Æthelweard (historian) facts for kids
Æthelweard (died around 998) was an important leader in Anglo-Saxon England. He was an ealdorman, which was like a powerful governor or duke in a region. He was also a writer. He wrote a history book in Latin called the Chronicon Æthelweardi. This book was his own version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Æthelweard was related to the royal family. He was a descendant of King Æthelred I of Wessex, who was the older brother of Alfred the Great.
Contents
Æthelweard's Life and Work
Æthelweard started his public life as a thegn, a type of nobleman or royal servant, after King Eadwig came to power in 955. He might have been the brother of the king's wife, Ælfgifu. However, this relationship is not fully proven.
King Eadwig's marriage was later ended. When Eadwig died in 959, his half-brother Edgar became king. King Edgar was not friendly to those who had been close to Eadwig. Even so, Æthelweard managed to keep his position. He became an ealdorman after King Edgar died in 975.
Leading the Southwest
Æthelweard likely became the ealdorman of southwest England after 975. This area was known as the Western Provinces. He was seen as the most important ealdorman after 993. He continued to serve until about 998, which is when he probably died.
Making Peace
Æthelweard played a key role in making peace. In 991, he worked with Archbishop Sigeric to make a peace treaty with the victorious Danes after a battle near Maldon. In 994, he was sent with Bishop Ælfheah of Winchester. Their mission was to make peace with Olaf Tryggvason at Andover.
Friend and Patron
Æthelweard was a friend and supporter of Ælfric of Eynsham. Ælfric was a famous writer and monk. In the introduction to his Old English Lives of saints, Ælfric wrote to Æthelweard and his son Æthelmær.
Æthelweard's Family
Æthelweard said in his Latin Chronicle that he was a descendant of King Æthelred. He called Æthelred his atavus, which means a distant ancestor, possibly a great-great-grandfather.
Important Relatives
Æthelweard was the father of Æthelmær the Stout. Æthelmær also became an ealdorman of the Western Provinces. This was towards the end of King Æthelred II's reign.
Æthelmær was the father of Æthelnoth. Æthelnoth became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1020. He was later seen as a saint. Æthelmær also had a son named Æthelweard, who was executed by King Cnut in 1017.
Æthelweard's Writings
After 975 and likely before 983, Æthelweard wrote his book, the Chronicon. This book was a Latin translation of an older version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. It included information not found in other Old English versions that still exist today.
Writing for a Relative
Æthelweard wrote his Chronicon for his relative, Mathilde. She was the abbess of the Essen Abbey in Germany. Mathilde was the granddaughter of Emperor Otto I.
The original copy of the Chronicon was badly damaged in a fire in 1731. However, it had been printed before the fire, so we still have the text.
His Writing Style
Æthelweard wrote in a special style called the hermeneutic style. This was a common way of writing among English scholars in the tenth century. This style used many unusual and complex words.
A later historian, William of Malmesbury, wrote about Æthelweard's style. He said that while Æthelweard's goal was good, his language was difficult to read.
See also
