Anglo-Saxon Monarchs
1. Elfrida, Princess of England: Born about 868, of Wessex, England; Died 920; Married about 888; Baldwin II "the Bald", Count of Flanders: Born about 864, of Flanders, Nord, France; Died 10 September 918. (See Counts of Flanders)
2. Alfred "the Great", King of England: Born about 848, of Wantage, Berkshire, England; Died 26 October 901, Winchester, Hampshire, England; Married 868; Ethelswida (Alswitha), Queen of England: Born about 852, Mercia, England; Died 5 December 905. Alfred succeeded his brother Æthelred as King of Wessex in April 871. Both he and his brother were sons of King Æthelwulf. The only English King called "the Great," Alfred is renowned both for his ability as a war leader and for his love of learning. He can be counted, with Charlemagne, as one of the two most outstanding rulers of the 9th century. Alfred reigned from 871 until 899. Alfred was the first English monarch to plan systematically for the defense of his realm against the Danes, with whom he was almost constantly at war from 876 until the end of his life. He was also the first monarch of an English kingdom to become a symbol and focus of national unity. Although effective ruler only of Wessex and English Mercia, he was regarded as the protector of all the English living under Danish rule. His capture of London in 886, which marked the farthest extent of his essentially defensive territorial expansion, led to general English recognition of his leadership. After his death, however, Wessex and Mercia were still unable to expel the Danes from England.
A learned layman, Alfred tried to ensure that his countrymen had the opportunity to become literate. To that end, he relied upon the bishops of the Anglo-Saxon church both to teach and to seek out students. Alfred himself translated into Anglo-Saxon the Pastoral Care of Pope Gregory I, Orosius' Seven Books of History against the Pagans, Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, (possibly) the Ecclesiastical History of the Venerable Bede, and part of St. Augustine of Hippo's Soliloquies. To each of these except the fourth he added his own commentary. Alfred's military victories saved English culture and national identity from destruction, and his intellectual activities began the education of his people in the Latin heritage.
Ethelwisa's Parents--
Alfred's Parents--
3. Æthelwulf, King of Wessex: Born about 806, of Wessex, England; Died 13 January 857, England; Reigned 839-855; Married about 830; Osburgh, Queen of Wessex: Born about 810, of Wessex, England; Died 846.
Osburgh's Parents--
Ethelwulf's Parents--
4. Egbert, King of Wessex: Born about 784, of Wessex, England; Died after 19 November 838, Wessex, England; Reigned 802-839; Married, Wessex, England; Redburg, Queen of Wessex: Born about 788, of Wessex, England. Egbert, King of Wessex, laid the foundations for the ascendancy of Wessex among the English kingdoms. At first an unsuccessful claimant to the Wessex crown, he finally became King in 802. Egbert defeated the Mercian King Beornwulf at Ellandune (825) and briefly (828-29) held the kingdom of Mercia itself. He was also recognized as King in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and Essex and received the nominal submission of Northumbria. The later years of his reign were marked by frequent Danish raids on England.
