AETHELWULF: BIOGRAPHY AND HISTORY IN VIKINGS - ARTE - 2024

Aethelwulf or Ethelwulf was King of Wessex from 839 to 858. In 825 his father, King Ecbert, defeated King Beornwulf of Mercia and ended a great Mercian rule over Anglo-Saxon England. His father sent him to Kent, from where he expelled the sub-king and acceded to the throne.

After 830 Ecbert had good relations with Mercia and that was kept by Ethelwulfo once he was on the throne in 839. He was the first son to succeed his father, something that had not happened since 641.

Aethelwulf_de_Wessex. Source: AnonymousUnknown author During his reign the Vikings were not a great threat to his reign. He defeated them at the Battle of Aclea in 851. In 853 he joined a successful expedition from Mercia to Wales to restore the hegemony of traditional Mercia.

He appointed his son Aethelbald to act as King of Wessex in his absence and gave his other son powers to rule Kent. He lived in Rome and upon his return he married Judith, the daughter of Carlos the Bald.

Biography of the historical Ethewulf

Historians of the twentieth century considered it impractical and pious; Already in the 21st century he was seen very differently, as a king who consolidated the power of his dynasty, encouraged respect throughout the continent and treated the Vikings much more effectively than his predecessors. He was considered the person in charge of establishing the good government of his son, Alfredo el Grande.

Family

Ethelwulf was the son of King Ecbert, King of Wessex. There are no records of who his mother was. As far as is known, he had two wives, one of them, Osburth, was the mother of his two children. He had six known children:

Athelstan was the eldest, who ruled Kent in 839. Others were Aethelbald and Alfred. Another of his sons, Aethelbelt, was born in 839 and was king between 86º and 865. The youngest were Aethelred, born in 848 and Alfred, in 849.

He subsequently married Judith, daughter of King Charles the Bald, when Osburth died. From this last marriage with Judith no children were known.

Early years

Its first appearance in history dates back to 825, when Ecbert defeats King Beounworld of Mercia and ends the dominance of this kingdom in southern England.

He was a descendant of the kings of Kent, King of Ket, Sussex, Essex and Surrey. Unlike their predecessors who ruled from a distance, Ethelwulfo and his father ruled with the support of the local government, promoting their interests.

Association with Ceolnoth

Ecbert and his son rewarded their allies and eliminated the Mercian supporters. In 838 Ecbert entered into a partnership at Kingston, in which he returned property to Wulfred's successor, Ceolnoth, in exchange for a strong and unbroken friendship with him, Ethelwulfo, and his successors.

Thus, his father assured him the throne. Wulfred had fought against secular power in the monasteries, but Ceolnoth gave power to Ethelwulfo, whose offer of freedom would not be honored by his successors. Churchmen sought protection against Viking attacks on West Saxon.

King of Wessex

In 839 Ethelwulf acceded to the throne of Wessex. As he had already had previous experience as sub-king of Kent things became easier with that previous training in royalty. He ruled Wessex and Kent as separate spheres.

Historian Janet Nelson claimed that Ethelwulf had ruled in the Carolingian style and with the consent of the elites. She maintained the policies of her father when governing Kent, although she gave less support to the Church.

In 844 Ethelwulf granted land in Kent and Horton to Edeldorman Eadred, with permission to pass some on to local landowners. This gesture created a form of reciprocity between the landowners and the king.

His reign is the first in which royal priests are known and Malmesbury Abbey considered him an important benefactor.

Good relations with Mercia

After 830 Ecbert had maintained a policy of good relations with Mercia, which his son continued. King Berhtwulf came to the reign of Mercia in 839 and entered into confrontations with Wessex in mid-840.

Berhtwulf died in 852 and cooperation with Wessex continued, as Burgred, the successor, married Ethelwulf's daughter. The latter assisted Burgred in a raid into Wales to restore Mercian hegemony in this territory.

Pilgrimage to Rome

In 850 he went on a pilgrimage to Rome, at a time of great prestige and great power in his reign. He traveled with the intention of earning a place of honor among the kings of Christendom.

In 853 he sent his minor children to Rome to have the consulate belt imposed on them. The confirmation of Pope Leo IV made Alfred his spiritual son.

