Who are the descendants of the House of Wessex?
The most notable descendants of the House of Wessex include Æthelstan, the first king of a united England in 925 CE. Another is Edward the Confessor, who became monarch in 1042 and was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England.
What is the origin of the House of Wessex?
The House of Wessex is believed to be Germanic Saxon from northwestern Europe. They would have arrived in post-Roman Britain sometime after 409 CE. From then, it is considered that the Germanic Saxons who migrated to Britain mixed with the native Celtic population. Several Wessex kings had Celtic names.
Where was the seat of the House of Wessex located?
The seat of the House of Wessex was originally located in southern Britain. They ruled the Kingdom of Wessex, one of the seven Heptarchy.
When was the House of Wessex founded?
The House of Wessex was founded in the early sixth century by Cerdic of Wessex. All subsequent kings of Wessex were his progeny.
Why was the House of Wessex so important?
The House of Wessex played a dominant role in the shaping of early English history. Foremost, it was the dynasty to unify all of England. As the first ruling house of a united England, their policies and administrations laid the groundwork for the English monarchy.
How did the House of Wessex fall?
The Wessex dynasty ended with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The last king from the house, Edward the Confessor, died without an heir.
Table of Contents
Origins of the House of Wessex
The genealogy of the House of Wessex can be traced back to King Cerdic of Wessex, the originator of the dynasty. Just who he was and where he came from is unclear, but some theories posit him as a native Celtic noble, and others simply chalk him up to nothing more than legends.
Despite his mysterious origins, Cerdic became the start of one remarkable family tree.
The House of Wessex traditionally governed Wessex in southern England from 519 to 1125 CE. It was alternatively known as the Kingdom of the West Saxons. Wessex . . . West Saxons—we get it. Wessex was one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England:
- Wessex
- Northumbria
- Mercia
- East Anglia
- Essex
- Kent
- Sussex
The period during the height of the seven kingdoms was known as the Heptarchy. The Heptarchy emerged after the Roman withdrawal of 409 CE, which left native Celts to their own devices.
What followed was a mass migration of Germanic Saxons from northwestern Europe, whose presence ushered in the early Middle Ages. Therefore, the House of Wessex is believed to have been Germanic Saxon with Romano-British Celtic ancestry, as suggested by the names of several descendants.
Key Monarchs of the House of Wessex
The House of Wessex has an unsurprisingly long history. They produced some of the earliest kings of England, including those who fought off Viking incursions throughout their reigns.
Cerdic of Wessex (Founder of the House)
Cerdic of Wessex was the founder of the House of Wessex upon his ascension to kingship in 519 CE. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he is defined as an influential force behind the post-Roman settlement of Britain.
This suggests he belonged to one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to post-Roman Britain in the later fifth century. Cerdic reigned from 519 until he died in 534 CE.[1]
With a lineage that claims to be traced to the Germanic god Woden, Cerdic is considered the progenitor of all English monarchs.
Egbert of Wessex
Egbert of Wessex (alternatively Ecgberht) was the King of Wessex from 802 to 839 CE. After claiming victory over Wessex in the 780s, the King of Mercia saw to it that Egbert, the heir to Wessex, would be exiled to Francia (early France). This allowed Mercian prominence to flourish in England and go, largely, uninterrupted.
After several years in Francia, Egbert returned in 802 CE and became the Wessex monarch. Through military successes, Egbert managed to maintain Wessex independence from neighboring kingdoms during his tenure—well, that’s putting it lightly.
Once king, Egbert conquered the surrounding southern kingdoms before turning his attention further north to Northumbria. By doing so, he consolidated power in Wessex and established the authority of the House of Wessex in medieval England.
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was the King of Wessex from 871 to 899 CE. In 886, he declared himself the King of the Anglo-Saxons—which, you know, was a pretty bold move considering the Vikings were right there, knocking on the Saxons’ door.
Given his superb education and the contributions from his mother, Osburga, and his four elder brothers, Alfred has been credited with improving several elements of ninth-century England. A portion of Alfred the Great’s legacy includes the increased literacy rates, legal reformations, and military might displayed in England during his reign.
Furthermore, Alfred managed to fend off several Viking raids. These included key battles, such as the Battle of Edington in 878 CE, which led to an acknowledgment of territorial lines and a momentary peace between the Danes and the Saxons.
By displaying capable leadership in the face of adversary, Alfred opened many of his fellow Saxons to the idea of unification.[2]
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was the eldest son of Alfred the Great and Ealswitha. He ascended the throne as King of the Anglo-Saxons after his father died in 899 CE. The most important thing to know about this king is that he held the same aspirations as Alfred: both wanted to unite the Heptarchy under the House of Wessex. Unfortunately, the unification of England was not as easy as it sounded.