5. Ealhmund, Under-King of Kent: Born about 758, of Wessex, England; Died 788; Married, Wessex, England.
6. Eafa (Eaba): Born about 732, of Wessex, England.
7. Eoppa: Born about 706, of Wessex, England; Married, Wessex, England.
8. Ingild, Prince of Wessex: Born about 680, of Wessex, England; Married, Wessex, England; Died 718, England?
9. Cenred, Prince of Wessex: Born about 644, of Wessex, England.
10. Ceolwald, Prince of Wessex: Born about 622, of Wessex, England.
11. Cutha (Cuthwulf), Prince of Wessex: Born about 600, of Wessex, England.
12. Cuthwine, Prince of Wessex: Born about 564, Wessex, England.
13. Ceawlin, King of Wessex: Born about 547, of Wessex, England; Died about 591; Reigned 560-591.
14. Cynric, King of Wessex: Born about 525, of Wessex, England; Died 560; Reigned 534-560.
15. Creoda, Prince of Wessex: Born about 493, of Wessex, England.
16. Cerdic, King of Wessex: Born about 467, of Ancient Saxony, Northern Germany; Died about 534, Wessex, England. In the early ninth century it was firmly believed that the West Saxons were descended from Cedric; it was equally firmly believed, needless to say, that they were also descended from Adam. The vital links in the chain between Cedric and Adam were Odin, Geat and Seth. These links were all forged in the early or mid-ninth century. Thus the ancestry of Odin will differ from that which is found in the Norse lines. The idea that Kings ought to be descended from Odin was very ancient; but originally he himself had no ancestors. It seems to have been the royal minstrels of the obscure kingdom of Lindsey (in present day Lincolnshire) who bolstered the decaying authority of their masters by pushing back their ancestry some generations beyond Odin, as far as Geat, and this became the accepted lore of English Royal descent. The next stage is somewhat more obscure. But it seems that Geat was presently identified with another legendary figure of the same name, whose ancestors were already recorded; and this enabled the geneology of all the Saxon houses to be extended to one "Sceaf", perhaps originally the same Sceaf whose son Scyld's ship burial formed the start of Beowulf. According to Beowulf Scild was put into a ship when he was dead; it also says, as do other earlier traditions, that he began his career in a ship. By what mysterious alchemy his father was made a son of Noah and brought him to birth (if you'll pardon the pun) in the Ark, is far from clear; but by the time we get to Asser, the great biographer of King Alfred the Great, he had been given a Hebrew name, Seth, and is performing the geneologiocal function of Japhet. From then on, all was plain sailing. If we look closely at the geneology of Anglo-Saxon royal line it is interesting to note that all the members of the line have names that begin with a vowel until one reaches Cenred, father of Ine. At this point all of the names begin with a "C". This illiterative tradition is interesting for it marks the point at which the royal line falls from light into shadow. Clearly some of the "C" ancestors were historical personages however at some point this line became a ficticiious one. It is most likely to have occurred within these "C" ancestors. Oddest of all, the founder of the Saxon line seems not to have been a Saxon at all: his name, Cedric, or Cerdig, is Welsh.
17. Elesa: Born about 439, Ancient Saxony, Northern Germany.
18. Esla: Born about 411, Ancient Saxony, Northern Germany.
19. Gewis: Born about 383, Ancient Saxony, Northern Germany.
20. Wig: Born about 355, Ancient Saxony, Northern Germany.
21. Freawine: Born about 327, Ancient Saxony, Northern Germany.
22. Frithogar: Born about 299, Ancient Saxony, Northern Germany.
23. Brand (Brond), King of the West Saxons: Born about 271, Scandinavia.
24. Balder (Baeldaeg): Born about 243, Scandinavia; Married, Scandinavia; Nanna Gewarsdottir: Born about 247, Scandinavia. In Norse mythology, Balder was the god of light and beauty. The most beloved of the gods, he was the son of Odin and Freya and the husband of Nanna, goddess of the Moon. A famous Norse myth tells how Loki, the evil giant, had Balder killed with a dart made of mistletoe, the only thing in the world that had not promised his mother it would never harm him. Because Balder was the favorite of the gods, it was said that he would return to Asgard, the home of the gods, at the end of the world. Balder's Greek counterpart is Apollo.
Nanna's Father--
I. Gewar, King in Norway: Born about 221, Scandinavia.
Balder's Father--
25. Odin (Woden, Woutan): Born about 215, of Asgard, Asia Or East Europe; Married Frea: Born about 219, of Asgard, Asia Or East Europe. (See also The Skjoldungs)
26. Frithuwald (Bor): Born about 190, of Asgard, Asia Or East Europe; Married Beltsa: Born about 194, of Asgard, Asia Or East Europe.
27 Freothalaf: Born about 160, of Asgard, Asia Or East Europe.
28. Finn: Born about 130, of Asgard, Asia Or East Europe.
29. Flocwald: Born about 100, of Asgard, Asia Or East Europe.
30. Godwulf: Born before 100, of Asgard, Asia or East Europe.
31. Geat.
32. Taetwa.
33. Beaw.
34. Sceldwea.
35. Heremod.
36. Itermon.
37. Hathra.
38. Hwala.
39. Bedwig. There are conflicting reports as to his father. Anglo-Saxon sources such as Beowulf as mentioned above report that his father is (Skild) Seth, a son of Noah's that is not listed in the Bible. Still other sources trace him to the Trojans, and eventually through this line to Noah. (See The Skjoldungs)
40. Seth (Skild)
50. Noah the Prophet: Born 2943 BC, Shulon, East Eden; Died 2007 BC, Salem (Jerusalem), Cannan; Married 2444 BC, Shulon, East Eden; Titea: (See Kings of Ireland)