Aelfwynn (born 886) was Lady of the Mercians from 12 June to December 918, succeeding Aethelflaed. She was the last independent ruler of Mercia, which was annexed by her uncle Edward the Elder after he forced her into a nunnery.
Biography[]
Aelfwynn as a child
Aelfwynn was born in 886, the daughter of the Mercian consort Aethelflaed. Aethelflaed was married to Lord Aethelred of Mercia at the time of Aelfwynn's birth, but Aethelred noted that Aelfwynn was too fair to be a Mercian and accused her of being the product of Aethelflaed's affair with Erik Thurgilsson during her captivity at Benfleet. Nonetheless, Aelfwynn was passed off as the ruling couple's legitimate offspring, and, on her father's death in 911, she was highly sought-after by the ealdormen of Mercia, as marrying her would give them a stronger claim to the lordship of Mercia. Ultimately, Aethelflaed had her lover and protector Uhtred of Bebbanburg flee Aylesbury with Aelfwynn to prevent her from being used as a bargaining chip, and Eardwulf of Mercia was sent to track them down and capture Aelfwynn, to whom he was betrothed after an agreement with her uncle King Edward the Elder of Wessex. However, Eardwulf was deserted by his men after Aelfwynn's nursemaid Eadith revealed that Eardwulf had murdered Aethelred, preventing Aelfwynn from being captured. She later fell ill with a plague which was ravaging Mercia at the time, so she was taken back to Aylesbury and miraculously healed with Eadith's help. After Aethelflaed was appointed ruler of Mercia by Uhtred and the Witenagemot, Aelfwynn was spared the burden of being married to a much older man.
When Aethelflaed died in 918, Aelfwynn became the new Lady of the Mercians, the first female-to-female succession in the history of early medieval England. However, she lacked her mother's widespread popular support, and, in December 918, her uncle Edward was unopposed when he deposed her and exiled her to Wessex. Edward proceeded to unite Mercia and Wessex and assume the title "King of the Anglo-Saxons", and she entered holy orders in Wessex.