Ælfthryth, also known as Alfreda, Alfritha, Aelfnryth, or Etheldritha, is a

Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

n princess,

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

, and

recluse A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion and solitude. The word is from the Latin , which means 'to open' or 'disclose'. Examples of recluses are Symeon of Trier, who lived within the great Roman gate Porta Nigra with permissio ...

, venerated in both the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and Antiochian Orthodox Church. She was a daughter of King

Offa of Mercia Offa ( 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia, a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England, from 757 until his death in 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of ...

and his consort,

Cynethryth Cynethryth (''Cyneðryð''; died after AD 798) was a Queen of Mercia, wife of King Offa of Mercia and mother of King Ecgfrith of Mercia. Cynethryth is the only Anglo-Saxon queen consort in whose name coinage was definitely issued. Biography Or ...

. Ælfthryth was "either betrothed to or loved by" Æthelberht II, the king of the East Angles. Æthelberht was murdered in 793 while visiting Ælfthryth. The chronicler

John of Worcester John of Worcester (died c. 1140) was an English monk and chronicler who worked at Worcester Priory. He is now usually held to be the author of the . Works John of Worcester's principal work was the (Latin for "Chronicle from Chronicles") or ...

, writing in the 12th century, places the blame on Ælfthryth's mother Cynethryth, the deed purportedly being committed so that her brother could ascend to the throne instead. Medieval chroniclers such as Roger of Wendover,

Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris (; 1200 – 1259), was an English people, English Benedictine monk, English historians in the Middle Ages, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts, and cartographer who was based at St A ...

and John Brompton have been unwilling to cast any blame on King Offa, who founded monasteries, gave land to the church and travelled on pilgrimage to Rome. Ælfthryth was horrified by the murder, so she departed the court and retired to the

Crowland Abbey Crowland Abbey (historically often spelled Croyland Abbey; Latin: ) is a Church of England parish church, formerly part of a Benedictine abbey church, in Crowland in the English county of Lincolnshire. It is a Grade I listed building. Histor ...

the Fens The Fens or Fenlands in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a system o ...

Crowland Crowland (modern usage) or Croyland (medieval era name and the one still in ecclesiastical use; cf. ) is a town and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated between Peterborough and Spalding. Crowland ...

, where she lived as a recluse for 40 years, until her death of natural causes in 835. Ælfthryth's sister Aelfreda also lost a husband due to their parents' political intrigue. According to the ''Oxford Dictionary of Saints'', Ælfthryth was "famous for her prophecies". Her tomb was arranged around St Guthlac's. A Crowland tradition states that Ælfthryth's relics were destroyed in 870 when Danes destroyed the abbey, but there is little evidence for it. Her feast day is 2 August.

References

* 8th-century births 795 deaths Anglo-Saxon royalty Mercian saints People from Crowland 8th-century Christian saints 8th-century English women Iclingas 8th-century English people Female saints of medieval England {{England-saint-stub