Mildrith of Liscumb (born 859) was the first wife of Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
Biography[]
Mildrith was born in Liscumb, Devon in 859 to a West Saxon noble family, the goddaughter of Ealdorman Odda of Devon. Her father was a nobleman and Sheriff of Southern Devonshire who, as a devout Christian, had promised a tenth of his lands and income to the Catholic Church; the Church continued to collect income even if there was drought or if the Danes raided, leaving the family 2,000 shillings in debt after the father's death. In 876, Mildrith married Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a new courtier under King Alfred the Great, who sought to force Uhtred to be loyal to him by indebting him with the marriage. Uhtred was initially upset about the marriage, but, the day after his wedding, he and Mildrith finally consummated, and he came to love his wife, who was soon pregnant. However, their relationship was strained due to his hatred of Christianity, his rude interrupting of Alfred the Great's prayer celebrations after Odda the Younger took credit for Uhtred's heroism at the Battle of Cynwit, his refusal to have his son baptized, his one night of drinking and whoring that same day, and his murder of her family friend Oswald before her eyes after Uhtred found out that Oswald was embezzling the town's money. After Uhtred returned home from a raid on Cornwall with Queen Iseult, Mildrith felt betrayed, especially when he chose to sleep with her next to the livestock instead of in his home with his family. Mildrith decided to leave him to go to Odda's estate, and her handmaiden volunteered to go with her. She then sought refuge with the Church, living in a convent as a nun.
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