Leofric (born 968, died 31 August or 30 September 1057) was the Earl of Mercia and founded monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock. Leofric is best remembered as the husband of Lady Godiva. Events Births Emperor Kazan of Japan Ethelred II of England Romanus Argyrus, later Romanus III of the Eastern Roman Empire. ... Events King Macbeth I of Scotland is killed in battle against Malcolm Canmore. ... The Kingdom of Mercia at its greatest extent (7th to 9th centuries) is shown in green, with the original core area (6th century) given a darker tint. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ... For other places with the same name, see Coventry (disambiguation). ... Much Wenlock is a town in Shropshire, England. ... Lady Godiva by John Collier, ca 1897 Godiva (or Godgifu) (c. ...

Life and political influence

Leofric was the son of Ealdorman Leofwine of the Hwicce, who died c.1023. Leofric's elder brother Northman was killed in 1017, in the losing battles against Cnut.^[1] Leofwine Earl of Mercia (born abt 950 - died 1028), was also the Earldorman of Hwicce. ... The Hwicce were one of the peoples of Anglo-Saxon Britain. ... Canute (or Cnut) I, or Canute the Great (Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Danish: Knud den Store, Norwegian: Knut den mektige, Swedish: Knut den store) (ca. ...

The victorious Cnut divided England into four great provinces: Wessex, East Anglia, Mercia and Northumbria each of which he eventually placed under the control of an earl (a title new to the English, replacing the Anglo-Saxon "ealdorman"). Mercia he initially left in the hands of Eadric Streona, who had been Ealdorman of Mercia since 1007, but Eadric was killed later in the same year of 1017.^[1] Map of the British Isles circa 802 Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. ... Norfolk and Suffolk, the core area of East Anglia. ... The Kingdom of Mercia at its greatest extent (7th to 9th centuries) is shown in green, with the original core area (6th century) given a darker tint. ... Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, from two smaller kingdoms of Bernicia and Diera, and... Eadric or Edric Streona (died 1017) was an ealdorman of the Mercians. ...

Mercia may have been given to Leofric immediately after that. He had certainly become Earl of Mercia by the 1030s. This made him one of the most powerful men in the land, second only to Earl Godwin of Wessex among the mighty earls. He may have had some connection by marriage with Ælfgifu of Northampton, the first wife of Cnut. That might help to explain why he supported her son Harold Harefoot against Harthacanute, Cnut's son by Emma, when Cnut died in 1035.^[2] The Kingdom of Mercia at its greatest extent (7th to 9th centuries) is shown in green, with the original core area (6th century) given a darker tint. ... Godwin (sometimes Godwine) (c. ... Aelgifu, also known as, Ælfgifu, Alfgifu, Alfgitha or Elfgifu, (c. ... Harold I Harefoot (c. ... Harthacanute (sometimes Hardicanute, Hardecanute; Danish Hardeknud, Canute the Hardy) (1018/1019–June 8, 1042) was a King of Denmark (1035–1042) and England (1035–1037, 1040–1042). ... Emma is a comic novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1815, about the perils of misconstrued romance. ...

However Harold died in 1040 and was succeeded by Harthacanute, who made himself unpopular with heavy taxation in his short reign. Two of his tax-collectors were killed at Worcester by angry locals. The king was so enraged by this that in 1041 he ordered Leofric and his other earls to plunder and burn the city, and lay waste the whole area.^[3] This command must have sorely tested Leofric. Worcester was the cathedral city of the Hwicce, his people. Worcester (pronounced ) is a city in the Midlands of England, and the county town of Worcestershire. ...

