Æthelweard (son of Alfred)

Æthelweard was the younger son of King Alfred the Great and Ealhswith, born around 880. Asser’s biography of King Alfred mentions that Æthelweard was educated at a schola, learning Latin and Old English and studying the liberal arts alongside children of nobility and those of lesser birth. He was not raised at the court like his siblings Edward and Ælfthryth but received a comprehensive education from an early age.

Under the patronage of his father, Æthelweard became a significant landowner, inheriting numerous estates across southern Britain as outlined in Alfred’s will. He also attested several charters of his brother Edward in the late 890s. His death occurred on 16 October 922, and he was buried in Winchester. Æthelweard’s sons, Æthelwine and Ælfwine, who died at the Battle of Brunanburh, were interred in Malmesbury Abbey, indicating the family’s connection to that house.