Waltheof (1050-31 May 1076), Earl of Northumbria and last of the Anglo-Saxon earls. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Earl of Northumbria was a title in the Anglo-Danish, late Anglo-Saxon, and early Anglo-Norman period in England. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south Earl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning " Chieftain " and referring especially to chieftains He was the only English aristocrat to be formally executed during the reign of William I. William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages He was reputed for his physical strength but was weak and unreliable in character.
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Early life
He was the second son of Earl Siward, Earl of Northumbria. Sigurd Björnsson, also known as Siward the Dane (died 1055 was an English nobleman in the eleventh century and the Earl of Northumbria. His mother was Aelfflaed, daughter of Ealdred, Earl of Bernicia, son of Uhtred, Earl of Northumbria. Ealdred was Earl of Bernicia from 1020/25 until his murder in 1038 Uchtred (or Uhtred) called the Bold, was the Earl of Northumbria from 1006 to 1016 when he was assassinated In 1054, Waltheof’s brother, Osbearn, who was much older than him, was killed in battle, making Waltheof his father’s heir. Siward himself died in 1055, and Waltheof being far too young to succeed as Earl of Northumbria, King Edward appointed Tostig Godwinson to the earldom. King Edward the Confessor (c 1003 &ndash 5 January 1066 son of Ethelred the Unready, was the penultimate Anglo-Saxon King of England and the last Tostig Godwinson (1026? &ndash September 25, 1066) was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold II of England
He was said to be devout and charitable and was probably educated for a monastic life. Monasticism (from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from Greek monos, alone is the religious practice in which one In fact, around 1065 he became an earl, governing Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire. Northamptonshire (or archaically the County of Northampton; abbreviated Northants History The earliest English settlers in the district were the Gyrwas, an East Anglian tribe who early in the 6th century worked their way up the Ouse and the Cam Following the Battle of Hastings he submitted to William and was allowed to keep his pre-Conquest title and possessions. The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman Conquest of England. He remained at William’s court until 1068.
First revolt
When Sweyn II invaded Northern England in 1069 Waltheof and Edgar Ætheling joined the Danes and took part in the attack on York. Sweyn II Estridsson Ulfsson (c 1019 &ndash April 28, 1074 or 1076 was the King of Denmark from 1047 until his death Northern England, The North, The North of England or (less commonly The North Country refers to the parts of England north of an ill-defined line Edgar ( the) Ætheling, also known as Edgar the Outlaw (c 1051&ndashc York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. He would again make a fresh submission to William after the departure of the invaders in 1070. He was restored to his earldom, and went on to marry William's niece, Judith of Lens. Countess Judith (born in Normandy between 1054 and 1055 died after 1086 was a niece of William the Conqueror. In 1072, he was appointed Earl of Northampton. Earl of Northampton is a title that has been created five times
The Domesday Book mentions Waltheof ("Walleff"); "'In Hallam ("Halun"), one manor with its sixteen hamlets, there are twenty-nine carucates [~14 km²] to be taxed. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey There Earl Waltheof had an "Aula" [hall or court]. There may have been about twenty ploughs. This land Roger de Busli holds of the Countess Judith. " (Hallam, or Hallamshire, is now part of the city of Sheffield. Hallamshire (or Hallam) is the historical name for an area of South Yorkshire, England, in the current city of Sheffield Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England
In 1072, William expelled Gospatric from the earldom of Northumbria. Gospatric or Cospatric (from the Cumbrian "Servant of Saint Patrick " (died after 1073 was Earl of Northumbria, or of Bernicia Gospatric was Waltheof’s cousin and had taken part in the attack on York with him, but like Waltheof, had been pardoned by William. Godpatric fled into exile and William appointed Waltheof as the new earl.
Waltheof had many enemies in the north. Amongst them were members of a family who had killed Waltheof’s maternal great-grandfather, Uchtred the Bold, and his grandfather Ealdred. Uchtred (or Uhtred) called the Bold, was the Earl of Northumbria from 1006 to 1016 when he was assassinated Ealdred was Earl of Bernicia from 1020/25 until his murder in 1038 This was part of a long-running blood feud. In 1074, Waltheof moved against the family by sending his retainers to ambush them, succeeding in killing the two eldest of four brothers.
Second revolt and death
In 1075 Waltheof joined the Revolt of the Earls against William. The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England (William the Conqueror His motives for taking part in the revolt are unclear, as is the depth of his involvement. However he repented, confessing his guilt first to Archbishop Lanfranc, and then in person to William, who was at the time in Normandy. Lanfranc (c 1005 – 1089 was Archbishop of Canterbury, and a Lombard by extraction Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. He returned to England with William but was arrested, brought twice before the king's court and sentenced to death.
He spent almost a year in confinement before being beheaded on May 31, 1076 at St. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Giles's Hill, near Winchester. Winchester or Winton ( archaic) is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40000 within a radius of its centre He was said to have spent the months of his captivity in prayer and fasting. Many people believed in his innocence and were surprised when the execution was carried out. His body was initially thrown in a ditch, but was later retrieved and was buried in the chapter house of Croyland Abbey. Croyland Abbey (usually spelled Crowland Abbey) is a Church of England parish church, formerly an Abbey church in Crowland in the English
Cult of martyrdom
In 1092, after a fire in the chapter house, the abbot had Waltheof’s body moved to a prominent place in the abbey church. When the coffin was opened, it is reported that the corpse was found to be intact with the severed head re-joined to the trunk. This was regarded as a miracle, and the abbey, which had a financial interest in the matter began to publicise it. As a result, pilgrims began to visit Waltheof’s tomb.
After a few years healing miracles began to occur in the vicinity of Waltheof’s tomb, often involving the restoration of the pilgrim’s lost sight.
Family and children
In 1070 he married Judith of Lens, daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens and Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale. Countess Judith (born in Normandy between 1054 and 1055 died after 1086 was a niece of William the Conqueror. Lambert II Count of Lens (d 1054 was a French nobleman He was the son of Eustace I Count of Bologne and of Maud de Leuven (daughter of Lambert I of Adelaide of Normandy (c 1026 in Calvados, France - c 1090 was the sister or half-sister of William the Conqueror. Aumale is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in northern France. They had three daughters, the eldest of whom, Maud, brought the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband, David I of Scotland, and another of whom, Adelise, married the Anglo-Norman noble Raoul III of Tosny. Maud of Northumbria (1074-1130 countess for the Honour of Huntingdon, was the daughter of Waltheof II Earl of Northumbria and Judith of Lens, the last David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim ( Modern: Daibhidh I mac Chaluim; b Raoul III of Tosny († c 1126 seigneur de Conches-en-Ouche, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman of the House of Tosny.
One of Waltheof's grandsons was Waltheof (d. Waltheof, Waldeve or Waldef may also refer to Waltheof I Earl of Northumbria (died after 1006 Earl of Northumberland 963–995 1159), abbot of Melrose. The Abbot and then Commendator of Melrose was the head of the monastic community of Melrose Abbey, in Melrose in the Borders
References
- Chronicle of Britain ISBN 1-872031-35-8
- Oxford DNB article: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/28646?docPos=2
- Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines 98A-23, 130-25.
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
| Peerage of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cospatrick | Earl of Northumbria 1072 - 1075 | Succeeded by William Walcher |
| Preceded by New title | Earl of Northampton 1072 - 1076 | Succeeded by Vacant Next held by: Simon I of St Liz |
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