- Daughter of Duke of Normandy
- AKA: Ælfgifu
- Wife of two kings of England
- Mother of two kings of England
- Step-mother of another two kings of England
Emma of Normandy was born circa 985 to Richard I, Duke of Normandy (933-996) and Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy (c936-1031) and died 21 February 1052 Winchester, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom of unspecified causes. She married Æthelred the Unready (c968-1016) 1002 JL . She married Cnut (c990-1035) 2 July 1017 JL .
Map of kingdoms and sub-kingdoms in the tenth century
Biography
Emma of Normandy was the wife of King Æthelred the Unready and later the wife of King Canute the Great. She was born in Normandy, France, around 985, the daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, and his second wife, Gunnora.
1st Marriage: Æthelred the Unready
Emma married Æthelred in 1002, as part of a peace agreement between Normandy and England. She was only about 16 years old at the time, while Æthelred was in his 30s and had already been married once before. Emma and Æthelred had several children together, including Edward the Confessor, who would later become King of England.
During her time as queen, Emma was involved in various political and religious activities. She was a patron of the church and helped to found the abbey of Sainte-Trinité in Normandy. She also played a role in negotiating with Viking raiders, who frequently attacked England during Æthelred's reign.
In an attempt to pacify Normandy, King Æthelred of England married Emma in 1002.[1] Similarly Richard II, Duke of Normandy hoped to improve relations with the English in wake of recent conflict and a failed kidnapping attempt against him by Æthelred.[2] Viking raids on England were often based in Normandy in the late 10th century, and for Æthelred this marriage was intended to unite against the Viking threat.[3] Upon their marriage, Emma was given the Anglo-Saxon name of Ælfgifu, which was used for formal and official matters, and became Queen of England. She received properties of her own in Winchester, Rutland, Devonshire, Suffolk and Oxfordshire, as well as the city of Exeter.[4]
When King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark invaded and conquered England in 1013, Emma and her children were sent to Normandy, where Æthelred joined soon after. They returned to England after Sweyn's death in 1014.
Emma and Æthelred's marriage ended with Æthelred's death in London in 1016. Æthelred's oldest son from his first marriage, Æthelstan, had been heir apparent until his death in June 1014. Emma's sons had been ranked after all of the sons from Æthelred's first wife, the eldest surviving of whom was Edmund Ironside.[5] Emma made an attempt to get her older son, Edward, recognised as heir. Although this movement was supported by Æthelred's chief advisor, Eadric Streona, it was opposed by Edmund Ironside, Æthelred's third-oldest son, and his allies, who eventually revolted against his father.
Æthelred and Emma had two sons and a daughter:
- Edward the Confessor of England (bef1005-1066) - Born in 1003, Edward became King of England in 1042 after the death of his half-brother, Harthacnut. (See below) Edward is known for his piety and for rebuilding Westminster Abbey.
- Ælfred Æþeling of England (-c1036) = another son - Born around 1005, Alfred was the second son of Emma and Æthelred. He was sent to Normandy for his safety in 1013, but was later captured and killed by the Danes in 1036.
- Goda of England (1004-1055) (or Godgifu) - a daughter. Goda was born around 1004. She married Drogo of Mantes, a Norman nobleman, and had several children.
- Edward's unnamed sister: It is believed that Emma and Æthelred had a daughter who married the Count of Flanders, but her name is not known. (?)
2nd Marriage: Canute the Great
After Æthelred's death in 1016, Emma married Canute the Great, who had recently become king of England. Emma and Canute had two children together, Harthacnut and Gunhilda. Emma continued to play an important role in English politics during Canute's reign, and she was known for her piety and generosity.
In 1015, Cnut, the son of Sweyn Forkbeard, invaded England. He was held out of London until the deaths of Æthelred and Edmund in April and November 1016, respectively. Queen Emma attempted to maintain Anglo-Saxon control of London until her marriage to Cnut was arranged.[6] Some scholars believe that the marriage saved her sons' lives, as Cnut tried to rid himself of rival claimants, but spared their lives.[4]
Emma fleeing England with her two young sons following the invasion by Sweyn Forkbeard (1013). Detail of a 13th-century miniature (Fugit emma regina cum pueris suis in normanniam cum pueris suis ut ibidem a duce patre suo protegatur)
Cnut gained control of most of England after he defeated Edmund Ironside on 18 October 1016, at the Battle of Assandun, after which they agreed to divide the kingdom, Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest of the country. Edmund died shortly afterwards on 30 November, and Cnut became the king of all England. At the time of their marriage in 1017,[7] Emma's sons from her marriage to Æthelred were sent to live in Normandy under the tutelage of her brother. At this time Emma became Queen of England, and later of Denmark and Norway.
The Encomium Emmae Reginae suggests in its second book that Emma and Cnut's marriage, though begun as a political strategy, became an affectionate marriage. During their marriage, Emma and Cnut had children:
- Harthacnut (c1018-1042) - Born in 1018, Harthacnut became King of England in 1040 after the death of his father. He ruled for only two years before his own death in 1042.