The king left Wessex in charge of his eldest son. On the way they celebrated with Carlos el Calvo, a place where banquets and the exchange of gifts were common. He stayed for a year in Rome and gave various gifts to the diocese, such as gold, silver bowls, and robes. He also gave gold and silver to the Roman people, gifts that rivaled those of the Carolingians.

Death

Ethelwulfo dies on January 13, 858. He was buried in Sussex, although his remains were later taken to Winchester. He was succeeded by his sons Aethelbald in Wessex and Aethelberth in Kent.

The prestige conferred by a Frankish marriage was such that Aethelbald later married his stepmother. The chronicler Asser later described this union as a great disgrace, something against God's prohibition and Christian dignity.

Successors

Two years later Aethelbad died and Aethelberth succeeded him to the thrones of Wessex and Kent, whereupon Ethelwulf's intention of dividing these kingdoms among his children was put aside. Judith after Aethelbald's death returned to her father. In 890, Judith's son, Baldwin, married Ethelwulfo's granddaughter.

Ethelwulfo in the Vikings series

King Ethelwulf was the King of Wessex and Mercia, son of the late King Ecbert. After the Battle of Repton and the assault on the town of Wessex, he succeeded his father as king. A very strong and capable person, who was able to drive the Vikings out of Wessex.

Season 2

Ethelwulfo arrives with a group of soldiers and invites Ragnar to speak with his father. Ethelwulfo returns Monk Athelstan's bracelet as a sign of goodwill, to confirm that he is still alive. Although Ragnar promises safety, Ethelwulf's group is ambushed. All are slaughtered, except him, and allowed to escape.

Season 3

Ethelwulfo searches for Princess Kwenthrith's young brother and his army. Then he meets a soldier, who assures him that they are waiting for memories. King Ecbert offers him a necklace. Try to befriend Rollo and Floki.

He then learns that Judith is with Athelstan's son and sends him to solve problems there. Ethelwulfo leads his soldiers to the settlement and kills all the settlers.

Season 4

Ethelwulfo takes part in the battle and rescues Princess Kwenthrith. They return with their son Magnus. He then argues with Judith and she tells him that they are only married in name.

He tells her that he needs the princess to regain power in Mercia. Ecbert sends Ethelwulf and Alfred to Rome to speak with the Pope. The latter makes Alfred his consul.

Yield the crown

Many years later Ethelwulf finds a black banner of Ragnar and shows it to King Ecbert, but he tells her that Ragnar is only a man. Ragnar assures that he has never had relations with the princess and Ethelwulf exiles Magnus.

He then gathers forces to intercept the Vikings at Repton, but is ambushed in a valley. The Saxons suffer great losses. Ethelwulfo orders a retreat but Ecbert refuses to go and relinquishes the Wessex crown to his son.

Season 5

Ethelwulf and Judith are in exile. Prince Alfred has a vision of the Vikings invading York, so Ethelwulfo will join forces with Bishop Heahmund.

The Saxons go to war and attack York, but they set a trap for them. Ubbe and Hvitserk propose peace but Ivar wishes to continue in the war. Ethelwulfo accepts the proposal although she takes care that the brothers are humiliated.

Surprise attack

Heahmund advises Ethelwulf, telling her to only attack Vikings when they starve. They massacre everyone and blockade the city. The celebrations stop when the Vikings emerge from the sewers. They retake the city and Heahmund is taken back to Norway in the hope that he will fight Lathgertha.

The Saxon army returns to Winchester and Ethelwulfo argues why Scotland and Ireland have fallen prey to the Vikings. Then while reading a book he is stung by a bee; he doesn't stop laughing, although it turns out that he is highly allergic to bees and this will lead to his death.

References

1. Eledelis (2015). Vikings series characters (V): King Egbert of Wessex, Ethelwulf of Wessex and the Jarl Borg. Recovered from thevalkyriesvigil.com
2. Mark, J. (2018). Aethelwulf of Wessex. Recovered from ancient.eu
3. FANDOM (sf). Aethelwulf. Recovered from vikings.fandom.com
4. TimeRef.com (nd). Aethelwulf (King of Wessex 839-858). Recovered from timeref.com
5. Nelson, J. (sf). Aethelwulf. Recovered from oxforddnb.com