Æthelflæd

**Æthelflæd** (  - 12 ga Yuni 918) ya yi sarauta a matsayin Uwargidan Mercians a Midlands na Ingila daga 911 har zuwa mutuwarta a 918. Ita ce ɗan fari ga Alfred the Great, sarkin masarautar Anglo-Saxon ta Wessex, da matarsa Ealhswith .

An haifi Æthelflæd a kusan shekara ta 870 a lokacin da mamayar Vikings ta kai Ingila . A shekara ta 878, yawancin Ingila tana ƙarƙashin mulkin Danish Vikings - bayan an ci Gabashin Anglia da Northumbria, Mercia kuma ta raba tsakanin Ingila da Vikings - amma a wannan shekarar Alfred ya yi nasara mai mahimmanci a Yaƙin Edington . Ba da daɗewa ba bayan haka, rabin yammacin Mercia da Ingila ke iko da shi ya zo ƙarƙashin mulkin Æthelred, Ubangijin Mercians, wanda ya karɓi mulkin Alfred. Alfred ya karɓi taken Sarkin Anglo-Saxons (a da an yi masa lakabi da Sarkin Saxons na Yamma kamar magabatansa) yana da'awar cewa yana mulkin duk mutanen Anglo-Saxon waɗanda ba sa zaune a yankunan da Viking ke iko da su. A tsakiyar shekarun 880, Alfred ya rufe ƙawancen dabarun da ke tsakanin masarautun Ingila da suka rage ta hanyar aurar da Æthelflæd ga Æthelred.

Æthelred ya taka muhimmiyar rawa wajen yaƙar sabbin hare-haren Viking a shekarun 890, tare da ɗan'uwan Æthelflæd, Sarki Edward na gaba, Dattijo . Æthelred da Æthelflæd, waɗanda aka ƙarfafa a Worcester, sun ba da gudummawa mai yawa ga majami'un Mercian kuma suka gina sabon minista a Gloucester . Lafiyar Æthelred wataƙila ta ragu a farkon shekaru goma masu zuwa, bayan haka akwai yiwuwar Æthelflæd ne ke da alhakin gwamnatin Mercia. Edward ya yi nasara a matsayin Sarkin Anglo-Saxons a shekara ta 899, kuma a shekara ta 909 ya aika da rundunar Yammacin Saxon da Mercian don kai hari kan arewacin Danelaw . Sun dawo da ragowar waliyyin sarki Oswald, wanda aka fassara zuwa ga sabon ministan Gloucester. Æthelred ya mutu a shekara ta 911 kuma Æthelflæd ya yi sarautar Mercia a matsayin Uwargidan Mercians. Masanin tarihi Ian Walker ya bayyana hawan wata mace mai mulki a Mercia a matsayin "ɗaya daga cikin abubuwan da suka fi ban mamaki a tarihin farkon zamanin da".

Alfred ta gina hanyar sadarwa ta manyan gine-gine masu ƙarfi kuma a cikin shekarun 910, Edward da Æthelflæd sun fara wani shiri na faɗaɗa su. Daga cikin garuruwan da ta gina kariya akwai Wednesbury, Bridgnorth, Tamworth, Stafford, Warwick, Chirbury da Runcorn . A cikin shekarar 917 ta aika da sojoji don kama Derby, birni na farko daga cikin gundumomi biyar na Danelaw da ya faɗa hannun Ingila, nasarar da Tim Clarkson ya bayyana a matsayin "babban nasararta".  A cikin shekarar 918, Leicester ta miƙa wuya ba tare da wani faɗa ba. Ba da daɗewa ba shugabannin Viking na York suka miƙa mata mubaya'arsu, amma ta mutu a ranar 12 ga wataA ranar 918 ga Yuni kafin ta yi amfani da wannan tayin, kuma bayan 'yan watanni Edward ta kammala cin nasarar Mercia. 'Yarta Ælfwynn ta gaje Æthelflæd, amma a watan Disamba Edward ya karɓi ragamar Mercia da kansa ya kuma ɗauki Ælfwynn zuwa Wessex.

Masana tarihi ba su yarda ko Mercia masarauta ce mai zaman kanta a ƙarƙashin Æthelred da Æthelflæd ba, amma sun yarda cewa Æthelflæd babban mai mulki ne wanda ya taka muhimmiyar rawa a yaƙin Danelaw. Masu rubuta tarihin Anglo-Norman kamar William na Malmesbury sun yaba mata, waɗanda suka bayyana ta a matsayin "ƙarfin shiga cikin ƙungiyar [Edward], farin cikin talakawansa, tsoron maƙiyansa, mace mai girman rai". A cewar Pauline Stafford, "kamar" ... Elizabeth Ni ta zama abin mamaki ga tsararraki masu zuwa". A ra'ayin Nick Higham, marubutan zamanin da da na zamani sun burge ta sosai har ta kai ga darajar Edward ta sha wahala ba bisa ƙa'ida ba idan aka kwatanta da ita.

## Bayani
Mercia ita ce masarautar da ta fi rinjaye a kudancin Ingila a ƙarni na takwas kuma ta ci gaba da riƙe matsayinta har sai da Wessex ta sha kashi a Yaƙin Ellendun a shekara ta 825. Bayan haka, masarautun biyu sun zama ƙawaye, wanda zai zama muhimmin abu a cikin adawar Ingila ga Vikings. 

