Biography of Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex 844-870

In or before 838 [her future husband] King Æthelwulf of Wessex and Osburgh Queen Consort Wessex were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Wessex. He the son of King Egbert of Wessex (age 64).

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The same year, ere midwinter, died [her father] Charles, king of the Franks (age 16). He was slain by a boar; and one year before his [her uncle] brother (age 36) died, who had also the Western kingdom. They were both the sons of [her grandfather] Louis (age 62), who also had the Western kingdom, and died the same year that the sun was eclipsed. He was the son of that Charles whose daughter [her future husband] Ethelwulf, king of the West-Saxons, had to wife.

Around 844 Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex was born to Charles "Bald" I King West Francia (age 20) and Ermentrude Orléans Queen Consort West Francia.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 854. This year the heathen men³⁴ for the first time remained over winter in the Isle of Shepey [Map]. The same year [her future husband] King Ethelwulf registered a TENTH of his land over all his kingdom for the honour of God and for his own everlasting salvation. The same year also he went to Rome with great pomp, and was resident there a twelvemonth. Then he returned homeward; and [her father] Charles, king of the Franks (age 30), gave him his daughter, whose name was Judith (age 10), to be his queen. After this he came to his people, and they were fain to receive him; but about two years after his residence among the Franks he died; and his body lies at Winchester. He reigned eighteen years and a half. And Ethelwulf was the son of Egbert, Egbert of Ealhmund, Ealhmund of Eafa, Eafa of Eoppa, Eoppa of Ingild; Ingild was the brother of Ina, king of the West-Saxons, who held that kingdom thirty-seven winters, and afterwards went to St. Peter, where he died. And they were the sons of Cenred, Cenred of Ceolwald, Ceolwald of Cutha, Cutha of Cuthwin, Cuthwin of Ceawlin, Ceawlin of Cynric, Cynric of Creoda, Creoda of Cerdic, Cerdic of Elesa, Elesa of Esla, Esla of Gewis, Gewis of Wig, Wig of Freawine, Freawine of Frithugar, Frithugar of Brond, Brond of Balday, Balday of Woden, Woden of Frithuwald, Frithuwald of Freawine, Freawine of Frithuwualf, Frithuwulf of Finn, Finn of Godwulf, Godwulf of Great, Great of Taetwa, Taetwa of Beaw, Beaw of Sceldwa, Sceldwa of Heremod, Heremod of Itermon, Itermon of Hathra, Hathra of Hwala, Hwala of Bedwig, Bedwig of Sceaf; that is, the son of Noah, who was born in Noah's ark: Laznech, Methusalem, Enoh, Jared, Malalahel, Cainion, Enos, Seth, Adam the first man, and our Father, that is, Christ. Amen. Then two sons of Ethelwulf succeeded to the kingdom; [her future husband] Ethelbald to Wessex, and [her future brother-in-law] Ethelbert to Kent, Essex, Surrey, and Sussex. Ethelbald reigned five years. [her future step-son] Alfred (age 5), his third son, Ethelwulf had sent to Rome; and when the pope heard say that he was dead, he consecrated Alfred king, and held him under spiritual hands, as his father Ethelwulf had desired, and for which purpose he had sent him thither.

Note 34. i.e. the Danes; or, as they are sometimes called, Northmen, which is a general term including all those numerous tribes that issued at different times from the north of Europe, whether Danes, Norwegians, Sweons, Jutes, or Goths, etc.; who were all in a state of paganism at this time.

Become a Member via our 'Buy Me a Coffee' page to read complete text.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 855. Collation. And on his return homewards he took to (wife) the daughter of [her father] Charles, king of the French (age 31), whose name was Judith (age 11), and he came home safe. And then in about two years he died, and his body lies at Winchester: and he reigned eighteen years and a half, and he was the son of Egbert. And then his two sons succeeded to the kingdom; [her future husband] Ethelbald to the kingdom of the West-Saxons, and [her future brother-in-law] Ethelbert to the kingdom of the Kentish-men, and of the East-Saxons, and of Surrey, and of the South-Saxons. And he reigned five years.

Assers Life of Alfred 855. 855. 11. Æthelwulf journeys to Rome.²⁷ In that same year the aforesaid worshipful [her future husband] King Æthelwulf freed the tenth part of all his kingdom from every royal service and tribute, and offered it up as an everlasting grant to God the One and Three, on the cross of Christ, for the redemption of his own soul and those of his predecessors. In the same year he went to Rome with much honor; and taking with him his son, the aforesaid King Alfred, a second time on the same journey, because he loved him more than his other sons, he remained there a whole year. After this he returned to his own country, bringing with him Judith (age 11), daughter of [her father] Charles (age 31), King of the Franks.²⁸

Note 27. Based upon the Chronicle.

Note 28. Charles the Bald.

In 856 King Æthelwulf of Wessex and Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex (age 12) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Wessex. She the daughter of Charles "Bald" I King West Francia (age 32) and Ermentrude Orléans Queen Consort West Francia. He the son of King Egbert of Wessex.

