Aelfgifu

Occupation: Queen Consort

Known for: married to King Ethelred II "the Unready" (Aethelread Unraed)

Also known as: Aelflaed, Elfreda, Elgiva

Aelfgifu's life shows one fact of women's existence in the tenth century: little is known of her besides her name. The first wife of Ethelred "the Unready" (from Unraed meaning "bad or evil counsel"), her parentage is disputed and she disappears from the record early in his long conflict with the Danes which resulted in the overthrow of Ethelred for Sweyn in 1013, and his subsequent brief return to control 1014-1016.

While the facts aren't known for certain, Aelfgifu is usually credited as the mother of Aethelred's six sons and as many as five daughters, one of whom was the abbess at Wherwell. Aelfgifu was thus probably the mother of Ethelred's son Edmund II Ironside, who ruled briefly until Sweyn's son, Canute, defeated him in battle.

Edmund was allowed by the treaty to rule in Wessex and Canute ruled the rest of England, but Edmund died in the same year, 1016, and Canute consolidated his power, marrying Ethelred's second wife and widow, Emma. Emma was the mother of Ethelred's sons Edward and Alfred and daughter Godgifu. These three fled to Normandy where Emma's brother ruled as Duke.

Another Aelfgifu is mentioned as the first wife of Canute I, mother of Canute's sons Sweyn and Harold Harefoot.

• Edmund Ironside
• Aethelred the Unready

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• Aelfthryth - mother of Ethelred "the Unready"
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