page_title: Ealdgyth (daughter of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia)
section_title: Harold Godwinson
hierarchical_section_title: Ealdgyth (daughter of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia) / Marriages and issue / Harold Godwinson
caption_attribution_description: English: A silver penny - 20.3 grains, 0.75 fine - of King Harold (II) Godwinson of England (r. 1066).
context_page_description: Ealdgyth, also Aldgyth or in modern English, Edith, was a daughter of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia, the wife of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn, ruler of all Wales, and later the wife and queen consort of Harold Godwinson, king of England in 1066. She was described by William of Jumièges as a considerable beauty.
context_section_description: Ealdgyth later became the wife and queen consort of her late husband's enemy Harold. The date of the marriage is unknown, but it must have taken place at some stage before the Conquest, whether before or after Harold's coronation as king of England (January 1066). It seems that Harold's choice of bride was "aimed not only at securing the support of the Mercian house for himself in his royal ambitions, but also at weakening the links between that same house and the rulers of north Wales". In any event, Ealdgyth was soon to be widowed for a second time. In October that year, Harold was defeated and died in the Battle of Hastings, which was fought against the invading forces of William, Duke of Normandy, who would subsequently ascend the English throne. At the news of Harold's death, Ealdgyth's brothers went to London to fetch her and immediately sent her to Chester for shelter. It is unknown what happened to her thereafter. Harold had a number of children with his common law wife Edith the Fair, but his marriage to Ealdgyth may not have produced any offspring. It has been suggested that Ealdgyth may have been the mother of Harold's son Harold, but this possibility is not universally accepted.
caption: Silver penny depicting King Harold II of England, the second husband of Edith of Mercia
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