Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Æthelstan Æthelbald Æthelberht Æthelred Alfred The Great Æthelswith Burgred of Mercia

    Uploaded by

    Harrison Smith
    12 views1 page
    Osburh was the wife of King Æthelwulf of Wessex and mother of his five sons including Alfred the Great and daughter Æthelswith. She is known from Asser's Life of King Alfred, where she is described offering a book of Saxon songs to her children as a challenge, which Alfred memorized, showing her role in their education. Osburh was the daughter of Oslac, King Æthelwulf's butler, an important royal court position, with Oslac described as a descendant of Cerdic's Jutish nephews who conquered the Isle of Wight.

    Original Description:

    Original Title

    Asser Notes

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    Osburh was the wife of King Æthelwulf of Wessex and mother of his five sons including Alfred the Great and daughter Æthelswith. She is known from Asser's Life of King Alfred, where she is described offering a book of Saxon songs to her children as a challenge, which Alfred memorized, showing her role in their education. Osburh was the daughter of Oslac, King Æthelwulf's butler, an important royal court position, with Oslac described as a descendant of Cerdic's Jutish nephews who conquered the Isle of Wight.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    12 views1 page

    Æthelstan Æthelbald Æthelberht Æthelred Alfred The Great Æthelswith Burgred of Mercia

    Uploaded by

    Harrison Smith
    Osburh was the wife of King Æthelwulf of Wessex and mother of his five sons including Alfred the Great and daughter Æthelswith. She is known from Asser's Life of King Alfred, where she is described offering a book of Saxon songs to her children as a challenge, which Alfred memorized, showing her role in their education. Osburh was the daughter of Oslac, King Æthelwulf's butler, an important royal court position, with Oslac described as a descendant of Cerdic's Jutish nephews who conquered the Isle of Wight.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 1

    Osburh's existence is known only from Asser's ​Life of King Alfred​.

    She is not named as witness to


    any charters, nor is her death reported in the ​Anglo-Saxon Chronicle​. So far as is known, she was
    the mother of all Æthelwulf's children, his five sons ​Æthelstan​, ​Æthelbald​, ​Æthelberht​, ​Æthelred​ and
    Alfred the Great​, and his daughter ​Æthelswith​, wife of King ​Burgred of Mercia​.
    She is best known f

    Research is best done online

    rom Asser's story about a book of Saxon songs, which she showed to Alfred and his brothers,
    offering to give the book to whoever could first memorise it, a challenge which Alfred took up and
    won. This exhibits high-status ninth-century women's interest in books and their role in educating
    their children.​[2]
    Osburh was the daughter of Oslac (who is also only known from Asser's ​Life​), King Æthelwulf's
    pincerna​ (butler), an important figure in the royal court and household.​[3]​ Oslac is described as a
    descendant of King ​Cerdic​'s ​Jutish​ nephews, Stuf and Wihtgar, who conquered the ​Isle of Wight​.[4]
    ​

    You might also like