Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury

Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury was the first wife of King Edmund I, reigning as Queen of the English from around 939 until her death in 944. She was the mother of two future English kings, Eadwig and Edgar. Her connection to the royal nunnery of Shaftesbury, founded by King Alfred, was important, and she was buried there. Her mother, Wynflaed, also had ties to Shaftesbury, which may have influenced Ælfgifu's own association with the nunnery.

Ælfgifu's marriage to Edmund I produced three children, including two sons who would become kings. The exact date of their marriage is not recorded, but their eldest son, Eadwig, was likely born around 940. Although she was an important royal figure, there is no contemporary evidence that she was consecrated as queen. A charter of doubtful authenticity from 942–946 refers to her as the king's concubine, but later sources style her as queen.

Ælfgifu was venerated as a saint shortly after her burial at Shaftesbury Abbey, where many miracles were reported at her tomb. Her cult was well-established by the time of Lantfred of Winchester in the 970s, who documented a healing miracle attributed to her. Her cult continued to be recognized in Anglo-Saxon England, and she was included in several pre-Conquest calendars and litanies.

Ælfgifu died in 944, possibly due to childbirth complications, and was buried at Shaftesbury Abbey. Her son Eadwig succeeded her husband Edmund I as king.