Æthelburh of Kent

Saint Æthelburh
Widow
Born c. late 6th century
Kent, England
Died c. 647
Lyminge, Kent, England
Honored in Roman Catholic Church; Anglican Communion
Major shrine Collegiate Church at Canterbury, England
Feast April 5

Saint Æthelburh (ca. 616[1] - 647), also known as Ethelburg, Ædilburh and Æthelburga (Old English: Æþelburh), was the second wife of Edwin of Northumbria. She was the daughter of King Ethelbert of Kent and the Merovingian princess Saint Bertha, as well as the sister of Eadbald and Edburga. Æthelburh’s marriage to Edwin in 625 triggered the conversion of the north of England to Christianity.

Contents

Secular life

Æthelburh was born circa 616 to Æthelberht of Kent and Bertha of Kent.[2] In 625 she married Edwin of Northumbria. Their marriage, which led to Edwin being converted to Christianity by Æthelburh,[1][2] not only helped to spread Christianity in the kingdom, but also brought together the two kingdoms of Northumbria and Kent.[3]

Children

Æthelburh’s children with Edwin were:

Religious leader

After Æthelberht's death, she moved back to Kent, with her daughter, Eanfled.[3] She then established one of the first Benedictine nunneries in the county[2], in Folkestone, Kent. There she served as abbess[2] and taught medicine to women, healed and tended to the sick.[1]

Legacy

Æthelburh is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented as one of the 999 names on the Heritage Floor.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Chicago, 111.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Ethelberga". Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: The Dinner Party: Heritage Floor: Adelheip Popp. Brooklyn Museum. 2007. http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/ethelberga.php. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
  3. ^ a b Barbara Yorke (1990). Kings and kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England. Psychology Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-415-16639-3. http://books.google.com/books?id=XRTy8IrOAGsC&pg=PA36. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 

Bibliography