![Uhtred, Earl of Northumbria (British Library Cotton MS Tiberius B I, folio 153r)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Uhtred%2C_Earl_of_Northumbria_%28British_Library_Cotton_MS_Tiberius_B_I%2C_folio_153r%29.jpg)
Uhtred of Bamburgh (sometimes Uchtred); died c. 1016), was
ruler of Bamburgh and from 1006 to 1016 the
ealdorman of Northumbria. He was the son of
Waltheof I, ruler of
Bamburgh (Bebbanburg), whose family the Eadwulfings had ruled the surrounding region for over a century. Uhtred's death by assassination was described in ''
De obsessione Dunelmi
''De obsessione Dunelmi'' ("On the siege of Durham"), is an historical work written in the north of England during the Anglo-Norman period, almost certainly at Durham, and probably in either the late 11th- or early 12th-century.
Provenance
The ...
'' and has been interpreted as beginning of a
blood feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...
.
Accomplishments
In 995, according to
Symeon of Durham
__NOTOC__
Symeon (or Simeon) of Durham (died after 1129) was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory.
Biography
Symeon entered the Benedictine monastery at Jarrow as a youth. It moved to Durham in 1074, and he was professed in 1085 or ...
, when the remains of
St Cuthbert were transferred from
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street (), also known as Chester, is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England, around north of Durham and also close to Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the River Wear, which runs out to sea at ...
to
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
, Uhtred went to Durham with his monks to clear the site of the new cathedral. The new cathedral was founded by
Bishop Aldhun, and Uhtred married Aldhun's daughter, Ecgfrida, probably at about this time. From his marriage he received several estates that had belonged to the church.
[Oxford DNB login](_blank)
/ref>
In 1006 Malcolm II of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Cináeda ( gd, Maol Chaluim mac Choinnich, label=Modern Scottish Gaelic; anglicized Malcolm II; c. 954 – 25 November 1034) was King of Scots from 1005 until his death. He was a son of King Kenneth II; but the name of his mot ...
invaded Northumbria and besieged the newly founded episcopal city of Durham. At that time the Danes were raiding southern England and King Ethelred was unready to send help to the Northumbrians. Ealdorman Waltheof was too old to fight and remained in his castle at Bamburgh
Bamburgh ( ) is a village and civil parish on the coast of Northumberland, England. It had a population of 454 in 2001, decreasing to 414 at the 2011 census.
The village is notable for the nearby Bamburgh Castle, a castle which was the seat of ...
. Ealdorman Ælfhelm of York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
also took no action.
Uhtred, acting for his father, called together an army from Bernicia
Bernicia ( ang, Bernice, Bryneich, Beornice; la, Bernicia) was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England.
The Anglian territory of Bernicia was ap ...
and Yorkshire and led it against the Scots. The result was a decisive victory for Uhtred. Local women washed the severed heads of the Scots, receiving a payment of a cow for each, and the heads were fixed on stakes to Durham's walls.
Uhtred was rewarded by King Ethelred II with the ealdormanry of Bamburgh even though his father was still alive. In the meantime, Ethelred had Ealdorman Ælfhelm of York murdered, and he allowed Uhtred to succeed Ælfhelm as ealdorman of York, thus uniting northern and southern Northumbria under the house of Bamburgh. It seems likely that Ethelred did not trust the Scandinavian population of southern Northumbria and wanted an Anglo-Saxon in power there.[Kapelle, William E., ''The Norman Conquest of the North'', 1979, ]University of North Carolina Press
The University of North Carolina Press (or UNC Press), founded in 1922, is a university press that is part of the University of North Carolina. It was the first university press founded in the Southern United States. It is a member of the As ...
, , (pages 15–16)
After receiving these honours Uhtred dismissed his wife, Ecgfrida, and married Sige, daughter of Styr, son of Ulf. Styr was a rich citizen of York. It appears that Uhtred was trying to make political allies amongst the Danes in Deira. Through Sige, Uhtred had two children, Eadulf, later Eadulf III, and Gospatric. This Gospatric's grandson was the infamous Eadwulf Rus who murdered Bishop Walcher.
In 1013 King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark invaded England, sailing up the Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between t ...
and Trent to the town of Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
. Uhtred submitted to him there, as did all of the Danes in the north. In the winter of 1013, Ethelred was forced into exile in Normandy. After London had finally submitted to him, Sweyn was accepted as king by Christmas 1013; however, he reigned for only five weeks. He died at, or near, Gainsborough on 2 February 1014. At Sweyn's death, Ethelred was able to return from exile and resume his reign. Uhtred, along with many others, transferred his allegiance back to Ethelred, on his return. Uhtred also married Ethelred’s daughter Ælfgifu about this time.