Assers Life of Alfred 856. 856. 13. Judith's Position in Wessex.³¹ When [her husband] Æthelwulf, therefore, returned from Rome, the whole nation, as was fitting, so rejoiced³² in the arrival of the ruler that, if he had allowed them, they would have expelled his unruly son [her future husband] Æthelbald, with all his counselors, from the kingdom. But he, as I have said, acting with great clemency and prudent counsel, would not act in this way, lest the kingdom should be exposed to peril. He likewise bade Judith (age 12), daughter of [her father] King Charles (age 32), whom he had received from her father, take her seat by his own side on the royal throne, without any dispute or enmity from his nobles even to the end of his life, though contrary to the perverse custom of that nation.³³ For the nation of the West Saxons does not allow the queen to sit beside the king, nor to be called queen, but only the king's wife; which refusal, or rather reproach, the chief persons of that land say arose from a certain headstrong and malevolent queen of the nation, who did all things so contrary to her lord and to the whole people that not only did the hatred which she brought upon herself bring to pass her exclusion from the queenly throne, but also entailed the same corruption upon those who came after her, since, in consequence of the extreme malignity of that queen, all the inhabitants of the land banded themselves together by an oath never in their lives to let any king reign over them who should bid his queen take her seat on the royal throne by his side. And because, as I think, it is not known to many whence this perverse and detestable custom first arose in Wessex, contrary to the custom of all the Germanic peoples, it seems to me right to explain it a little more fully, as I have heard it from my lord Alfred the truth-teller, King of the Anglo-Saxons, who often told me about it, as he also had heard it from many men of truth who related the fact, or, I should rather say, expressly preserved the remembrance of it.

Note 31. Chiefly original.

Note 32. From the Chronicle.

Note 33. Prudentius of Troyes (in Annales Bertiniani, an. 856, ed. Waitz, p. 47), says of Bishop Hincmar: 'Eam ... reginæ nomine insignit, quod sibi suæque genti eatenus fuerat insuetum.'

Click to read complete text ...

Assers Life of Alfred 858. 858. 17. Æthelbald marries Judith.⁴⁴ But when [her husband] King Æthelwulf was dead [and buried at Winchester [Map]]⁴⁵, his son [her husband] Æthelbald, contrary to God's prohibition and the dignity of a Christian, contrary also to the custom of all the heathen⁴⁶, ascended his father's bed, and married Judith (age 14), daughter of [her father] Charles (age 34), King of the Franks, incurring much infamy from all who heard of it. During two years and a half of lawlessness he held after his father the government of the West Saxons.

Note 44. Original.

Note 45. From Florence of Worcester. The Annals of St. Neots have: 'and buried at Steyning' (Stemrugam).

Note 46. This last statement is incorrect.

Around 858 King Æthelbald of Wessex and Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex (age 14) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Wessex. She the daughter of Charles "Bald" I King West Francia (age 34) and Ermentrude Orléans Queen Consort West Francia. He the son of King Æthelwulf of Wessex and Osburgh Queen Consort Wessex.

On 13th January 858 [her husband] King Æthelwulf of Wessex died. His son [her husband] Æthelbald succeeded King Wessex.

In 860 [her husband] King Æthelbald of Wessex died. His brother [her brother-in-law] Æthelberht succeeded King Wessex.

Around 866 [her son] Baldwin "Bald" II Margrave Flanders was born to Baldwin "Iron Arm" I Margrave Flanders (age 36) and Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex (age 22).

Around 870 Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex (age 26) died.

Assers Life of Alfred 884. 884. 68. Death of Carloman, of Louis II, and of Louis III.¹⁴⁷ In that same year also, Carloman (age 18), King of the West Franks, while engaged in a boar-hunt, was miserably slain by a boar, which inflicted a dreadful wound on him with its tusk. His brother Louis, who had also been King of the Franks, had died the year before. Both these were sons of Louis¹⁴⁸, King of the Franks, who also had died in the year above mentioned, in which the eclipse of the sun took place.¹⁴⁹ This Louis was the son of [her father] Charles¹⁵⁰, King of the Franks, whose daughter Judith¹⁵¹ [her former husband] Æthelwulf, King of the West Saxons, took to queen with her father's consent.

Note 147. Chiefly from the Chronicle.

Note 148. [her brother] Louis the Stammerer.

Note 149. Cf. chap. 59.

Note 150. Charles the Bald.

Note 151. Cf. chaps. 11 and 13.

Assers Life of Alfred 884. 884. 70. Charles, King of the Alemanni.¹⁵⁵ In that same year also, Charles (age 44), King of the Alemanni, received with universal consent the kingdom of the West Franks, and all the kingdoms which lie between the Tyrrhene Sea and that gulf¹⁵⁶ situated between the Old Saxons and the Gauls, with the exception of the kingdom of Armorica.¹⁵⁷ This Charles was the son of [her uncle] King Louis¹⁵⁸, who was brother of Charles, King of the Franks, father of Judith, the aforesaid queen; these two brothers were sons of [her grandfather] Louis¹⁵⁹, Louis being the son of Charlemagne, son of Pepin.

Note 155. Mainly from the Chronicle.

Note 156. The North Sea.

Note 157. Brittany.

Note 158. Louis the German.

Note 159. Louis the Pious.

Baldwin "Iron Arm" I Margrave Flanders and Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex were married. She by marriage Margravine Flanders. She the daughter of Charles "Bald" I King West Francia and Ermentrude Orléans Queen Consort West Francia.

[her father] Charles "Bald" I King West Francia and Richildis Bivinids Queen Consort West Francia were married. She by marriage Queen Consort West Francia. The difference in their ages was 21 years. He the son of [her grandfather] Louis "Pious" King Aquitaine I King Franks and [her grandmother] Judith Welf Queen Consort Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks.

[her father] Charles "Bald" I King West Francia and [her mother] Ermentrude Orléans Queen Consort West Francia were married. She by marriage Queen Consort West Francia. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Odi Orléans 1st Count Orléans. He the son of [her grandfather] Louis "Pious" King Aquitaine I King Franks and [her grandmother] Judith Welf Queen Consort Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks.

Biography of Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex 844-870

Royal Ancestors of Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex 844-870

Royal Descendants of Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex 844-870

Ancestors of Judith Carolingian Queen Consort Wessex 844-870