Ealhswith

Ealhswith (also spelled Elswitha or Alswitha; Old English: Ēalswīþ; died 5 December 902) was the wife of Alfred the Great, King of the Anglo-Saxons. She was the daughter of Æthelred Mucel, Ealdorman of the Gaini, and Eadburh. Her mother was likely a member of the Mercian royal family.

Ealhswith married Alfred in 868 at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. This marriage was likely a politically motivated alliance between Wessex and Mercia. As Queen, Ealhswith is not known to have exerted significant political power. She is largely absent from the historical record, though Asser's Life of King Alfred notes her nobility of character and close relationship with her husband.

After Alfred's death in 899, Ealhswith retired to the Nunnaminster at Winchester, which Alfred had founded. She died there on 5 December 902 and was buried at Hyde Abbey, Winchester.

Ealhswith and Alfred had at least five children:

• Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians
• Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons
• Æthelgifu, Abbess of Shaftesbury
• Æthelweard
• Ælfthryth, Countess of Flanders

Ealhswith is remembered as a pious and devoted wife and mother. Her role, though understated in the historical records, was undoubtedly important in supporting Alfred during his reign and ensuring the succession of the House of Wessex.