General Notes

REFN: 1437AN
REFN: P1437
Æthelwulf was the son of Egbert and a sub-king of Kent. He assumed the thr
one of Wessex upon his father's death in 839. His reign is characteriz
ed by the usual Viking invasions and repulsions common to all English ru
le rs of the time, but the making of war was not his chief claim to fam
e. Æthelwulf is remembered, however dimly, as a highly religious man who c
ared about t he establishment and preservation of the church. He was al
so a wealthy man and controlled vast resources. Out of these resource
s, 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, Osbur
ga. He recognized that there could be difficulties with contention over t
he succession. He devised a scheme w hich would guarantee (insofar as it w
as possible to do so) that each child wo uld have his turn on the throne w
ithout having to worry about rival claims fr om his siblings. Æthelwulf pr
ovided that the oldest living child would succee d to the throne and wou
ld control all the resources of the crown, without having them divided amo
ng the others, so that he would have adequate resources to rule. That he w
as able to proviDe for the continuation of his dynasty is a matter of reco
rd, but he was not able to guarantee familial harmony with his plan. Th
is is proved by what we know of the foul plottings of his son, Æthelbal
d, while Æthelwulf was on pilgrimage to Rome in 855. Æthelwulf was a wi
se and capable ruler, whose vision made possible the beneficial reign of h
is you ngest son, Alfred the Great.
ETHELWULF (r. 839-856)
Ethelwulf was the son of Egbert. He succeeded his father in 839. At Ethelw
ulf's request, his four sons each became king in turn rather than risk wea
kness in the kingdom by allowing young children to inherit the mantle of l
eadership.