Aelfgar of Gainsborough was the Mercian ealdorman of Lincolnshire from January 878, succeeding Hunwald. A wealthy thegn, Aelfgar was a close friend of Hunwald's, although Hunwald beat Aelfgar in his bid for the ealdormanship at the shiremoot convened in Lincoln in 875 AD. On Hunwald's death at the Battle of Chippenham in 878, Aelfgar succeeded Hunwald as Ealdorman.
Biography[]
Aelfgar was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England, then located in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. Aelfgar rose to be a local thegn of considerable wealth, and he became friends with Ealdorman Hundbeorht of Lincolnshire's son Hunwald. Well known as a haughty and superficial man, he was surprisingly successful in matters of money and influence. He purchased a rural estate at Aelfgarstun, where he grew seas of crops and often went hunting.
In 875 AD, he helped his friend Hunwald return to Lincolnshire after Hunwald was exiled for a short period; Hunwald's sickly father Hundbeorht had been secretly kidnapped by soldiers loyal to Bishop Herefrith of Lincoln and taken to Bolingbroke Castle to die, while Herefrith secretly had Lincolnshire's Mercian garrison kidnap Hunwald and warn him against ever returning to Lincolnshire. Aelfgar stood by his friend as he returned to Lincoln to investigate his kidnapping and exile, as well as his father's disapperance, and, in the process, Aelfgar met the Norwegian Viking warrior Eivor, whom Hunwald had contacted for help. Aelfgar and Eivor had an uneasy relationship, as Aelfgar came off as arrogant and ambitious. When Hundbeorht's death became public knowledge, Aelfgar stated his intention to stand for election to the ealdormanship at the shiremoot in Lincoln, and he took Eivor on a hunting trip with the goal of winning his favor. However, Eivor grew suspicious of Aelfgar when he found a letter from the Order of the Ancients on Aelfgar's desk at his farm, but he never mentioned it to Aelfgar. Aelfgar also introduced Eivor to the Danish hunter Grim, and, Aelfgar again aroused Eivor's suspicions due to his awkward introduction of Grim (whom he said he was surprised to see, even though Grim said that Aelfgar had invited him earlier that same day), his boasts about how he would make a better ealdorman than Hunwald, and his gifting of Hundbeorht's old hunting bow to Eivor. However, Eivor helped Aelfgar fight off some Mercian soldiers who had set fire to his estate, and Eivor's suspicions grew weaker now that he had seen Aelfgar be targeted by the same soldiers responsible for Hundbeorht's kidnapping. At the ensuing shiremoot, however, Eivor voted for Hunwald to be the new ealdorman, and Aelfgar stood by Hunwald during Herefrith's ensuing rebellion. Aelfgar fought alongside Hunwald and Eivor at the Battle of Ancaster, sealing Herefrith's fate.
Hunwald reigned as ealdorman until his death at the Battle of Chippenham in 878, upon which Aelfgar - the runner-up from the last shiremoot - was elected Ealdorman of Lincolnshire by the moot and confirmed by King Ceolwulf II of Mercia.