Æthelburg of Wessex

Queen Æthelburg, (also Æthelburh or Ethelburga) (ca. 673-740) was Queen of Wessex by marriage to King Ine of Wessex. Perhaps most famed for her act in 722, when she destroyed the stronghold of Taunton (which had been built by Ine) in an attempt to find the rebel Ealdbert.[1]

This article is about Æthelburg of Wessex. For the wife of Edwin of Northumbria, who founded the Lyminge monastery in Kent, see Æthelburh of Kent.

Æthelburg
Queen consort of Wessex
Reignc. 688-726
PredecessorCynethryth
SuccessorFrithugyth
Bornc. 673
Diedc. 740 (aged 66–67)
SpouseIne of Wessex

Life

Æthelburg was born circa 673. She was the wife of King Ine of Wessex. Æthelburg is considered by some historians to be one of the few Anglo-Saxon women warriors.[2] In 722, Æthelburg burned down the city of Taunton, a city built by Ine. [3] Æthelburg's exact motivations for burning down the city are not clear, but she was either trying to find the rebel Ealdbert or she was trying to prevent Taunton from being taken by the rebels.[4] In 726 Æthelburg went on a pilgrimage to Rome with her husband King Ine of Wessex who had abdicated the throne, he left no clear heir.[5] Both Æthelburg and King Ine died in Rome.

Legacy

Æthelburg is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor. In The Dinner Party the character Æthelburg is actually a combination of Æthelburg of Wessex and Æthelburg of Kent, which she is often confused with.[6][7][8]

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See also
  • House of Wessex family tree

References
  1. Ashley, Mike (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens. London: Robinson Publishing. p. 309.
  2. Kevin R. Brine; Elena Ciletti; Henrike Lähnemann (2010). The Sword of Judith: Judith Studies Across the Disciplines. Open Book Publishers. pp. 172–. ISBN 978-1-906924-15-7.
  3. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ine" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 14 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 508–509.
  4. Juliana Dresvina; Nicholas Sparks (18 December 2012). Authority and Gender in Medieval and Renaissance Chronicles. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 48–. ISBN 978-1-4438-4428-4.
  5. Parks, George B. 1954. The English traveler to Italy. First volume, First volume. Roma: Edizioni di storia e letteratura. 31
  6. Chicago, 105.
  7. "Aethelburg". Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: The Dinner Party: Heritage Floor: Aethelburg. Brooklyn Museum. 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  8. Eckenstein, Lina, 1963. Woman under monasticism; chapters on saint-lore and convent life between 500 and 1500. (New York: Russell & Russell), 84.

Bibliography
  • Chicago, Judy. The Dinner Party: From Creation to Preservation. London: Merrell (2007). ISBN 1-85894-370-1
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