Ealhswith

Ealhswith, wife to King Alfred the Great, was a notable noblewoman in early medieval England. Her father was Æthelred Mucel, Ealdorman of the Gaini, and her mother was Eadburh from the Mercian royal family. Ealhswith’s marriage to Alfred was a strategic alliance that reinforced Alfred’s claim to the English throne. She was the mother to King Edward the Elder and other children who played significant roles in the Anglo-Saxon era. Ealhswith’s legacy includes the estates bequeathed to her by Alfred and the nunnery she founded.

Little is known about Ealhswith’s personal life from contemporary sources, with most information coming from King Alfred’s Will and Asser’s writings. She played a key role in her children’s education and was actively involved in the Christianization of England through her religious patronage. After Alfred’s death, she retired to a nunnery and continued her contributions to religious institutions until her passing.