 30 years) + 5. King Æthelred I of England,   b. 840   d. 23 Apr 871 (Age 31 years) + 6. King Alfred "the Great" of England,   b. 848, Wantage, Berkshire, England d. 26 Oct 901, Winchester, Hampshire, England (Age 53 years)   7. Judith of England   d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F2932	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	19 Mar 2010

  
  

• Notes

  Koning van Engeland (839-58 AD) Æthelwulf was the son of Egbert and a sub-king of Kent. He assumed the throne of Wessex upon his father's death in 839. His reign is characterized by the usual Viking invasions and repulsions common to all English rulers of the time, but the making of war was not his chief claim to fame. Æthelwulf is remembered, however dimly, as a highly religious man who cared for the establishment and preservation of the church. He was also a wealthy man and controlled vast resources. Out of these resources, he gave generously, to Rome and to religious houses who were in need. He was an only child, himself, but had fathered five sons, by his first wife, Osburga. He recognized that there could be difficulties with contention over the succession. He devised a scheme which would guarantee (insofar as it was possible to do so) that each child would have his turn on the throne without having to worry about rival claims from his siblings. Æthelwulf provided that the oldest living child would succeed to the throne and would control all the resources of the crown, without having them divided among the others, so that he would have adequate resources to rule. That he was able to provide for the continuation of his dynasty is a matter of record, but he was not able to guarantee familial harmony with his plan. This is proved by what we know of the foul plottings of his son, Æthelbald, while Æthelwulf was on pilgrimage to Rome in 855. Æthelwulf was a wise and capable ruler, whose vision made possible the beneficial reign of his youngest son, Alfred the Great. He married Osburga. When she died, Ethelwulf was so distraught he resigned his kingdom to his son, Ethelbald, and went on a pilgrimage to Rome, taking with him his youngest son, Al-fred. They were received by Pope Leo IV and spent a year in Rome. On their return journey they stopped at the court of Charles the Bald, King of the Franks, and Charlemagne’s grandson, to whom Ethelwulf was related through his mother. Charles had a daughter, Judith, twelve years old, who he gave in marriage to Ethelwulf. Unfortunately, Ethelwulf died only a year later, after his return to Britain with his new child bride.