Æthelwold's Revolt was an attempt by

Æthelwold ætheling Æthelwold () or Æthelwald (died 13 December 902) was the younger of two known sons of Æthelred I, King of Wessex from 865 to 871. Æthelwold and his brother Æthelhelm were still infants when their father the king died while fighting a Dani ...

to seize the Anglo-Saxon throne from

Edward the Elder Edward the Elder (870s?17 July 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death in 924. He was the elder son of Alfred the Great and his wife Ealhswith. When Edward succeeded to the throne, he had to defeat a challenge from his cousi ...

after the death of

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

in 899. It ended when Æthelwold was killed in battle in 902 while fighting alongside his Danish allies.

Background

After

died on 26 October 899, his son, Edward, hoped to succeed him. Edward's cousin Æthelwold was the only surviving son of Alfred's older brother

Æthelred I, King of Wessex Æthelred (; ) or Ethelred () is an Old English personal name (a compound of '' æþele'' and '' ræd'', meaning "noble counsel" or "well-advised") and may refer to: Anglo-Saxon England * Æthelred and Æthelberht, legendary princes of Kent * � ...

. His competing claim to the throne was that he had been too young to inherit it when Æthelred died, leading to Alfred becoming king.

Southern revolt

Æthelwold's first move was to take his small force and seize

Wimborne Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of Pool ...

, in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, the burial place of Æthelred, his father. He then took control of the crown lands at

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

and returned to Wimborne to await Edward's response. Edward assembled an army and moved to Badbury, but Æthelwold refused to meet him in battle. He instead stayed at Wimborne together with his men and a kidnapped nun, seemingly preparing for a long stand-off, although it appears he had the resources for a frontal assault and was preparing to attack when he rode north during the night.

Viking support

Æthelwold arrived in the north soon after he fled from the confrontation at Wimborne. He appealed for support from the Danish

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

and they pledged their allegiance. Coins were minted during the period showing that Æthelwold had been proclaimed king in

Jórvík Scandinavian York or Viking York () is a term used by historians for what is now Yorkshire during the period of Scandinavian domination from late 9th century until it was annexed and integrated into England after the Norman Conquest; in parti ...

(Viking ruled York). Meanwhile, Edward was crowned at

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...

on 8 June 900. In the autumn of 901, Æthelwold sailed with a fleet from his new allies into

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. By 902 he and the

East Anglian East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

Danes were attacking deep into

Mercia Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...

, one of Edward's most important allies, as far as

Cricklade Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227. History Cricklade ...

, in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

The Battle of the Holme

Edward retaliated by ravaging East Anglia and when he retreated the men of Kent disobeyed the order to retire, meeting the Danes in the East Midlands, at the Battle of the Holme on 13 December 902. The Danes defeated Edward's troops, but as a result of the battle both Æthelwold and Eohric, the Danish king of East Anglia, were killed. There were many losses on the Anglo-Saxon side, including the two Kentish ealdormen, Sigehelm and Sigewulf.

Aftermath

In the view of Cyril Hart, King Edward made a strategic error in failing to engage the Danes with his whole army, leading to recriminations which threatened his authority, especially in Kent, and this may explain his later marriage to Ealdorman Sigehelm's daughter,

Eadgifu The name Eadgifu, sometimes Latinized as ''Ediva'' or ''Edgiva'', may refer to: * Eadgifu of Kent (died c. 966), third wife of king Edward the Elder, King of Wessex * Eadgifu of Wessex (902 – after 955), wife of King Charles the Simple * Eadgifu ...

.Hart, p. 515

Notes

References

Anglo-Saxon Kings - Edward the ElderRoyal Consecrations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aethelwold's Revolt 890s conflicts 900s conflicts History of Northumberland 9th century in England 10th century in England 9th-century rebellions 10th-century rebellions Rebellions in medieval England