Ælfthryth of Wessex, Daughter of Saxon King Alfred the Great, Our 34th Great-Grandmother

King Alfred the Great

 

Jay and I are watching a four-season series streaming on Netflix, titled "The Last Kingdom," based on Bernard Cornwell's historical novels, The Saxon Chronicles, about King Alfred the Great's conflicts with invading Danes as he establishes an England out of his kingdom of Wessex and neighboring Mercia.  It's a very good series, but does compress events. The protagonist, Uhtred of Northumbria, a Saxon reared by Danes, actually lived later; he's quite the flawed hero. We always turn on the subtitles to understand all the dialogue (just a suggestion, in case you decide to give the series a try). 

I'm newly interested in early medieval England because I've discovered we're descended from King Alfred the Great (848-899) and his wife, Ealhswith/Ealswitha (died 902) a noble lady of Mercia, believed descended from tribal Britions - our 35th great-grandparents. I kid you not. It's not uncommon to be descended from Alfred. His son King Edward the Elder had about 14 children by three wives. However, it's not through Edward we're descended. You can read about Alfred HERE

Alfred's youngest of three daughters, Ælfthryth of Wessex (877- 929), also known as Elftrudis/Elftrude/Elfrida), became the wife of Baldwin II (865-918), Margrave of Flanders, married between 893 and 897. They were our 34th great-grandparents. The Anglo-Flemish alliance was intended to assist Baldwin in clearing the Danes from what became northern France, a stepping stone into Europe that England needed. Baldwin was rather blood-thirsty, but it must have been the times. They were buried in Ghent in present-day Belgium. Baldwin's bio HERE

10th century Flanders/Flandre across the Channel from England

Their son, Arnulf I (c. 893/899-964), First Count of Flanders, styled "The Great," married Adele of Vermandois (c 915–960), a Frankish noblewoman, who was both a Carolingian (Frankish royal family, whose direct ancestor [and ours] was Charlemagne, son of Pepin the Short, son of Charles Martel, our 40th great-grandfather and founder of the dynasty - but, that's for a future blog) as well as a Robertian (from the Capetian dynasty, founded by Hugh Capet). Arnulf's rule ended when he was murdered. HERE

Their youngest child, Elstrude/Elftrude/Elisende (937-970), married Sigfrid/Siegfried the Dane (920 Denmark - 965), comte (Count) de Guînes, which is in present-day northern France at the Belgian border. The Danes had taken this land in 928. (George Washington was also a descendant, so why shouldn't we be. Our families lived in Virginia at the same time.) Arnulf, Count of Flanders, realizing a counter-attack against the Danes would be costly, arranged the marriage of his daughter Elstrude to Sigfrid, the Danish leader, bestowing upon him the title of Count of Guînes, but as vassal to him, the Count of Flanders. Under Sigfrid’s successors, the county of Guînes acquired considerable importance. 

Guînes in present-day France. Note its closeness to Calais, where the English always landed when they invaded France. You can see on this map Bruges, Belgium, in what was Flanders.

Their son, born after his father's death, was Ardolph (966-996), 2nd comte de Guînes, almost from birth provided the title of Count of Guînes by Arnulf II, Count of Flanders, his cousin, who brought him up in his court. Arnulf II also gave him the land of Brédenarde. Ardolph married Matilda/Mahaut de Boulogne, daughter of Ernicule, Count of Boulogne. They were our 31st great-grandparents. 

Present-day Boulogne, France

Their son was Rodolphe/Rodelphus, le Blund, 3rd comte de Guînes, born 982 in Guînes and died 1036 in Paris, who married Rosella de Saint Pol (c 995-1062).  I know you're thinking, "How are these ancestors, living in what is present-day France, connected to that line of English ancestors you've been blogging about?" Well, I'll tell you.

Remains of moat and bailey at Guînes where our ancestors were born and lived.

Rodolphe's and Rosella's second son was Robert le Blund/Blount (c1033 Guînes - died after 1086 Suffolk, England), who married Gundred Ferrers (c1040 Normandy - died after 1086 Suffolk, England). Robert joined William the Conqueror HERE on his invasion of England in 1066 and, as a result, was given 14 manors in County Suffolk and was styled 1st Baron, Lord of Ixworth.

County Suffolk, England. Ixworth is in its western part.

 

Robert and Gundred were buried  6 miles from Ixworth at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. They were our 29th great-grandparents. The Conqueror's wife, Matilda of Flanders, was a distant cousin of Robert le Blund, both being descended from Arnulf, Count of Flanders. Remember him? And that made Matilda HERE also descended from Alfred the Great. The right woman to make queen if you'd just conquered England.

Scene from Battle of Hastings in Bayeux Tapestry. Read about its creation in the 1080s HERE

You will recall my most recent blog about Richard de Argentein, the Crusader. It was his wife, Cassandra de Insula (1180-1227), our 24th great-grandmother, who was descended from Robert le Blund.

These ancestors combined Briton, Saxon, Danish, Flemish, Frankish and who knows what other ethnicities to make Englishmen and women. No wonder our DNA has a large section that is called only "northern Europe."