The Two Exiles of Queen Eadgifu

Description

Tenth-century England was home to a number of extraordinary royal women. One of the more enigmatic of these was Eadgifu, third consort to the king and serial monogamist Edward the Elder († 924). Edward, who was round thirty years older than his consort, pre-deceased Eadgifu, leaving her in precarious position. She could benefit from the legitimacy that came with being the recognised royal companion at the time of Edward’s death, and also from the fact that she had produced two sons. Yet these heirs were young, and so was she (around 21), and standing ready to assume the throne were her adult stepsons. So it is that Æthelstan († 939) assumed the thrones of Mercia and Wessex, and Eadgifu disappears from the historical record for fifteen years. Her first exile. Eadgifu would, after this, return to the centre of power, first with one son, then with the other, taking up a prominent role at court, witnessing charters, supporting the Benedictine reformers. Yet Eadgifu outlived both her sons and when her first grandson took the crown, he deprived her of her lands and authority. Her second exile. This paper undertakes to examine the political fortunes of Eadgifu and the forces and factionalism that informed them.

Period	28 Jun 2022
Event title	Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies Conference: Reception and Emotion
Event type	Conference
Degree of Recognition	National