Ealdgyth (fl. c. 1057–1066), alsoAldgyth orEdith in modern English, was a daughter ofÆlfgar, Earl of Mercia, the wife ofGruffudd ap Llywelyn (d. 1063), ruler of all Wales, and later the wife and queen consort ofHarold Godwinson, king of England in 1066.^[1] She was described byWilliam of Jumièges as a considerable beauty.

Ealdgyth was the daughter ofÆlfgar, who had been earl of East Anglia a number of times in the 1050s and was appointed earl of Mercia inc. 1057, in succession of his fatherEarl Leofric. Ælfgar's wife Ælfgifu was probably her mother, andEadwine, the later earl of Mercia, andMorcar, earl of Northumbria, were her brothers.^[1]

In 1055, Ælfgar was exiled on the charge of treason. He went to Ireland to muster troops and formed an alliance withGruffudd ap Llywelyn, who had been king of Gwynedd (1039–1055) but assumed the sovereignty of all Wales in 1055. Ælfgar and Gruffudd invaded England and plundered Hereford, bringing great humiliation toEarl Ralph, who needed to call in external support to repel the invaders. When peace was made, Ælfgar resumed office before succeeding his father as earl of Mercia inc. 1057.^[2]

It was presumably in the year of her father's appointment (c. 1057) that Ealdgyth married his political ally, King Gruffudd ap Llywelyn.William of Jumièges describes her as a woman of considerable beauty.^[1]Walter Map also wrote of a beautiful lady much beloved by the king and so he may have had Ealdgyth in mind.^[3] On her marriage, she was given a modest amount of land in England, though the only estate which can be certainly identified as having belonged to her is one atBinley, Warwickshire. She bore the king a daughter called Nest. Nest later became the wife ofOsbern fitzRichard, a marcher lord on the Herefordshire border, who acquired Binley.^[1][4] Nest and Osbern had a daughter who marriedBernard de Neufmarché, also a marcher lord.^[3] The chronicles also record two of Gruffudd's sons, Maredudd and Ithel, probably for Idwal, who died in 1069, and a third son may be Owain ap Gruffudd (d. 1059).^[3]

The alliance between Ealdgyth's father and husband was of great significance in resisting the growing power of the Godwinesons. On the death ofEarl Ralph in 1057, Hereford was added to Harold's earldom. The following year, Ælfgar was outlawed for a second time, but he was restored to office before long. Ælfgar is last heard of in 1062 and seems to have died by 1063, when Harold Godwineson invaded Wales. Gruffudd was killed in the event.^[2]

Ealdgyth later became the wife and queen consort of her late husband's enemy Harold. The date of the marriage is unknown, but it must have taken place at some stage before the Conquest, whether before or after Harold's coronation as king of England (January 1066). It seems that Harold's choice of bride was "aimed not only at securing the support of the Mercian house for himself in his royal ambitions, but also at weakening the links between that same house and the rulers of north Wales".^[1] In any event, Ealdgyth was soon to be widowed for a second time. In October that year, Harold was defeated and died in theBattle of Hastings, which was fought against the invading forces ofWilliam, Duke of Normandy, who would subsequently ascend the English throne. At the news of Harold's death, Ealdgyth's brothers went to London to fetch her and immediately sent her toChester for shelter. It is unknown what happened to her thereafter.^[1] Harold had a number ofchildren with his common law wifeEdith the Fair, but his marriage to Ealdgyth may not have produced any offspring. It has been suggested that Ealdgyth may have been the mother of Harold's son Harold, but this possibility is not universally accepted.^[1][5]

• "Harold II".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/12360. (Subscription orUK public library membership required.)
• Maund, K. L. (2004)."Ealdgyth (fl. c.1057–1066)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/307. Retrieved15 June 2008. (Subscription orUK public library membership required.)
• Walker, David (2004)."Gruffudd ap Llywelyn (d. 1063)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/11695. Retrieved14 December 2008. (Subscription orUK public library membership required.)
• Williams, Ann (2004)."Ælfgar, earl of Mercia (d. 1062?)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/178. Retrieved3 October 2008. (Subscription orUK public library membership required.)

• Ealdgyth 2 atProsopography of Anglo-Saxon England

• 11th-century English nobility
• 11th-century English women
• English royal consorts
• Anglo-Saxon royal consorts
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• Harold Godwinson

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