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UNIVERSITY of WINCHESTER Æthelinghood, Succession And : UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER Æthelinghood, Succession and Kingship in Late Anglo-Saxon England, With Specific Reference to Edmund II Ironside David McDermott ORCID 0000-00018994-7038 ** Doctor of Philosophy February 2018 This Thesis has been completed as a requirement for a postgraduate research degree of the University of Winchester. Declaration This is the first numbered page, ie page 1, and all following sections will be numbered sequentially. No portion of the work referred to in this Thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or institute of learning. I confirm that this Thesis is entirely my own work. Copyright Statement Copyright © David McDermott, March 2017, Æthelinghood, Succession and Kingship in Late Anglo-Saxon England, With Specific Reference to Edmund II Ironside, University of Winchester, PhD Thesis, page range pp.0-274, ORCID 0000-00018994-7038. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the Thesis may be published without paper acknowledgement. Copies (by any process) either in full, or of extracts, may be made only in accordance with instructions given by the author. Details may be obtained from the RE Centre, University of Winchester. This page must from part of any such copies made. Further copies (by any process) of copies made in accordance with such instructions may not be made without the permission (in writing) of the author. No profit may be made from selling, copying or licensing the author's work without further agreement. 2 Acknowledgements This Thesis could not have been written without the expert guidance, continuous encouragement and generous patience of my supervisors Barbara Yorke and Ryan Lavelle. Throughout my studies, it has been my good fortune to benefit from their invaluable knowledge, advice and expertise. I am also indebted to Sarah Foot, whose biography of King Æthelstan provided a paradigm for my attempt to write a life-narrative of Edmund Ironside, and whose observations about the writing of historical biography assisted my own efforts. An enormous debt is also owed to Ann Williams, who acted as my External Examiner and inspired me to continue my investigations. I am also grateful to Levi Roach for the opportunity to share some of my research at the Leeds International Medieval Conference; and to my fellow Research Students Courtnay Konshuh and Karl Alvestad, for their helpful opinions about my work as it developed. Special mention must also be made of Yolli Kuter and Roland Williamson who have assisted my investigations by making it possible for me to visit, repeatedly, places related to Edmund Ironside. My thanks must also go to Alex Boxley and Jenny Shipway at the Winchester Science Centre, whose investigation of the meteorological conditions of 18 October, 1016, verified that there was sufficient light at the battle of Assandun for the fighting to continue after sunset. 3 Abstract This Thesis is an examination of the career and kingship of Edmund II Ironside. In making Edmund the focus, it is possible to re-examine æthelinghood, succession and kingship, from an alternative perspective. The primary sources consulted are chronicles, histories, diplomas and legislation. Central to the investigation of Edmund's life and career is the degree to which the pre- and post - conquest primary sources have been scrutinised in order to identify that which is most factual, from those which have been borrowed from other writers, instances of the author's personal opinion, and folkloric elements. It is argued that previous studies of Edmund have been advanced by investigating the households of late Anglo-Saxon æthelings and establishing their similarities to the entourages of kings. Previous examinations of the legal sources have also been extended to partially recreate Edmund's network of associates. It is also suggested that members of Edmund's retinue may have transferred their allegiance to Cnut. The re-investigation of Edmund's marriage and appropriation of property indicates that Edmund's actions were actually criminal. An appreciation of the mechanics of power in the early middle ages, and thereby an estimation of the limitations under which Edmund operated is demonstrated by similarities between his marriage, rebellion and alliance with Uhtred, to comparable actions committed by young aristocrats in pre- and post- conquest England, Carolingian France and Ottonian Germany. It is further argued that Edmund Ironside prevented a second Danish conquest in his lifetime, establishing himself as warrior-king. A biographical treatment of Edmund II Ironside provides new perspectives on the seminal issues and key personalities of late Anglo-Saxon England. Abbreviations 7 Introduction 9 Chapter 1: The Literature Review 1:1 The Nineteenth Century Sources 12 4 1:2 The Early Twentieth Century Sources 16 1:3 The Late Twentieth and Early Twenty-First Century Sources 20 1:4 The Problems of Writing Medieval Biography 24 Chapter 2: Edmund in the Primary Sources 2:1 Contemporary Anglo-Saxon Sources 35 2:2 Contemporary Scandinavian Sources 47 2:3 Contemporary Continental Sources 50 2:4 Late Contemporary Sources 52 2:5 Anglo-Norman Narratives 60 2:6 An Assessment of Edmund in the Anglo-Norman Narratives 68 Chapter 3: Æthelinghood I: Family and Networks Commented [David McD1]: Chapter re-titled to reflect incorporation of material from Ch.4 3:1 Introduction 72 3:2 Family 73 3:3 Edmund Ironside and Æthelinghood 110 3:4 Edmund's Associations in the lease for Holcombe: Household 125 Commented [David McD2]: Incorporation of material from Ch. 4. 