Ælfflæd (wife of Edward the Elder)

Ælfflæd was the second wife of the English king Edward the Elder and the daughter of an ealdorman, likely Æthelhelm of Wiltshire. There is a dispute among historians regarding her father’s identity, with some suggesting he was Æthelhelm, son of King Æthelred of Wessex, but this is widely considered unlikely due to the implications of incest, which would have prohibited her marriage to Edward. She is recorded as conjux regis in a charter from 901, but was never attested as queen nor likely consecrated as such. Her marriage to Edward ended in the late 910s, and she later led a religious life while retaining her estates.

Ælfflæd bore Edward several children, including two sons, Ælfweard and Edwin, and at least five daughters, with three marrying into European royal families. After her marriage, she adopted a religious life and was interred at Wilton Abbey alongside her daughters Eadflæd and Æthelhild.