When Harthacanute died suddenly in 1042, he was succeeded by his half-brother Edward the Confessor. Leofric loyally supported Edward when he came under threat at Gloucester from Earl Godwin in 1051. Leofric and Earl Siward of Northumbria gathered a great army to meet that of Godwin. Wise heads counseled that battle would be folly, with the flower of England on both sides. Their loss would leave England open to its enemies. So the issue was resolved by less bloody means. Earl Godwin and his family were outlawed for a time.^[1] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Gloucester (pronounced ) is a city and district in the English county of Gloucestershire, close to the Welsh border. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Earl Leofric's power was then at its height. But in 1055 his son Ælfgar was outlawed, "without any fault", says the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. He raised an army in Ireland and Wales and brought it to Hereford, where he clashed with the army of Earl Ralph of Herefordshire and severely damaged the town. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle wryly comments "And then when they had done most harm, it was decided to reinstate Earl Ælfgar". Ælfgar (died 1062) was the elder brother of Hereward (later known as The Wake) and son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Eldiva (Godiva). ... Statistics Population: 50,154 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SO515405 Administration District: Herefordshire Region: West Midlands Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Herefordshire Historic county: Herefordshire Services Police force: West Mercia Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: West Midlands Post office and telephone Post town: HEREFORD Postal... Ralph the Timid was the earl of Hereford from before 1050 until his death in 1057. ...

Leofric died "at a good old age" in 1057 at his estate at Kings Bromley in Staffordshire. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he died on 30 September, but the chronicler of Worcester gives the date as 31 August. Both agree that he was buried at Coventry.^[4] Kings Bromley is a village in Staffordshire, England. ... Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. ...

Religious works

Earl Leofric and Godiva were noted for great generosity to religious houses. In 1043 he founded and endowed a Benedictine monastery at Coventry.[1] John of Worcester tells us that "He and his wife, the noble Countess Godgifu, a worshipper of God and devout lover of St Mary ever-virgin, built the monastery there from the foundations out of their own patrimony, and endowed it adequately with lands and made it so rich in various ornaments that in no monastery in England might be found the abundance of gold, silver, gems and precious stones that was at that time in its possession."^[4] St Benedict of Nursia (c. ...

In the 1050s Leofric and Godiva appear jointly in the grant of land to the monastery of St Mary, Worcester,[2], and the endowment of the minster at Stow St Mary, Lincolnshire.[3] She and her husband are commemorated as benefactors of other monasteries at Leominster, Chester, Much Wenlock, and Evesham.^[4] The city of Worcester (pronounced Wuh-ster) is the county town of Worcestershire in England; the river Severn runs through the middle, with the citys large Worcester Cathedral overlooking the river. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. ... Statistics Population: 11,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SO496591 Administration District: Herefordshire Region: West Midlands Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Herefordshire Historic county: Herefordshire Services Police force: West Mercia Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: {{{Ambulance}}} Post office and telephone Post town: LEOMINSTER Postal district... This article is about Chester in England. ... Much Wenlock is a town in Shropshire, England. ... Location within the British Isles The Market Place in Evesham, circa 1904 Evesham (or the Sham as it is known to its inhabitants) is a middle-sized, rural market town in Worcestershire, England. ...

Family

Apart from Northman, killed in 1017, Leofric had at least two other brothers. Edwin was killed in battle by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in 1039.^[1] Godwine died some time before 1057.^[5] In the period before the Norman Conquest of Wales, several native princes had the name Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (Griffith son of Llywelyn). Two of these were of major importance in the history of Wales. ...

Leofric may have married more than once. His famous wife Godiva survived him and may have been a second or later wife. Since there is some question about the date of marriage for Leofric and Godgifu, it is not clear that she was the mother of Ælfgar, Leofric's only known child. If Godiva was married to Earl Leofric only in 1040, she could not have been the mother of Ælfgar (whose own children were born in that decade or earlier). If she was married earlier (as early as 1017, as some sources claim), she could have been Ælfgar's mother. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Ælfgar succeeded Leofric as Earl of Mercia. Ælfgar (died 1062) was the elder brother of Hereward (later known as The Wake) and son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Eldiva (Godiva). ...

Notes