HOUSE OF WESSEX AND ENGLAND
802 - 1066
EGBERT = Redburga
(802-839)
ETHELWULF = Osburga dau. of Oslac of Isle of Wight
(839-855)
ETHELBERHT ALFRED the Great = Ealhswith
ETHELBALD (860-866) ETHELRED (871-899)
(855-860) (866-871)
Ecgwyn = EDWARD THE ELDER= Edgiva
(899-924)
ATHELSTAN
(924-939)
Elgiva = EDMUND I EDRED (939-946) (946-955)
EDWY Ethelfleda = EDGAR = Elfrida, dau. of Ordgar, Ealdorman of East Anglia
(955-959) dau. of (959-975)
Ealdorman
Ordmaer
EDWARD THE MARTYR
(975-979)
Elfgifu = ETHELRED II THE UNREADY = Emma
(979-1016) (later
(deposed 1013/14) married
CANUTE)
EDMUND II IRONSIDE
(Apr.-Nov.1016)
Godwin = Gytha
EDWARD THE = Eadgyth HAROLD II
CONFESSOR (Edith) (Jan.-Oct.1066)
(1042-1066)
EGBERT (802-39 AD)
Known as the first King of All England, he was forced into exile at the court of Charlemagne, by the powerful Offa, King of Mercia. Egbert returned to England in 802 and was recognized as king of Wessex. He defeated the rival Mercians at the battle of Ellendun in 825. In 829, the Northumbrians accepted his overlordship and he was proclaimed "Bretwalda" or sole ruler of Britain.
ЖTHELWULF (839-55 AD)
Жthelwulf was the son of Egbert and a sub-king of Kent. He assumed the throne of Wessex upon his father's death in 839. His reign is characterized by the usual Viking invasions and repulsions common to all English rulers of the time, but the making of war was not his chief claim to fame. Жthelwulf is remembered, however dimly, as a highly religious man who cared about the establishment and preservation of the church. He was also a wealthy man and controlled vast resources. Out of these resources, 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, Osburga. He recognized that there could be difficulties with contention over the succession. He devised a scheme which would guarantee (insofar as it was possible to do so) that each child would have his turn on the throne without having to worry about rival claims from his siblings. Жthelwulf provided that the oldest living child would succeed to the throne and would control all the resources of the crown, without having them divided among the others, so that he would have adequate resources to rule. That he was able to provide for the continuation of his dynasty is a matter of record, but he was not able to guarantee familial harmony with his plan. This is proved by what we know of the foul plottings of his son, Жthelbald, while Жthelwulf was on pilgrimage to Rome in 855.
Жthelwulf was a wise and capable ruler, whose vision made possible the beneficial reign of his youngest son, Alfred the Great.
Until the end of the 17th century, British monarchs were executive monarchs - that is, they had the right to make and pass legislation. Since the beginning of the eighteenth century, the monarch has become a constitutional monarch, which means that he or she is bound by rules and conventions and remains politically impartial.
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