3:5 West County Connections 128 Commented [David McD3]: Incorporation of material from Ch.4 3:6 Broader Associations 132 Commented [David McD4]: Incorporation of material from Ch. 4. 3:7 Edmund's Associations in the Will of Athelstan 134 Commented [David McD5]: Incorporation of material from Ch. 4. Chapter 4: Æthelinghood II: Marriage and Rebellion Commented [David McD6]: Chapter re-titled to reflect material transferred to Ch. 3. 4:1 Introduction 144 4:2 Deaths of Sigeferth and Morcar 145 Commented [David McD7]: Sub - section now section heading. 5 4:3 Sigeferth's Widow 149 Commented [David McD8]: Sub - section now section heading. 4:4 Marriage 151 Commented [David McD9]: Sub - section now section heading. 4:5 The Five Boroughs 159 Commented [David McD10]: Sub - section now section heading. 4:6 Edmund' Diplomas 164 Commented [David McD11]: Sub-section now section heading. 4:7 Reasons for Rebellions 166 Commented [David McD12]: Sub-section now section heading. 4:8 Possible Rebellion in 1014 176 Commented [David McD13]: Sub - section now section heading. Chapter 5: Kingliness and Kingship Commented [David McD14]: Chapter and section headings re-numbered. 5:1 Introduction 178 5:2 Edmund's Military Activities Prior to 1015 179 5:3 Three Armies of the Ætheling Edmund 184 5:4 Edmund's Alliance with Earl Uhtred 198 5:5 Accession 210 5:6 Edmund's Five Battles 218 5:7 Peace Concluded 267 5:8 Edmund's Death 276 Conclusions 286 Bibliography 300 6 Abbreviations ACASD J. R. Clark Hall, A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (Toronto, 4th ed., 1960) ALI Ancient Laws and Institutes of England, ed. B. Thorpe (London, 1848) ANS Anglo-Norman Studies ASC The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A Collaborative Edition, general eds. D. N. Dumville and S. D. Keynes (Woodbridge, 9 vols. published, 1983- present); cited by MS and, unless otherwise noted, corrected annal year; ed. and trans. M. Swanton (London, 2000) AS&OEV Anglo-Saxon and Old English Vocabularies, ed. T. Wright and R. P. Wülcker, 2 Vols. (London, 2nd ed. 1884) Chronicon, Thietmar Thietmar of Merseburg, The Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg, ed. D. A. Warner (Manchester, 2001) Corpus Corpus Poeticum Boreale, eds. G. Vigfusson and F. Y. Powell, Vol.2 (Oxford, 1883) EE Geoffrei Gaimar, Estoire des Engles/History of the English, ed. and trans. I. Short (Oxford, 2009) Encomium Encomium Emmae Reginae, ed. and trans. A. Campbell, Camden Third Series, Vol. LXXII (London, 1949) EHD English Historical Documents, c. 500-1042, ed. D. Whitelock, Vol.1 (London, 1955) HAHB Adam of Bremen, History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen trans. F. J. Tschan (New York, 2002) GRA, WM William of Malmesbury, Gesta Regum Anglorum, ed. and trans. R.A.B. Mynors, R. M. Thomson and M. Winterbottom (Oxford, 1998) HA Henry of Huntingdon, Historia Anglorum, ed. and trans. D. Greenway 7 (Oxford, 1996) JW The Chronicle of John of Worcester, Vol. II, eds. R. R. Darlington and P. McGurk, trans. J. Bray and P. McGurk (Oxford, 1995); Vol.III, ed. and trans. P. McGurk (Oxford, 1998) ODNB Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, 2004), electronic version website www.oxforddnb.com Orderic The Ecclesiastical History of Orderic Vitalis, Vol. IV, ed. and trans. M. Chibnall S Charter catalogued in Anglo-Saxon Charters: An Annotated List and Biography, ed. P. H. Sawyer, Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbook 8 (London, 1968), revised version ed. S. E. Kelly, R. Rushforth et al, for the Electronic Sawyer: Online Catalogue of Anglo-Saxon Charters website, King's College London, www.esawyer.org.uk Vita Ædwardi The Life of King Edward who Rests at Westminster, Attributed to a Monk of St-Bertin, ed. and trans. F. Barlow (Oxford, 2nd ed. 1984) 8 Introduction The purpose of this thesis is to produce a study of King Edmund II Ironside as a means of examining several issues in late Anglo-Saxon England, namely the nature of æthelinghood, succession and kingship. By focusing on Edmund Ironside it is intended to create a biography of this neglected historical figure. This thesis has several primary aims. One is to assess and reconcile the historical sources concerning Edmund Ironside. Another is to examine Edmund's succession in the context of lordship and familial obligations, which will facilitate the discussion of the relationship between conflict within the royal family and its effects on national politics.
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