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Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria (, ) (died 31 May 1076) was the last of the
Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...
earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
s and the only English aristocrat to be executed during the reign of William I.


Early life

Waltheof was the second son of
Siward, Earl of Northumbria Siward ( or more recently ; ) or Sigurd (, ) was an important earl of 11th-century northern England. The Old Norse nickname ''Digri'' and its Latin translation ''Grossus'' ("the stout") are given to him by near-contemporary texts. It is possibl ...
. His mother was Aelfflaed, daughter of Ealdred, Earl of Bernicia, son of Uhtred, Earl of Northumbria. In 1054, Waltheof's brother, Osbeorn, who was much older than he, 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. Waltheof was said to be devout and charitable and was probably educated for a
monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...
life. Around 1065, however, he became an earl, governing
Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
and
Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...
. Following the
Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...
he submitted to William and was allowed to keep his pre-Conquest title and possessions. He remained at William's court until 1068.


First revolt

When Sweyn II invaded
Northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...
in 1069, Waltheof and Edgar Aetheling joined the Danes and took part in the attack on
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
. 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. In 1071, he was appointed Earl of Northampton. The
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086 mentions Waltheof ("''Walleff''"): "'In
Hallam Hallam may refer to: Places * Hallam, Victoria, Australia ** Hallam railway station UK * Hallamshire, an area in South Yorkshire, England, UK ** Royal Hallamshire Hospital ** Sheffield Hallam (UK Parliament constituency) ** Sheffield Hallam Univer ...
''Halun''" one manor with its sixteen hamlets, there are twenty-nine ''carucates'' 14 km²to be taxed. There Earl Waltheof had an "Aula" all 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 Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
). In 1072, William expelled Gospatric from the earldom of Northumbria. Gospatric was Waltheof's cousin and had taken part in the attack on York with him, but like Waltheof, had been pardoned by William. Gospatric fled into exile and William appointed Waltheof as the new earl. Construction of Durham Castle began under Waltheof in 1072 after receiving orders to commence this project from William. The castle would be significantly expanded by Bishop Walcher and his successors in later years. Waltheof had many enemies in the north. Amongst them was the family of Thurbrand the Hold; Thurbrand had killed Waltheof's great-grandfather,
Uhtred the Bold Uhtred of Bamburgh (Uhtred the Bold—sometimes Uchtred; died ca. 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 Eadwulfingas, ...
, starting a long-running blood-feud that had resulted in the deaths of many members of both families. In 1074, Waltheof made a decisive move by sending his retainers to ambush his rivals, succeeding in killing the two eldest of four brothers.


Second revolt and execution

In 1075 Waltheof was said to have joined the
Revolt of the Earls The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England (William the Conqueror). It was the last serious act of resistance against William in the Norman Conquest. Cause The revolt was caused by the king's re ...
against William. His motives for taking part in the revolt are unclear, as is the depth of his involvement. Some sources say that he told his wife - the Countess Judith - about the plot and that she then informed Archbishop Lanfranc who then told his uncle William, who was at the time in
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
. Other sources say that it was Waltheof who told the bishop of the plot. On William's return from Normandy, Waltheof was arrested, brought twice before the king's court and sentenced to death. He spent almost a year in confinement before being beheaded on 31 May 1076 at St. Giles's Hill, near
Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
. 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 into a ditch, but was later retrieved and buried in the chapter house of Crowland Abbey in
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
. Despite confessing to his part in the rebellion, one contributing factor in his execution for treason was that his wife, and William's niece, Judith, did not like him or trust his loyalty to William. An otherwise unknown Norse poet, Þorkell Skallason, composed a memorial poem—''Valþjófsflokkr''—for Waltheof, his lord. Two stanzas of this poem are preserved in '' Heimskringla'', '' Hulda-Hrokkinskinna'' and, partially, '' Fagrskinna''. The first of the two stanzas says that Waltheof made a hundred retainers of William burn in hot fire - "a scorching evening for the men" - and wolves ate the corpses of the Normans. The second says that William betrayed Waltheof and had him killed.


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. He was commemorated on 31 August. After a few years, healing miracles were reputed to occur in the vicinity of Waltheof's tomb, often involving the restoration of the pilgrim's lost sight. They are described in the ''Miracula Sancti Waldevi''. Waltheof's life thus became the subject of popular media, heroic but inaccurate accounts being preserved in the ''Vita et Passio Waldevi comitis'', a Middle English ''Waltheof saga'', since lost, and the Anglo-Norman '' Roman de Waldef''.A.J. Holden (ed.), ''Le Roman de Waldef'', Bibliotheca Bodmeriana, Textes, 5 (Coligny-Genève, Fondation Martin Bodmer 1984).


Family and children

In 1070 Waltheof married Countess Judith de Lens, daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens and Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale. Countess Judith was the niece of William the Conqueror. Waltheof and Judith had three children: * Maud de Lens aka Matilda (1074–1130), the eldest, took the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband,
David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Scottish Gaelic, Modern Gaelic: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th century ruler and saint who was David I as Prince of the Cumbrians, Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 112 ...
. * Judith (1075–1137) * Adelese (Alice of Northumbria) (c. 1075/76–1126), married the Anglo-Norman noble Raoul III of Tosny. One of Waltheof's grandsons was Saint Waltheof (died 1159), abbot of Melrose.


In popular culture

* Waltheof was portrayed by actor Marcus Gilbert in the TV drama ''Blood Royal: William the Conqueror'' (1990). * Waltheof is the subject of Juliet Dymoke's 1970 historical novel ''Of the Ring of Earls'' * Waltheof is a major character in Elizabeth Chadwick's 2002 historical novel ''The Winter Mantle'' * Waltheof is a character in Parke Godwin's 1991 historical novel ''Sherwood''


References


Sources

* * Chronicle of Britain * * *Joseph Bain, ed, ''Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland Preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, London.''(Edinburgh: H M General Register House, 1881), I:3, Digital Image ''Internet Archive'' http://thehennesseefamily.com/getperson.php?personID=I53812&tree=hennessee accessed 10 April 2021). No 13. *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waltheof, 1st Earl Of Northampton 1076 deaths 11th-century English nobility History of Sheffield People from Sheffield People executed under the Normans Executed English nobility 11th-century executions People executed by the Kingdom of England by decapitation Earls of Northampton Earls of Huntingdon (1065 creation) Earls of Northumbria (Peerage of England)