| Ælfweard | |
|---|---|
| King of Wessex (disputed) | |
| Reign | 17 July – c. 2 August 924 |
| Predecessor | Edward the Elder |
| Successor | Æthelstan |
| Born | c. 902 Wessex |
| Died | c. August 924 Oxford,Wessex |
| Burial | |
| House | Wessex |
| Father | Edward the Elder |
| Mother | Ælfflæd |
Ælfweard (/ˈælfwɔːrd/;c. 902 –c. August 924) was the secondson ofEdward the Elder, the eldest born to his second wifeÆlfflæd.
TheAnglo-Saxon Chronicle simply states that Ælfweard died soon after his father's death on 17 July 924 and that they were buried together at Winchester. Manuscript D of theChronicle specifies that he outlived his father by only 16 days. No reign is explicitly attributed to him here. However, a list of West-Saxon kings in the 12th-centuryTextus Roffensis[1] mentions him as his father's successor, with a reign of four weeks.[2] He is also described as king in the New MinsterLiber Vitae,[3][4] an 11th-century source based in part on earlier material. On the other hand,William of Malmesbury, summarising a text dating to the lifetime of Ælfweard's elder brotherÆthelstan, states that Æthelstan succeeded under the terms of his father's will.[5]
This conflicting documentation has led to alternative interpretations, some modern historians concluding that he had succeeded his father in preference to his older half-brother Æthelstan, while others maintain that Æthelstan was the only heir to his father.[5] Alternatively, a divided rule has been suggested, since the so-called Mercian register of theChronicle reports that Æthelstan became king of the Mercians, andWilliam of Malmesbury, though denying a reign for Ælfweard, reports that Æthelstan was educated at the Mercian court of his auntÆthelflæd.[2][5][6] In the view ofSimon Keynes, Ælfweard was recognised as king in Wessex and Æthelstan in Mercia, and although it is possible that Edward intended a division of the kingdom after his death, it is more likely that the leaders of Wessex chose Ælfweard, and Mercia set up Æthelstan in opposition.[7]
Ælfweard died only 16 days after his father, on 2 August 924 atOxford, and was buried at theNew Minster, Winchester. Æthelstan still had difficulty in securing acceptance in Wessex, and he was not crownedKing of the Anglo-Saxons until 4 September 925.[7][8]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | — DISPUTED — King of Wessex 924 | Succeeded by |
