The Real Life of Ælfgifu of Northampton | Vikings Valhalla

A lot of you may knowÆlfgifu from the show Vikings Valhalla. Here she is presented to us as a calculating character with her own set of agendas. However, what was her life like according to the sources? This noblewoman who married a Prince who later goes on to become a King should have become a queen. The politics of England in the 11th century were turbulent as the throne of England was being fought over by several factions, the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings.

Ælfgifu is largely known for being locked in a rivalry with Emma of Normandy, with both seeking to make their own son the heir of their husband and both to extreme lengths of doing so. Ælfgifu would grow up in one of the most chaotic and unstable times in English history with the Viking invasions overpowering Saxon power and England becoming a different land. This is her story.

https://www.patreon.com/historyprofiles

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:02 Chapter 1 - Early Life & War
02:38 Chapter 2 - A Tense Rivalry
04:16 Chapter 3 - The death of Kings
05:50 Chapter 4 - The Succession after Cnut

All Credit for the Music goes to: Savfk - Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXOeF...
https://soundcloud.com/savfk/the-hunt

Sources: Anglo Saxon Chronicle
http://www.public-library.uk/dailyebo...

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