Things got even more complicated when Æthelwold, Edward’s cousin and son of Alfred’s predecessor, challenged his right to succeed. Æthelwold caused a revolt amongst the populace before running off to Danish-ruled East Anglia.
This wouldn’t have been so bad (maybe) if those weren’t the exact people that Alfred the Great went to war with. While the East Anglicans proclaimed Æthelwold king, the rest of Anglo-Saxon England accepted Edward.
With Edward in power, the various kingdoms of England banded together against Viking invasions. His consolidation of power in Middle Age England laid the foundation for the monarchy of England until the Norman Conquest.
Æthelstan
Æthelstan was the first king of a unified England, fulfilling the dreams of his father and grandfather. He was the son of Edward the Elder and his first spouse, Ecgwynna.
His achievement in establishing Wessex’s dominance came from military successes against Danish forces, which had controlled several major regions of England for decades. This victory manifested at the Battle of Brunanburh, where the king acquired a decisive win over Olaf Guthfrithson, the Viking King of Dublin, and his allies.
Once the King of England, Æthelstan further oppressed native Celtic Welsh populations, invaded Scotland, and flexed his might over the Danes in Ireland. The House of Wessex’s prominent role in shaping early English history helped Æthelstan centralize the monarchy.
Edgar the Peaceful
Edgar the Peaceful was the son of King Edmund I and Ælfgifu. His brother, Eadwig, was the King of England before him. Edgar ascended the throne at 15 years old in 959 CE. At the beginning of Edgar’s administration, he was the King of Mercia and, as far as we know, Eadwig was still alive and ruling a separate Wessex.
As is the case with good things, this arrangement did not last. By the time Edgar came to power, the united England forged by his predecessors was falling apart.
The Vikings were back and the kingdoms were in disarray.
However, despite these external conflicts, Edgar’s power was never directly challenged. Edgar’s wise diplomatic relations maintained a time of peace in England, unlike those before him who sought a more at-arms approach. All in all, he got along decently well with those around him—a real shocker, given his nickname.
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor was the last King of England from the House of Wessex before the Norman Conquest. He was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy.
His ascension took place in 1042 and marked a break in Danish rule. The Danes had taken over England in 1016, incorporating it into the North Sea Empire under Cnut the Great. Accordingly, the three previous kings before him all belonged to the Danish House of Knýtlinga.
Despite Edward having notably unlikeable traits during his reign as monarch, the Catholic Church canonized him in 1161. Since he left no heir to the throne upon his death, his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson took command of the Anglo-Saxons.
However, Harold could not save England from the momentum that had built around the Norman Conquest in 1066. With his failure at the Battle of Hastings against William, Duke of Normandy, and the forces at his disposal, England fell to the French-Norman invaders.
Lineage and Succession
Succession in Anglo-Saxon England during the time in which the House of Wessex ruled did not follow the absolute primogeniture of today. Nor did it follow cognatic primogeniture—at least, not strictly.
A monarch would traditionally elect a successor, who then had to gain the approval of the council or witan, the monarch’s advisors. If no heir was chosen, then they would select one that they found to be most favorable from the royal house.
While tradition suggests the ruler would have to be any descendant from Cerdic’s line, it was restricted in the tenth century to only the male offspring of the current sovereign.[3]
Historically, all English monarchs have been descended from the House of Wessex through matrilineal lineage.
For reference, William the Conqueror‘s wife, Matilda of Flanders, was related to the House of Wessex through her mother. Her ancestor, in this case, was Alfred the Great. To this day, the British royal family can still claim descent from Alfred the Great through the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
The Legacy of the House of Wessex
The House of Wessex was the earliest royal house recorded in English history. They were the first to rule the united Anglo-Saxon kingdoms under Æthelstan and the last Anglo-Saxon dynasty before the Norman Conquest.
Descendants from the House of Wessex married into other noble houses in England and abroad. Their familial connections to the numerous other royal families, most notably the Windsors, have directly contributed to the development of England’s modern history.
The influence of the House of Wessex still persists in modern England because descendants of the house remain in power.
Wrapping Up the House of Wessex Family Tree
Altogether, the family tree of the House of Wessex grew far beyond its initial reach in the Kingdom of the West Saxons. From Wessex’s legendary founding figure to the last Wessex king, the royal family went to great lengths to establish themselves in Middle Age England.
They changed the status quo, for better or worse, and helped facilitate the progression and reformations of medieval English society. Despite the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the legacy of the House of Wessex lived on in its descendants and the English kingdom’s people.
References
- “The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Sixth Century.” n.d. Avalon Project. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/ang06.asp.
- “Treaty of Wedmore.” n.d. Oxford Reference. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803121600663.
- “Anglo-Saxon origins.” n.d. UK Parliament. https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/originsofparliament/birthofparliament/overview/origins/.