Lady Eadgifu of Kent

The third and final consort of Eadweard the Elder was Eadgifu of Kent, sometimes known as Edgiva. She came from a wealthy family in Kent and was very possibly a very wealthy woman in her own right, as heiress to her father, Ealdorman Sigehelm, who died in 902, while fighting off the Vikings. There are no known siblings of Eadgifu who survived past her father's death and certainly she inherited significant estates from her father after he died.

 

One of these estates that Eadgifu inherited was Cooling, in Kent; an estate which gives us an insight into not only Eadgifu's determined nature, but also her future relationship with her step-son, King Æthelstan.

Eadgifu's father, Sigehelm, had given Cooling to a man by the name of Goda, for use as security for a loan. When Sigehelm died and a six-year-old Eadgifu tried to claim her inheritance, including the estate of Cooling, Goda refused to give back the land, despite Eadgifu's claims that the loan had been fully repaid and the land was therefore rightfully hers.

Six years after this, King Eadweard agreed to assist Eadgifu in obtaining her inheritance; he threatened to dispossess Goda of all of his estates. This seemed to work, as soon after this, all of the land and charters were forfeited to the then-12-year-old Eadgifu. Eadgifu, however, kindly returned most of Goda's lands, but she did retain the charters.

Years later, when King Æthelstan took the throne, it is evident that Eadgifu did not have a very good relationship with him at this time. After ascending the throne, Æthelstan made his step-mother give back all of the charters she had secured from Goda.

 

In 919, Eadgifu was roughly 20 years old, she was married to King Eadweard, who was over 40 by that time. She was allowed no political role in her time as consort, but it is evident that she and her husband shared a lot of their time together; over the course of their five-year marriage, Eadgifu had four children.

The year prior to their marriage, King Eadweard had united the Kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia, so Eadgifu was the consort of a much larger area than her predecessors.

 

In July 924, King Eadweard died in battle against the Welsh that took place near to the English city of Chester. His successor was his eldest surviving son from his first marriage, Æthelstan, who, as we have mentioned, did not have the best relationship with Eadgifu at the time. Having said that, Eadgifu, who was a few years younger than her eldest step-son, is largely invisible in the records during the reign of King Æthelstan. It is likely that she devoted her time to raising her four children.

Her two sons, Eadmund and Ædred, were both still infants when Æthelstan succeeded their father as King and, despite the issue of the charters mentioned earlier, it is possible that Æthelstan attempted to make terms with Eadgifu at this time. His greatest threat to his reign were the surviving sons of his previous step-mother, Queen Ælfflæd. Though Eadgifu did not seem to partake in any disputes of succession, her infant sons would have been seen as the less obvious threat to Æthelstan's rule and it has been suggested that Æthelstan actually named Eadgifu's sons as his own heirs. Certainly, when he died in 939, there was no fight when he was then succeeded by Eadgifu's eldest son, Eadmund.

As for Eadgifu's daughters, her eldest, Eadgifu, was wed to Prince Louis d'Aquitaine, while her younger daughter, Eadburh, was dedicated as an infant to the convent at Nunnaminster. Eadburh later became a Saint, after her death in 950; her feast day is 15th June.

 

During the reigns of both of her sons, Eadgifu was at her most prominent and influential. She attested many charters and the prominent placement of her signature reveals the status and power she held. She was known as Mater Regis (Mother of the King) on the charters.

 

Eadgifu was known as a patron of saintly men and, as with most consorts, a pious woman; a charter  from 953 describes her as Famula Dei, so she may even have taken religious vows by that time, while still living on her estates. She had a great interest in church matters and was one of the early advocates for reform in England. Most consorts who advocated for reform in the English church at this point in time wanted stricter observations of the monastic vows, which was a cause of debate for centuries among royal women across Europe.

A certain member of the clergy, Dunstan, grew to prominence during the reign of Eadgifu's eldest son, King Eadmund, so much so that he was envied by members of the nobility. Due to the nobles envy, Dunstan lost favour but Eadgifu interceded for him and was instrumental in not only his return to favour but also his subsequent appointment as Archbishop of Glastonbury.

Eadgifu also aided another member of the clergy, a man by the name of Æthelwold, during her second sons' reign. Æthelwold had been refused a passport of study by King Ædred but Eadgifu was enthusiastic in her patronage and helped Æthelwold to achieve his goal.

Much of her time during the reigns of both of her sons was spent in patronage of the church and advocation for reform.

 

Eadgifu was able to share good relationships with both of her sons, though both of King Eadweard's consorts were entirely overshadowed by Eadgifu. Charters by both of her sons survive which granted Eadgifu estates in both Kent and Sussex.

When Eadmund died in 946, Eadgifu was included in his will and received many more lands across the country. Eadgifu's youngest son, Ædred, succeeded his brother as King. He never married and Eadgifu was well-known to be his most trusted advisor.

 

In November 955, Eadgifu lost her second son, Ædred, and her grandson by her eldest son, Eadwig, succeeded him as King. This is where Eadgifu's fall from power started, as she actively supported her younger grandson, Eadgar, for King. as a result of her betrayal of King Eadwig, she was stripped of her fortune.

Upon Eadgar's eventual succession in 959, Eadgifu, who was in her early 60's by this point and elderly by the standards of the day, received back her lands, however, she was never again a prominent member of the court.

In 958, while King Eadwig reigned, the teenaged Eadgar decided to create his own Kingdom North of the Thames. He was supported in this by Dunstan who was then exiled to Ghent. On Eadgar's later, undisputed, accession to the full English throne, Dunstan was appointed as  Archbishop of Canterbury and religious reforms in Anglo-Saxon England reached their peak under King Eadwig and Archbishop Dunstan.

In 959, Eadwig died and Eadgar succeeded him as King of England. It is not recorded how Eadgifu got on with Eadwig's wife, but it is known that she enjoyed a friendly relationship with Eadgar's third wife, Queen Ælfthryth of Devon, who was equally as reform-minded as she. It is evident that their relationship remained a positive one, as Eadgifu left Ælfthryth lands in her will.

 

Eadgifu did not have a political role during the reigns of either of her grandsons, but given her age by this time it is likely that she retired. The last charter she witnessed was in 966, when she attended Eadgar's refoundation of New Minster at Winchester. After this, she does not appear again in the records until two years later, when she died on 24th August 968, at the grand age of 72.

 

Eadgifu led a varied life as consort. She saw the reigns of six Kings and watched the face of the country change across the course of her life, as England became whole. She was able to wield power throughout the reigns of her sons but was held in the background during the reigns of her husband and grandsons. She is a rather fascinating woman in this way because, despite this power shift, she does not seem to have been vilified by history, as so many women before and after her were when they faced similar rises and falls. She seems to have been a remarkable and determined woman, from being a six-year-old heiress, to a retired grandmother of Kings. She lived a long life and I hope I have been able to give you a glimpse in her story.