Queen Æthelflæd: Victor Over the Vikings
- Megan O
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 4
Aethelflaed or Æthelflæd, Queen of Mercia
Born: c. 871
Died: June 12, 918
Country: England
Culture: Anglo-Saxon
Aethelflaed was the oldest of five children born to King Alfred and Lady Ealhswith, who ruled the kingdom of Wessex in England. Ferocious Vikings were attacking towns across England and her dad was often away defending the kingdom. She and her siblings were mostly raised by their mother, a smart woman who made sure that all of her children were educated. They learned how to read and write, and were also taught history, literature, and diplomacy.
When Aethelfaed was about fifteen, her dad arranged for her to marry Aethelred, the powerful king of a nearby kingdom called Mercia. This marriage united the two kingdoms, Mercia and Wessex, and strengthened both of them against the Vikings. It also made teenage Aethelflaed the Queen of Mercia, and she got straight to work protecting her new kingdom. Although it was unusual for women to have true power, even queens, Mercia was different.
"Mercia had a stronger tradition of women taking part in the life of court and administration. Here Aethelflaed's talents could shine." - Dr. Clare Downham, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Liverpool
She’d learned a lot about military strategy from watching her father, and she used this knowledge to strengthen Mercia. She rebuilt the city walls to be larger and stronger, and established new castle fortresses. One of her big moves was to reorganize the citizens. The towns of Mercia were spread out from each other, and the Vikings could easily attack and retreat in one day before an army could reach them. Aethelflaed exercised her new authority as queen and relocated the citizens closer together. This way if one town was attacked, the others were close enough to come to the rescue that same day. Pretty smart!
Like her mother, Aethelflaed knew the value of a good education. She invited scholars from other countries to Mercia to bring in new ideas and boost learning at the royal court. This also helped strengthen relationships with other nations in case Mercia needed to ask them for aid. But she wasn’t just holed up at the royal court—she was a warrior too.
The Vikings were determined to topple Mercia, but for years Aethelflaed stubbornly stood in their way. She and her husband fought them and won, beating back the Vikings again and again. In 896, Aethelflaed and Aethelred finally crushed the Vikings once and for all. Things were looking good for the King and Queen of Mercia.
Things took a tough turn in 902 when Aethelflaed’s husband got seriously sick, so sick that he couldn’t rule any more. From then on, Aethelflaed pretty much ruled on her own. And with the Viking threat taken care of, she brought peace to Mercia. People loved her leadership, and she had earned their respect for her smart decisions during the Viking attacks. Today, her reign as queen is praised as a time of unique peace during the Viking Age. But contemporary records mostly wrote her out of history.
"While Aethelflaed is subduing the Welsh and Viking raids, taking Derby and Leicester, the Wessex chronicle concentrates entirely on [her brother] Edward." - Dr. Allison Hudson, Professor of History at the University of Central Florida
Thankfully, a wave of deeper research digs by modern historians have recovered her story.
Depictions of Aethelflaed at Worcester Cathedral, Tamworth Castle, St Andrew's Church
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