Æthelheard Of Wessex
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Æthelheard (meaning roughly "Noble Stern"), also spelled Ethelheard, Edelard or Æþelheard, was
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of
Wessex The Kingdom of the West Saxons, also known as the Kingdom of Wessex, was an Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, kingdom in the south of Great Britain, from around 519 until Alfred the Great declared himself as King of the Anglo-Saxons in 886. The Anglo-Sa ...
from 726 to 740. There is an unreliable record of Æthelheard having been the brother-in-law of his predecessor, Ine, but his ancestry is unknown, perhaps making him the first King of Wessex not to be descended from Cynric by blood. Some sources identify him as the brother of Queen Æthelburg of Wessex, the wife of his predecessor, King Ine. His own successor Cuthred is identified in the ''
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...
'' as 'his relative'. When Ine abdicated and went to
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in 726, he left behind no obvious heir, and according to
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simply left his kingdom "to younger men". In the wake of his departure, the West Saxon throne was disputed between Æthelheard and a rival claimant, Oswald. Oswald may have had the better claim, as the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' calls him a descendant of the early king Ceawlin, but it was Æthelheard who prevailed. It is possible that his success was due to the support of Æthelbald of Mercia since he seems to have been subject to Æthelbald afterward. However, Æthelheard's lack of independence does not seem to have prevented Æthelbald from taking considerable territory from Wessex in 733, including the royal manor of Somerton. Æthelheard married Frithugyth in 729 or beforeQueen Frithugyth is identified in a charter of Æthelheard, king of Wessex, dated 729 indicating that they were at that time married, Charter S25

/ref> and she is recorded in the ''Chronicle'' as making a
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
to
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in 737. Æthelheard was succeeded by Cuthred, possibly a brother or other relative.


See also

* House of Wessex family tree


References


External links

* * (but corresponding charter
S249
an

are considered rather dubious) {{DEFAULTSORT:Aethelheard Of Wessex West Saxon monarchs 740 deaths 8th-century English monarchs Year of birth unknown House of Wessex