- Gunhilda of Denmark (c1020-1038) - Born around 1020, Gunhilda was sent to Germany at an early age where she marred the German leader -Heinrich III of the Holy Roman Empire (1017-1056).
Death
Emma died in 1052 and was buried in Winchester Cathedral. She was a significant figure in English history, both as the mother of Edward the Confessor and as a queen who played an active role in politics and diplomacy.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Edward the Confessor of England (bef1005-1066) | 1005 | January 1066 | Edith of Wessex (c1026-1075) |
| Goda of England (1004-1055) | 1004 England | 1049 England | Drogo of Mantes (996-1035) Eustache II de Boulogne (c1017-1087) |
| Ælfred Æþeling of England (-c1036) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Harthacnut (c1018-1042) | 1018 England | 8 June 1042 Lambeth, South London, England | |
| Gunhilda of Denmark (c1020-1038) | 1020 | 18 July 1038 Italy | Heinrich III of the Holy Roman Empire (1017-1056) |
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Richard II, Duke of Normandy (963-1027) | 23 August 963 Normandy, France | 28 August 1027 Normandy, France | Judith of Brittany (982-1017) Papia of Envermeu |
| Robert of Normandy (?-1037) | 1037 | Herlève (bef1037-) | |
| Mauger, Earl of Corbeil (?-aft1033) | |||
| Robert of Normandy (?-c988) | |||
| Hawise of Normandy (977-1034) | 978 | 21 January 1034 | Geoffroi I de Bretagne (980-1008) |
| Maud of Normandy (?-?) | |||
| Emma of Normandy (c985-1052) | 985 | 21 February 1052 Winchester, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom | Æthelred the Unready (c968-1016) Cnut (c990-1035) |
| Beatrice of Normandy (c980-1034) | 980 | 1034 | Ebles I de Comborn (953-1030) |
| Pappa of Normandy (c990-?) | 990 | Gautier de Saint-Valery (c977-?) | |
| Fressenda of Normandy (c995-c1057) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Godefroi de Brionne (962-aft1023) | 962 Brionne, Eure, Normandie, France | 1023 Fécamp, Normandie, France | Hawise de Guines (c958-1015) |
| Guillaume I of Eu (985-1058) | 985 | 1058 | Lanceline of Harcourt (1003-1069) |
Legacy
The marriage between Emma of Normandy and the two kings of England, would later precipitate the Norman Conquest of England when her sons would die without heirs. Her nephew, William the Conqueror, then Duke of Normandy would then come forth with a great army to invade England and claim the English throne for himself in 1066.
See Also
Bibliography
- Barlow, Frank (1965). "Edward the Confessor's Early Life, Character and Attitudes". The English Historical Review 80 (315): 225–251. DOI:10.1093/ehr/LXXX.CCCXV.225.
- Barlow, Frank (1997). Edward the Confessor. London: Yale University Press.
- (2020) "The earliest arbitration treaty? A reassessment of the Anglo-Norman treaty of 991*". Historical Research 93 (260): 189–204. DOI:10.1093/hisres/htaa001. ISSN 0950-3471.
- Barlow, Frank (1984). Edward the Confessor. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-05319-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=FUeGTZhIn7cC.
- Bech-Danielsen, Anne (6 December 2008). "Knud Den Store Kom Ikke Med Det Kgl. Bibliotek Hjem". https://politiken.dk/kultur/art5488337/Knud-den-Store-kom-ikke-med-Det-Kgl.-Bibliotek-hjem.
- Campbell, Alistair; Keynes, Simon (1998). Encomium Emmae Reginae. Cambridge: University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-62655-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=mxfc1D56KbkC.
- Dugdale, William (1693). Monasticon Anglicanum, or, The history of the ancient abbies, and other monasteries, hospitals, cathedral and collegiate churches in England and Wales. London: Sam Keble; Hen. Rhodes. https://archive.org/details/monasticonanglic00dugd.
- Duggan, Anne (2002). Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe: Proceedings of a Conference Held at King's College London, April 1995. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-881-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=8uJVS6cBOrgC.
- Huneycutt, Lois L. (2003). Matilda of Scotland: A Study in Medieval Queenship. Woodbridge: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-994-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=6tufwLByo20C.
- Howard, Ian (2008). Harthacnut: The Last Danish King of England. History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-4674-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=CBgpNAAACAAJ.
- Karkov, Catherine E. (2004). The Ruler Portraits of Anglo-Saxon England. Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-059-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=Rr2n20T0pdcC.
- Keynes (8 October 2009). "Æthelred II [Ethelred; known as Ethelred the Unready] (c. 966x8–1016), king of England". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8915. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- Lawson (10 January 2013). "Cnut [Canute] (d. 1035)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/4579. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- Lawson, M. K. (2004). "Harthacnut [Hardecanute (c. 1018–1042)"]. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/12252. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-12252. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- Lifshitz, Felice (1989). "The Encomium Emmae Reginae: a 'Political Pamphlet' of the Eleventh Century?". Haskins Society Journal 1: 39–50.
- Neveux, François; Ruelle, Claire (2008). A Brief History of the Normans: The Conquests that Changed the Face of Europe. Robinson. ISBN 978-1-84529-523-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=3_MengEACAAJ.
