Æthelswith

Æthelswith (c. 838 – 888) was the Queen of Mercia from 853 as the wife of King Burgred.

Biography

Early years

An Anglo-Saxon noblewoman from the House of Wessex, Æthelswith was the daughter of King Æthelwulf of Wessex and, thus, the sister of future kings Alfred the Great and Aethelred. In 853, she married Burgred a year after he had been crowned King of Mercia.

Together, Æthelswith and Burgred ruled the kingdom for more than twenty years, and bore witness to the Viking expansion into England from the early 860s. On several occasions, they would call upon Æthelswith's brother, King Aethelred of Wessex, to assist in their battles against the coalition of Vikings that were dubbed the Great Heathen Army.

When Mercia became a target following the fall of the kingdoms of East Anglia and Northumbria, Burgred was forced to pay off the Sons of Ragnar faction, led by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, Ivarr and Ubba Ragnarsson. This did not last long as the brothers soon desired to claim the throne of Mercia for themselves and allied with the Mercian nobleman Ceolwulf, who was dissatisfied with Burgred's rule.

Capture and exile

In 873, Æthelswith and her husband, along with the loyal thegn Leofrith, made their final stand at the fortress of Tamworth. As the Vikings laid siege to the fortress, Leofrith assisted Burgred, Æthelswith and her maidens in escaping the stronghold and fleeing to safety. While Bugred hid in an unmarked crypt in the region, Æthelswith and her maidens sought refuge in Templebrough Fort until Leofrith rallied the remaining Mercians and hit back at the Vikings.

Æthelswith brought before Ubba

This plan did not last long as word of Æthelswith's location soon reached Ubba Ragnarsson and his ally Sigurd Styrbjornsson. In a last-ditch attempt to escape, Æthelswith followed Leofrith's suggestion of exchanging places with one of her maidens by the name of Kadlin, wearing her clothes while the maiden would pose as her. Not long after, Æthelswith and her maidens were confronted in the fort's cellars by Sigurd and his step-sister Eivor Varinsdottir.

The plan was initially a success as the maidens, including Æthelswith, were allowed to leave safely. However, this deception was soon discovered by Eivor, who chased after the queen. Æthelswith attempted to leave on a boat with her guards but was quickly caught by Eivor, who eliminated the guards and carried Æthelswith back to Ubba and Sigurd. The queen and her maidens were then brought to Tamworth, where they were interrogated for information on Burgred's whereabouts.

Æthelswith revealing Burgred's location

When Ubba was unable to get a word out of the queen, Eivor stepped in and questioned Æthelswith, trying to convince her that Burgred was only delaying the inevitable and that Mercia would eventually fall to the invaders. Although her words weakened Æthelswith's resolve, it was not until Ivarr arrived, carrying the heads of three of his victims, that the queen finally broke and revealed Burgred's whereabouts: "an old crypt to the south, where the Alne and Arwy rivers join".

With this information, Eivor was able to find and capture Burgred, leading Æthelswith to be reunited with her husband while they were both held hostage by the Vikings. The next day, Burgred was forced to relinquish his crown and Ceolwulf was appointed as the new King of Mercia. On his orders, both Æthelswith and Burgred were exiled to Rome. Burgred died shortly after, while Æthelswith lived on for another decade, dying in 888 while on a pilgrimage in Pavia.

Behind the scenes

Æthelswith is a historical character in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. She is voiced by English actress Lucy Briers.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
• The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One (mentioned only)