Earl Godwin of Wessex & Kent

• Birth Notes
  • B: Bet. 987 and 992

• General Notes
  • [Pullen010502.FTW]
    
    An Anglo-Danish noble, he rose to power under Canute, after whose death he supported the accession of Edward the Confessor & became a dominant figure in royal gov't. In 1045 his daughter married Edward. He was overthrown in 1051 but regained his position by force in 1052. He was succeeded by his son Harold, who also succeeded Edward, thus leading to the Norman conquest.
    
    The key article on the proposed descent of Harold II from Aethelred I is David H. Kelley, "The House of Aethelred," in Lindsay S. Brooke, ed., Studies in Genealogy and Family History in Tribute to Charles Evans on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday_ (Association for the Promotion of Scholarship in Genealogy, Ltd., Occasional Publication No. Two, 1989). As I posted earlier, the descent of land provides strong evidence for the descent of Harold II's father, Earl Godwine, from Aethelred I (not II), but it is also possible that the land was expropriated and presented to Godwine and his possession of it does not indicate genealogical descent.
    
    
    
    Godwin (sometimes Godwine) (c.1001-April 15, 1053), was one of the most powerful lords in England under the Danish king Canute the Great and his successors. Canute made him the first Earl of Wessex. Godwin was the father of Edith of Wessex, wife of Edward the Confessor and Harold II.
    
    Biography
    Godwin was a seventh generation descendant of King Ethelred of Wessex (c. 837 - 871, reigned 865 - 871). Ethelred was succeeded by his younger brother Alfred the Great because his own son Aethelhelm of Wessex (c. 870 - 927) was still a minor at the time of his death.
    
    Aethelhelm was later granted lands by his uncle but was never able to claim the throne. His daughter Elfleda of Wessex (c. 890 - 918) however became Queen consort to King Edward the Elder (c. 871 - 924, reigned 899 - 924).
    
    Her brother Aethelfrith of Wessex (c. 900 - 927) lived the life of a common landlord. His son Eadric of Wessex was granted possession of Washington in the South Downs of West Sussex. His own son Aethelwerd of Wessex (c. 930 - 998) is known as "the Historian". Aethelmar Cild (c. 960 - 1015) , son of the later, was a benefactor of Eynsham Abbey. His son was Wulfnoth Cild (c. 983 - 1015) who was Thegn of Sussex but is otherwise obscure. Godwin was son to Wulfnoth.
    
    Around 1014, Godwin was first married to Thyra Sveinsdottir, daughter of Sweyn I , King of Denmark, Norway and England. Thyra however died in 1018. Her death apparently did not prevent her brother Canute the Great from creating Godwin Earl of Wessex during the same year.
    
    In 1019, Godwin was married again to Gytha Thorkelsd ttir, granddaughter of the legendary Viking Styrbj rn Starke and great-granddaughter to Harold Bluetooth who was King of Denmark and Norway, father to Sweyn I and grandfather to Canute. The marriage resulted in the birth of at least twelve children:
    Driella of Wessex (c. 1019)
    Edith of Wessex, (c. 1020 - December 19, 1075), Queen consort of Edward the Confessor.
    Sweyn Godwinson, Earl of Mercia (c. 1021 - 1052). At some point he declared himself an illegitimate son of Canute the Great but this is considered to be a false claim.
    Harold II of England (c. 1022 - October 14, 1066).
    Gungilda of Wessex, a nun (c. 1024 - 1080).
    Ylgiva of Wessex (c. 1025).
    Tostig Godwinson, Earl of Northumbria (c. 1026 - September 25, 1066).
    Ydgiva of Wessex (c. 1028).
    Gyrth Godwinson (c. 1032 - October 14, 1066).
    Leofwine Godwinson , Earl of Kent (c. 1035 - October 14, 1066).
    Wulfnoth Godwinson (c. 1036 - 1087).
    Ylfgar of Wessex (c. 1038).
    