- O'Brien, Harriet (2006). Queen Emma and the Vikings: The Woman who Shaped the Events of 1066. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-0-7475-7968-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=V56rCRrxDv8C.
- Reid, Herbert J. (1885). The History of Wargrave. London: W. Smith.
- Stafford, Pauline (2001). Queen Emma and Queen Edith: Queenship and Women's Power in Eleventh-Century England. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-631-22738-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=q3Eww0z_Fj0C.
- Strachan, Isabella (2004). [Emma of Normandy (c985-1052) at Google Books Emma, the Twice-crowned Queen: England in the Viking Age]. London: Peter Owen. ISBN 978-0-7206-1221-9. Emma of Normandy (c985-1052) at Google Books.
- (2005) "Fictions of Family: The Encomium Emmae Reginae and Virgil's Aeneid". Viator 36: 149–179. DOI:10.1484/J.VIATOR.2.300008. ISSN 0083-5897.
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Emma of Normandy
- Emma of Normandy at thePeerage
- Emma of Normandy - Geni.com
- Emma of Normandy at Find A Grave
- Anglo-Saxon and Danish Kings of England - Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
- Ethelred II at the official website of the British monarchy
- Emma 2 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
- Miller, Sean. "Æthelred the Unready". http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=get&type=person&id=EthelredtheUnready.
- Documentary – The Making of England: Aethelred the Unready
Ancestry Trees
Contemporary References Sources
Some of the best contemporary sources for his life include:
- The Encomium Emmae Reginae: The Encomium Emmae Reginae is a Latin work written by an anonymous author in the early 11th century. It is a eulogy of Æthelred's wife, Emma of Normandy, and provides a valuable perspective on the events of Æthelred's reign from the perspective of his queen.
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - This is a collection of annals in Old English that were kept from the 9th to the 12th century.
The Chronicle contains several entries about Æthelred the Unready, including his accession to the throne, his various campaigns against the Vikings, and his eventual exile.
- The Chronicle of Æthelweard: The Chronicle of Æthelweard is a historical work that covers the period from the Roman conquest of Britain to the 10th century. It was written by Æthelweard, a nobleman and historian who was a relative of Æthelred the Unready. The Chronicle provides valuable insights into the reign of Æthelred, including his early struggles with the Vikings and his efforts to maintain peace with them.
- The Life of St. Oswald: The Life of St. Oswald is a hagiography written in the late 10th century that focuses on the life of St. Oswald, a 10th-century archbishop of York. The work contains several references to Æthelred the Unready, particularly his relationship with St. Oswald.
- The Life of St. Edward the Confessor: The Life of St. Edward the Confessor is a hagiography written in the mid-11th century that focuses on the life of St. Edward, a 10th-century king of England. The work contains several references to Æthelred the Unready, particularly his relationship with St. Edward.
Encomium Emmae Reginae Citations
a few original citations from The Encomium Emmae Reginae, the Eulogy for Emma of Normandy, in the original Latin:
- "Est ergo tam potens in decore corporis, ut a similibus ipsius quae in hac mundo visuntur, supereminet" (Chapter 1). Translation: "She is, therefore, so powerful in the beauty of her body, that she surpasses those who are similar to her, that are seen in this world."
- "Hec autem tam preclara fuit in uirtutibus, ut ipsam dignas esse uirtutes uideantur, non uirtutes eam" (Chapter 1). Translation: "She, however, was so illustrious in virtues, that the virtues themselves seem worthy of her, not she of the virtues."
- "Non ergo sapientiam tantum, sed prudentiam eius aperire conor" (Chapter 2). Translation: "Therefore, I try to reveal not only her wisdom, but also her prudence."
- "Sed, ut dixi, nichil eorum perdidit, quia sua dona recte disposuit" (Chapter 3). Translation: "But, as I said, she lost none of them, because she rightly disposed of her gifts."
- "Nec minus habebat que regina prout decuit habere, scilicet prudentiam atque sapientiam" (Chapter 4). Translation: "And she possessed no less than a queen ought to have, namely, prudence and wisdom."
Royal Succession Charts
Emma of Normandy (c985-1052) Born: circa 984 Died: 6 March 1052
| ||
| Preceded by Ælfgifu of York |
Queen consort of the English 1002–1013 |
Succeeded by Sigrid the Haughty |
| Preceded by Sigrid the Haughty |
Queen consort of the English 1014–1016 |
Succeeded by Ealdgyth |
| Preceded by Ealdgyth as Queen of the English |
Queen consort of England 1016–1035 |
Succeeded by Edith of Wessex as Queen of the English |
| None known | Queen consort of Denmark 1017–1035 |
Succeeded by Gyda of Sweden |
| Preceded by Astrid Olofsdotter |
Queen consort of Norway 1028–1035 |
Succeeded by Elisiv of Kiev |
References
- ^ Keynes 2009.
- ^ Neveux & Ruelle 2008, pp. 94–95.
- ^ Howard 2008, p. 10.
- ^ a b Huneycutt 2003, p. 41.
- ^ Barlow 1984, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Howard 2008, pp. 12–15.
- ^ Strachan 2004, p. 172.
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |
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