Aethelwulf WESSEX, King Of England^[1]

Abt 806 - 858  (~ 52 years)

• Name	Aethelwulf WESSEX
  Suffix	King Of England
  Birth	Abt 806	Wessex, England
  Gender	Male
  _UID	6F153520B7494CE6A171B2C8F6B2013C7CD5
  Burial	Jan 857	Winchester Cathedral, London, England
  Death	13 Jan 857-858	England
  Person ID	I5962	Carney Wehofer July 2025
  Last Modified	7 Sep 2020

  
  

  Father	Ecgbert III WESSEX, King,   b. 781, Wessex, England d. 4 Feb 838-839 (Age 58 years)
  Mother	Redburga,   b. Abt 788, Wessex, England d. Yes, date unknown
  Family ID	F3017	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family
  Marriage	Abt 830
  Family ID	F3016	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	29 Aug 2016

  
  

• Notes

  Æthelwulf was the son of Egbert and a sub-king of Kent. He assumed the throne of Wessex upon his father's death in 839. His reign is characterized by theusual Viking invasions and repulsions common to all English rulers of the time, but the making of war was not his chief claim to fame. Æthelwulf is remembered, however dimly, as a highly religious man who cared about the establishment and preservation of the church. He was also a wealthy man and controlledvast resources. Out of these resources, he gave generously, to Rome and to religious houses that were in need. He was an only child, but had fathered five sons, by his first wife, Osburga. He recognized that there could be difficulties with contention over the succession. He devised a scheme which would guarantee (insofar as it was possible to do so) that each child would have histurn on the throne without having to worry about rival claims from his siblings. Æthelwulf provided that the oldest living child would succeed to the throne and would control all the resources of the crown, without having them divided among the others, so that he would have adequate resources to rule. That he was able to provide for the continuation of his dynasty is a matter of record, but he was not able to guarantee familial harmony with his plan. Thisis proved by what we know of the foul plottings of his son, Æthelbald, whileÆthelwulf was on pilgrimage to Rome in 855. Æthelwulf was a wise and capable ruler, whose vision made possible the beneficial reign of his youngest son, Alfred the Great.

  
  

• Sources

  [S380] Sherry Huggins.