Aelfwald (841-884) was a West Saxon general during the reign of Alfred the Great. He defeated a Viking invasion at the Battle of Southampton and led an army into South Wales to suppress the Welsh Rebellion, but he was ultimately executed for plotting to overthrow King Alfred.
Biography[]
Aelfwald was born in 841 in Wessex to a noble Anglo-Saxon family, and he became a general of Wessex under King Alfred the Great. He commanded The Resolute Army in Chippenham, Wiltshire during the 870s, and, in 881, he was ordered to march south towards Winchester to repel Aemund of Nordmann's invasion. He engaged and defeated Aemund in battle in the Battle of Southampton, and he went on to recapture Southampton and destroy the faction of Nordmann. Aelfwald became a valued general, but he took advantage of his newfound fame to plot against the King. By the winter of 883, he was whispering rumors behind Alfred's back and riling up the people, and King Alfred gave him a 2,000-sceat bribe in exchange for his silence. He was then sent to cross the River Severn into South Wales to suppress Gliwissig's rebellion against West Saxon overlordship, and he landed in Gwent and made preparations to invade Gliwissig in the spring of 884. However, the Kingdom of Gwent joined the Welsh Rebellion months later, forcing Aelfwald to besiege Gwent's capital of Caerwent. In the spring of 884, Alfred discovered that, even as Aelfwald was campaigning in Wales, he was planning to overthrow his rule and steal his crown. Alfred decided to have a frank, yet civil discussion with Aelfwald to resolve Aelfwald's issues and restore his loyalty. However, by autumn of the same year, Alfred learned that Aelfwald was working against him and secretly recruiting others to his cause, and Alfred decided to promptly deal with his treachery. Aelfwald was brought back to Hampshire and beheaded for treason, and Alfred's heir Aethelhelm assumed command of the army in Wales.
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