Ælfgifu of Northampton

Possible illustration in the New Minster Liber Vitae (1031)

Name: Lady Ælfgifu of Northampton

Birth name: Ælfġifu of Hamtūn

Born: c. 990, Mercia, Kingdom of England

Father: Ælfhelm, Ealdorman of York

Mother: Wulfrun *disputed*

House: York

Nationality: English

Religion: Catholicism 

Consort of: Cnut 'The Great'

Reign: c. 1016 - c. 1035 (19 years)

Coronation: N/A

Predecessor: Ealdgyth of East Anglia

Concurrent: Emma of Normandy

Successor: Edith of Wessex

Died: ???? (aged *unknown*)

Cause: *Unknown*

Burial: *Unknown*

Motto: N/A 

Spouse(s):

• King Cnut of Denmark, Norway and the English 'The Great' (m. 1013 - 1035) 

Children:

• With King Cnut of Denmark, Norway and the English 
• King Svein of Norway (c. 1016 - 1035)
• King Harold I of the English 'Harefoot' (???? - 1040) 

Appearance:
Unknown.
 
Character:
She was reported to be strict, harsh, and greedy.
 
Biography:
Ælfgifu was born some time around 990, and was one of three children born to Ælfhelm, Ealdorman of York, with her mother possibly being a woman named Wulfrun. She came from a powerful Mercian noble family, and from a very young age, she and her family suffered many tragedies. Her father was killed in 1006, and her brothers were blinded, likely on the orders of King Æthelred of the English, as her family were often under suspicion of being more sympathetic towards Danish invaders. 

After much of her family was killed because of this, Ælfgifu likely became a lady-in-waiting to the Lady of Mercia.
 
In 1013, King Sweyn of Denmark and Norway once again invaded the north of England and proclaimed himself to be the King of the English as well. Due to having closer cultural ties to Scandinavia than the Anglo-Saxons, the north of England quickly surrendered and accepted his claim. To seal their alliance, Ælfgifu, as a powerful northern noblewoman, was married to Sweyn's son, Cnut. 

Sweyn conquered the rest of England, and King Æthelred was deposed, however, Sweyn's reign in England would only last for five weeks before he died in a horse riding accident. 
 
Æthelred then returned to reclaim his crown, and Cnut fled back to Denmark, leaving Ælfgifu and their baby son, Svein, behind. Ælfgifu stayed with what little remained of her family, and although they began to support the return of Æthelred, they knew that he posed a great danger to Ælfgifu and her son. 

As a result, Ælfgifu and her baby were sent off to Denmark with the body of King Sweyn, where she met up with her husband again. Both she and Cnut then went on to have another child, Harold.
 
Cnut then returned to England and invaded in 1016, and officially became the King of the English. Ælfgifu remained in Denmark with their two sons while Cnut went on to take a second wife, the widow of the previous King Æthelred, Emma of Normandy. This was not considered unusual at the time, especially since Cnut and Ælfgifu were likely married in a more pagan ceremony, and therefore was not considered an official marriage in the eyes of Christianity. 

Despite having two wives, both Ælfgifu and Emma were considered to be Cnut's consorts, and both were respected as such. While Cnut and Emma remained in England, Cnut sent Ælfgifu to the Kingdom of Norway to rule with their eldest son after the murder of King Olaf II by Cnut's forces. 
 
Unfortunately, their rule was harsh and unpopular, and the people of Norway began to rebel against them. In 1035, they were chased out of the kingdom, with Svein being injured in the process. The two of them fled back to Denmark where Svein died from the wounds he sustained while fleeing. 

Cnut died shortly afterwards as well, creating a succession crisis. Cnut had produced sons in both of his marriages, and some chroniclers argued that Cnut had named his son with Ælfgifu, Harold, as his heir, while others argued that it was his son with Emma, Harthacnut, who had been named as such. 
 
Ælfgifu immediately began promoting the interests of her own son, and while Harthacnut was securing the Kingdom of Denmark, she returned to England to install Harold as king. Harold did indeed end up being elected king, perhaps largely due to Ælfgifu bribing and paying off powerful nobles. 

This move was not popular with Emma and her supporters, and Emma herself spread malicious rumours that Harold was not actually the son of Cnut, but whose father was actually a servant that Ælfgifu had conducted an affair with. She also suggested that Ælfgifu was partly responsible for the murder of another of Emma's sons, Prince Alfred. The truth of these accusations is not known for sure. 
 
After 1036, Ælfgifu seems to completely disappear from historical records, and it is not known what happened to her after the first year of her son's reign. 

It is not known when or how she died.
 
Rule:
Ælfgifu tended to be very unpopular with her subjects. 

She was notorious for her heavy taxation, especially during her time as regent in Norway. She was harsh to her subjects to a point where they rose up against her and chased her from the country. 

It's also likely that she heavily encouraged her son to become the King of the English, using her powerful familial ties to get him elected.

 

Trivia:

• A period of history in Norway is named after her. It is known as 'Álfífuǫld' or 'Ælfgifu's time' due to her notorious years as regent there.

 

Quotes:

 

N/A

 

 

Sources & Further Reading:

Bender, B. M. (2024). Aelfgifu of Northampton. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Aelfgifu_of_Northampton/ 

Williamson, J. (2026). Ælfgifu of Northampton: A woman at the center of the Danish conquest of England. The Viking Herald. https://thevikingherald.com/article/aelfgifu-of-northampton-a-woman-at-the-center-of-the-danish-conquest-of-england/1332