    On November 12, 1035, Canute the Great died. His kingdoms were divided among three rival rulers. Harold Harefoot, illegitimate son by Aelgifu of Northampton, usurped the throne of England.Harthacanute, legitimate son by Emma of Normandy, reigned in Denmark. Norway rebelled under Magnus the Noble. On 1037, the throne of England was reportedly claimed by Alfred of Wessex, son of Emma of Normandy and Ethelred the Unready and half-brother of Harthacanute. Godwin is reported to have either captured Alfred himself or to have deceived him by pretending to be his ally and then surrendering him to the forces of Harold Harefoot. Either way Alfred was blinded and soon died.
    
    On March 17, 1040, Harold Harefoot died and Godwin supported the accession of Harthacanute to the throne of England. When Harthacanute himself died on June 8, 1042 , Godwin supported the claim of his half half-brother Edward the Confessor to the throne. Edward was another son of Emma of Normandy and Ethelred the Unready, having spent most of the previous thirty years in Normandy. His reign restored the native royal house of Wessex to the Throne of England. Despite his alleged responsibility for the death of Edward's brother Alfred, Godwin secured the marriage of his daughter Edith (Eadgyth) to Edward in 1045. Godwin soon became the leader of opposition to growing Norman influence as Edward drew advisors, nobles and priests from his former place of refuge.
    
    Exiled from the kingdom in September, 1051 for refusing to punish the people of Dover for a violent clash with the visiting Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, Godwin returned the following year with an armed force, compelling Edward to restore his earldom.
    
    On April 15, 1053, Godwin died. His son Harold succeeded him as Earl of Wessex, an area then covering roughly the southernmost third of England. Harold later succeeded Edward the Confessor and became King of England in his own right.
    
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    Sources:
    Abbrev: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who
    Title: Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America bef 1760 (7th ed Genealogical Publishing, Baltimore 1992)ame to America bef 1760ame to America bef 1760. 7th ed Genealogical Publishing, Baltimore 1992.
    Note:
    Call number:
    
    Same ref source as earlier ed, "Ancestral Roots of 60 Colonists who Came to New England 1623-1650" ed 1-6
    
    good to very good
    
    J.H. Garner
    Page: p 5 line 1B
    Abbrev: Fisher, Gordon
    Title: Fisher, Gordon
    Note:
    Call number:
    
    contributor to soc.genealogy.medieval gfisher@shentel.net
    Text: "The son of Wulfnoth, probably a Sussex thegn, Godwin rose to power through
    the favour of King Cnut." ac. to *The Life of King Edward who rests at Westminster*, attributed to a monk of Saint-Bertin, 2nd edn, ed & tr & with introduction & notes by Frank Barlow, Oxford (Claren don), 1992. Footnote, p 6
    Abbrev: Pullen010502.FTW
    Title: Pullen010502.FTW
    Note:
    Call number:
    Text: Date of Import: Jan 5, 2002
    Abbrev: University of Hull Royal Database (England)
    Title: Brian Tompsett, Dept of Computer Science, University of Hull Royal Database (England) (copyright 1994, 1995, 1996)base (England)base (England). copyright 1994, 1995, 1996.
    Note:
    Call number:
    
    usually reliable but sometimes includes hypothetical lines, mythological figures, etc
    
    WWW, University of Hull, Hull, UK HU6 7RX bct@tardis.ed.ac.uk
    Text: m abt 1019, no place
    Abbrev: Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who
    Title: Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America bef 1760 (7th ed Genealogical Publishing, Baltimore 1992)ame to America bef 1760ame to America bef 1760. 7th ed Genealogical Publishing, Baltimore 1992.
    Note:
    Call number:
    
    Same ref source as earlier ed, "Ancestral Roots of 60 Colonists who Came to New England 1623-1650" ed 1-6
    
    good to very good
    
    J.H. Garner
    Page: p 5 line 1B
    Text: no place
    Abbrev: University of Hull Royal Database (England)
    Title: Brian Tompsett, Dept of Computer Science, University of Hull Royal Database (England) (copyright 1994, 1995, 1996)base (England)base (England). copyright 1994, 1995, 1996.
    Note:
    Call number:
    
    usually reliable but sometimes includes hypothetical lines, mythological figures, etc
    
    WWW, University of Hull, Hull, UK HU6 7RX bct@tardis.ed.ac.uk