- Æthelheard of Wessex
Æthelheard (died 740) (Means roughly 'Noble Stern'), also spelled Ethelheard or "Æþelheard", was King of
Wessex 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.When Ine abdicated and went to
Rome in 726, he left behind no obvious heir, and according toBede simply left his kingdom "to younger men". [Frank Stenton, "Anglo-Saxon England" (1943, 1971, 1998 Oxford paperback), pages 72–73.] 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, ["ASC" manuscript A, 728.] but it was Æthelheard who prevailed. It is possible that his success was due to the support ofÆthelbald 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 ofSomerton .His wife
Frithugyth is recorded in the "Chronicle" making apilgrimage toRome in 737.ee also
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House of Wessex family tree References
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