Eadgyth

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Ædgyth or Edith of England (910 - 26 January 946) was the daughter of Edward the Elder, King of England and Ælfflæd.

Her paternal grandparents were Alfred the Great, King of Wessex and his wife Ealhswith.

King Athelstan of England sent two of his sisters to Germany, instructing Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor to choose whichever one pleased him best. Otto chose Edith and married her in 929. The remaining sister Algiva or Adiva was married to a "king near the Jupiter mountains" (the Alps). The precise identity of this sister is debated. She may have been Eadgifu of England who married King Charles III of France, or another sister otherwise unknown to history. (According to the entry for Boleslaus II of Bohemia, Adiva was his wife.)

Like her brother, Athelstan, Edith was devoted to the cult of Saint Oswald, and was instrumental in introducing this cult into Germany after her marriage to the emperor.

Edith and Otto's children were:

  1. Liutgarde, married Conrad the Red
  2. Liudolf, Duke of Swabia (930-September 6, 957)

Her tomb is located at the Cathedral of Magdeburg.

Preceded by
Matilda of Ringelheim
German Queen
936946
Succeeded by
Adelaide of Italy

[edit] Sources

  • Freytag von Loringhoven, Baron. Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, 1965.
  • Klaniczay, Gábor. Holy Rulers and Blessed Princesses, 2002.