Death
In 1016 Uhtred campaigned with Ethelred's son Edmund Ironside
Edmund Ironside (30 November 1016; , ; sometimes also known as Edmund II) was King of the English from 23 April to 30 November 1016. He was the son of King Æthelred the Unready and his first wife, Ælfgifu of York. Edmund's reign was marred by ...
in Cheshire and the surrounding shires. While Uhtred was away from his lands, Sweyn's son, Cnut
Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...
, invaded Yorkshire. Cnut's forces were too strong for Uhtred to fight, and so Uhtred did homage to him as King of England.
Uhtred was summoned to a peace meeting with Cnut, and on the way there, he and forty of his men were murdered by Thurbrand the Hold
Thurbrand ( ang, Þūrbrand; fl. 1010s; died c. 1024), nicknamed "the Hold", was a Northumbrian magnate in the early 11th-century. Perhaps based in Holderness and East Yorkshire, Thurbrand was recorded as the killer of Uhtred the Bold, Earl of No ...
at Wighill with the connivance of Cnut. Uhtred was succeeded in Bernicia by his brother Eadwulf Cudel Eadwulf III of Bamburgh or Eadwulf Cudel or Cutel (meaning cuttlefish) (died early 1020s) was ruler of Bamburgh for some period in the early eleventh century. Following the successful takeover of York by the Vikings in 866/7, southern Northumbria be ...
. Cnut made the Norwegian, Eric of Hlathir
The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization).
The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
, ealdorman ("earl" in Scandinavian terms) in southern Northumbria.
Marriages and issue
Uhtred married three times, each marriage produced children.
His first marriage, about 995, was to Ecgfrida, daughter of Bishop Aldhun of Durham. He repudiated her before 1006, but not before they had one son:
* Ealdred, Earl of Northumbria, died 1038.
Second, Uhtred married Sige, daughter of Styr Ulfsson of York, about 1004. A condition of this marriage was that Uhtred kill Styr's enemy Thurbrand. This did not occur but, they had two children before they separated circa 1006:
* Eadulf (Eadwulf), became Earl of Northumbria after his brother Ealdred, died 1041.
*Gospatric, father or grandfather of Eadulf Rus
Eadulf Rus ( fl. 1080) was an 11th-century Northumbrian noble, and the first recorded 'of Swinton'. He was either the son or grandson of Gospatric (son of Uhtred the Bold), possibly the man who soon after Christmas 1064 was allegedly killed on be ...
.
Third, and last, Uhtred married Ælfgifu, daughter of King Æthelred the Unready
Æthelred II ( ang, Æþelræd, ;Different spellings of this king’s name most commonly found in modern texts are "Ethelred" and "Æthelred" (or "Aethelred"), the latter being closer to the original Old English form . Compare the modern diale ...
. They had a daughter:
*Ealdgyth, ancestress of the Earls of Dunbar; she married Maldred, called son of 'thegn
In Anglo-Saxon England, thegns were aristocratic landowners of the second rank, below the ealdormen who governed large areas of England. The term was also used in early medieval Scandinavia for a class of retainers. In medieval Scotland, there ...
Crínán' by ''De Obsessione Dunelmi
''De obsessione Dunelmi'' ("On the siege of Durham"), is an historical work written in the north of England during the Anglo-Norman period, almost certainly at Durham, and probably in either the late 11th- or early 12th-century.
Provenance
The ...
'' (possibly identical to Crínán of Dunkeld
Crínán of Dunkeld (died 1045) was the hereditary abbot of the monastery of Dunkeld, and perhaps the Mormaer of Atholl. Crínán was progenitor of the House of Dunkeld, the dynasty which would rule Scotland until the later 13th century. He was ...
, thus making Maldred brother of Duncan I of Scotland
Donnchad mac Crinain ( gd, Donnchadh mac Crìonain; anglicised as Duncan I, and nicknamed An t-Ilgarach, "the Diseased" or "the Sick"; c. 1001 – 14 August 1040)Broun, "Duncan I (d. 1040)". was king of Scotland (''Alba'') from 1034 to 1040. ...
, but see Aird for modern doubts).
Descendants
The killing of Uhtred by Thurbrand the Hold started a blood feud that lasted for many years and is the subject of the historical work, ''De obsessione Dunelmi
''De obsessione Dunelmi'' ("On the siege of Durham"), is an historical work written in the north of England during the Anglo-Norman period, almost certainly at Durham, and probably in either the late 11th- or early 12th-century.
