Æthelswith

Æthelswith (c. 838 – 888) was the Queen of Mercia from 853 as the wife of King Burgred.
==Biography==
===Early years===
An Anglo-Saxon noblewoman from the House of Wessex, Æthelswith was the daughter of King Æthelwulf of Wessex and thus the sister of future Kings Alfred the Great and Aethelred. In 853, she married Burgred a year after he had been crowned the king of Mercia. Together, the two ruled the kingdom for more than twenty years, and bore witness to the Viking expansion into England from the early 860s.
On several occassions, she and Burgred would call upon her brother King Aethelred of Wessex to assist in their battles against the coalition of Vikings that were dubbed the Great Heathen Army. When Mercia became a target following the fall of the kingdoms of East Anglia and Northumbria, Burgred was forced to pay off the Sons of Ragnar faction, led by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, Ivarr and Ubba Ragnarsson. This did not last long as the brothers soon desired to claim the throne of Mercia for themselves and allied with the Mercian nobleman Ceolwulf, who was dissatisfied with Burgred's rule.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Database: Burgred
===Capture and exile===
In 873, Æthelswith and her husband, along with the loyal thegn Leofrith, made their final stand at the fortress of Tamworth. As the Vikings laid siege to the fortress, Leofrith assisted Burgred, Æthelswith and her maidens in escaping the stronghold to safety. While Bugred hid in an unmarked crypt in the region, Æthelswith and her maidens were hidden in the Templebrough Fort until Leofrith rallied the remaining Mercians and hit back at the Vikings.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – The Walls of Templebrough
This plan did not last long as word of Æthelswith's location soon reached the Ubba Ragnarsson and his ally Sigurd Styrbjornsson. In a last ditched attempt to escape, Æthelswith followed Leofrith's suggestion of exchanging places with one of her maidens by the name of Kadlin, wearing her clothes while the maiden would pose as her in the meantime. Sure enough, Æthelswith and her maidens were confronted beneath the cellars by Sigurd and his step-sister Eivor Varinsdottir. The plan was initially a success as the maidens, including Æthelswith, were allowed to leave safely. However, this deception was soon discovered by Eivor who chased after the Queen. Æthelswith attempted to leave on a boat with her guards but were soon caught by Eivor, who eliminated the guards and carried Æthelswith back to Ubba and Sigurd.
Æthelswith and her maidens were brought back to Tamworth, and were interrogated for information on Burgred's whereabouts. When Ubba was unable to get word out of the Queen, Eivor stepped in and after some effort, ultimately convinced the Queen to reveal Burgred's whereabouts, "an old crypt to the south, where the Alne and Arwy rivers join".Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Tilting the Balance
With Burgred soon captured by Eivor, Æthelswith had a brief reunion with her husband. The next day, Burgred was forced to relinquish his crown and Ceolwulf was appointed as the new King of Mercia. On his orders, both Æthelswith and Burgred were exiled to Rome and to never return.Assassin's Creed: Valhalla – Heavy is the Head Burgred died shortly after, while Æthelswith lived on for another decade, dying in 888 while on a pilgrimage in .
==Behind the scenes==
Æthelswith is a historical character in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. She is voiced by English actress Lucy Briers.
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Valhalla 
*The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One 
==References==
Category:838 births
Category:888 deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:Anglo-Saxons
Category:House of Wessex
Category:Royal consorts