A shekara ta 865, rundunar sojojin Viking ta Great Heathen ta sauka a Gabashin Anglia kuma ta yi amfani da wannan a matsayin wurin farawa don mamayewa. An tilasta wa mutanen Gabashin Anglia su sayi zaman lafiya kuma a shekara mai zuwa Vikings suka mamaye Northumbria, inda suka naɗa sarkin 'yar tsana a shekara ta 867. Daga nan suka ƙaura zuwa Mercia, inda suka yi hunturu na 867–868. Sarki Burgred na Mercia ya haɗu da Sarki Æthelred na Wessex da ɗan'uwansa, Sarki Alfred na gaba, don kai hari ga Vikings, waɗanda suka ƙi yin sulhu; a ƙarshe Mercians suka sayi zaman lafiya da su. A shekara mai zuwa, Vikings suka mamaye Gabashin Anglia.  A shekara ta 874, Vikings suka kori Sarki Burgred kuma Ceolwulf ya zama Sarki na ƙarshe na Mercia tare da goyon bayansu. A shekara ta 877, Vikings suka raba Mercia, suka ɗauki yankunan gabas suka bar Ceolwulf ya riƙe na yamma. *Anglo-Saxon Chronicle* ya bayyana shi a matsayin " wawayen sarki" wanda ɗan tsana ne na Vikings. Masanin tarihi Ann Williams ya ɗauki wannan ra'ayi a matsayin wani ɓangare kuma an karkatar da shi, cewa Mercians da Sarki Alfred sun karɓe shi a matsayin sarki na gaske. [ 4 ] Yanayin ya sauya a shekara mai zuwa lokacin da Alfred ya yi nasara mai mahimmanci a kan Danas a Yaƙin Edington . 

Ba a rubuta Ceolwulf ba bayan shekara ta 879. An fara ganin magajinsa a matsayin mai mulkin rabin yammacin Ingila na Mercia, mijin Æthelflæd, Æthelred, a shekara ta 881 lokacin da, a cewar masanin tarihi na zamanin da na Wales, Thomas Charles-Edwards, ya jagoranci mamaye arewacin Wales na Mercian da bai yi nasara ba. A shekara ta 883, ya bayar da tallafi da izinin Sarki Alfred, don haka ya amince da mulkin Alfred. A shekara ta 886, Alfred ya mamaye garin Mercian na London, wanda ke hannun Viking. Daga nan ya sami mika wuya ga dukkan Turawan Ingila da ba sa ƙarƙashin ikon Viking kuma ya miƙa ikon Landan ga Æthelred. A shekarun 890, Æthelred da Edward, ɗan Alfred kuma magajinsa na gaba, sun yi yaƙi da ƙarin hare-haren Viking. [ 6 ] Alfred ya mutu a shekara ta 899 kuma Æthelwold, ɗan babban ɗan'uwan Alfred, ya yi jayayya game da da'awar Edward a kan karagar mulki. Æthelwold ya haɗu da Vikings lokacin da bai sami isasshen goyon baya a Wessex ba, kuma tawayensa ya ƙare ne kawai da mutuwarsa a yaƙi a watan Disamba na 902. 

## Majiyoyi
Tushen tarihi mafi mahimmanci a wannan lokacin shine *Tarihin Anglo-Saxon* amma Æthelflæd kusan an yi watsi da shi a cikin sigar West Saxon ta yau da kullun, a cikin abin da FT Wainwright ta kira "makircin shiru". Ya yi jayayya cewa Sarki Edward yana da sha'awar kada ya ƙarfafa rabuwar Mercian kuma bai so ya tallata nasarorin 'yar'uwarsa ba, idan ta zama alama ta da'awar Mercian.  An adana taƙaitaccen bayani game da ayyukanta a cikin sigar goyon bayan Mercian ta *Chronicle* da aka sani da *Rijistar Mercian* ko *Annals of Æthelflæd* ; kodayake yanzu ya ɓace, an haɗa abubuwa a cikin sigar *Chronicle* da yawa da suka tsira. *Rijistar* ta ƙunshi shekarun 902 zuwa 924, kuma ta mai da hankali kan ayyukan Æthelflæd; Ba a ambaci Edward da mijinta sau biyu kawai ba, game da mutuwarsa da kuma a matsayin uban 'yarsu.  Bayani game da aikin Æthelflæd kuma an adana shi a cikin tarihin Irish da aka sani da *Rarraba Uku* . A cewar Wainwright, "ya ƙunshi abubuwa da yawa da suka zama tarihi maimakon tarihi. Amma kuma ya ƙunshi, musamman a zamaninmu, bayanai na tarihi na gaske waɗanda suka yi kama da sun samo asali ne daga labarin zamani." [ 10 ] Masana tarihi na Anglo-Norman kamar William na Malmesbury da John na Worcester  sun yaba mata kuma ta sami kulawa daga masana tarihi fiye da kowace mace mai zaman kanta a Anglo-Saxon Ingila. 

## Manazarta