Provenance
The ...
''. Uhtred's son Ealdred subsequently avenged his father by killing Thurbrand, but Ealdred in turn was killed by Thurbrand's son, Carl.
Ealdred's vengeance had to wait until the 1070s, when Waltheof II, Ealdred's grandson had his soldiers kill most of Carl's sons and grandsons. This is an example of the notorious Northumbrian blood feuds
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...
that were common at this time.[Kapelle, William E., ''op. cit.'', (pages 17–19)]
Uhtred's dynasty continued to reign in Bernicia. He was succeeded first by Ealdred, Earl of Bamburgh
Ealdred was an Earl in north-east England from the death of his uncle, Eadwulf Cudel, soon after 1018 until his murder in 1038. He is variously described by historians as Earl of Northumbria,Stenton, p. 390, n. 1 Earl of Bernicia (northern Northumb ...
(killed 1038) his son by Ecgfrida, followed by another of his son by Sige, Eadulf (killed 1041).
After the Norman Conquest, Eadulf's son Osulf briefly held the earldom of northern Northumbria in 1067 until he too was killed, succeeded by Uhtred's grandson by his third marriage (and Osulf's uncle), Gospatric, who was Earl of Northumbria from 1068 to 1072 before being forced to flee to Scotland. His replacement was Ealdred's maternal grandson, Waltheof II, who was deprived and in 1076 executed for treason. The murder of his Norman replacement, Walcher
Walcher (died 14 May 1080) was the bishop of Durham from 1071,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 241 a Lotharingian and the first Prince-bishop (appointed by the King, not the Pope).
He was the first non-Englishman to hold tha ...
, Bishop of Durham
The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...
, by Uhtred's descendant Eadulf Rus
Eadulf Rus ( fl. 1080) was an 11th-century Northumbrian noble, and the first recorded 'of Swinton'. He was either the son or grandson of Gospatric (son of Uhtred the Bold), possibly the man who soon after Christmas 1064 was allegedly killed on be ...
led William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
to send an army northwards to harry the region again. In Scotland, Earl Gospatric's descendants held the Earldom of Dunbar for centuries.
In popular culture
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...
was inspired to write his series ''The Saxon Stories
''The Saxon Stories'' (also known as ''Saxon Tales''/''Saxon Chronicles'' in the US and ''The Warrior Chronicles'' and most recently as ''The Last Kingdom'' series) is a historical novel series written by Bernard Cornwell about the birth of E ...
'' after learning he was a descendant of Uhtred the Bold, who is the inspiration behind the series protagonist Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg. Several events in the series are based on events in the life of Uhtred the Bold, such as the siege of Bebbanburg by the Scots and the severed heads on poles; however, unlike many other characters in the book series who correspond closely to historical figures, such as Alfred the Great, Guthrum
Guthrum ( ang, Guðrum, c. 835 – c. 890) was King of East Anglia in the late 9th century. Originally a native of what is now Denmark, he was one of the leaders of the "Great Summer Army" that arrived in Reading during April 871 to join forces ...
, and King Guthred, the main character ''Uhtred'' is fictitious: he lives in the middle of the 9th century – being aged about ten at the battle of York (867) – more than a hundred years before the historical ''Uhtred the Bold''.
The fictitious Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg is also the main protagonist in the television series ''The Last Kingdom
''The Last Kingdom'' is the first historical novel in The Saxon Stories by Bernard Cornwell, published in 2004. This story introduces Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon noble who is kidnapped by Danish Vikings as a young child and is assimilated ...
'', which is based on ''The Saxon Stories''.
Adrian Mourby's two radio plays, ''The Corsaint'' (c. 1986) and its sequel, ''The King of the North Rides his Horse through the Sky'' (1992) provide dramatic realisations of the story of the siege of Durham and the severed heads on poles as told about the historical Uhtred. They were broadcast by BBC Radio 3.
References
Sources
* Stenton, Sir Frank M. ''Anglo-Saxon England Third Edition''. Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1971.
* Fletcher, Richard. ''Bloodfeud: Murder and Revenge in Anglo-Saxon England''. Allen Lane 2002.
*
‘Uhtred, earl of Bamburgh (d. 1016)’
William M. Aird, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 8 April 2015
Ælfgifu (1002-1042)
on ''geni.com''.
External links
* , also
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uchtred the Bold
1016 deaths
Anglo-Saxon warriors
Earls of Northumbria
Earls and ealdormen of York
Rulers of Bamburgh
Year of birth unknown