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Birth:          ABT  968 of Northumbria, England
Death:          1016 
Cause of Death: murdered

Notes
Stuart's bdate of 989 is too late.
Murdered by Thurebrand (and then his son Ealdred killed Thurebrand, and was in turn 
killed by Thurebrand's son). This means his son must have been born before or about 
995 at the latest.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospatric,_Earl_of_Northumbria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhtred_the_Bold
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Uchtred or Uhtred, called the Bold, (d. 1016) was the ealdorman of all Northumbria 
from 1006 to 1016, when he was assassinated. He was the son of Waltheof I, 
ealdorman of Bamburgh, whose ancient family had ruled from the castle of Bamburgh 
on the Northumbrian coast.
Durham[edit]

In 995, according to Symeon of Durham, when the remains of St Cuthbert were 
transferred from Chester-le-Street to Durham, Uhtred went to Durham with his monks to 
clear the site of the new cathedral. The new cathedral was founded by Bishop Aldhun, 
and Uhtred married Aldhun's daughter, Ecgfrida, probably at about this time. From his 
marriage he received several estates that had belonged to the church. [1]

In 1006 Malcolm II of Scotland invaded Northumbria and besieged the newly founded 
episcopal city of Durham. At that time the Danes were raiding southern England and 
King Ethelred was unable to send help to the Northumbrians. Ealdorman Waltheof was 
too old to fight and remained in his castle at Bamburgh. Ealdorman Ælfhelm of York 
also took no action. Uhtred, acting for his father, called together an army from 
Bernicia and Yorkshire and led it against the Scots. The result was a decisive victory 
for Uhtred. Local women washed the severed heads of the Scots, receiving a payment 
of a cow for each, and the heads were fixed on stakes to Durham's walls. Uhtred was 
rewarded by King Ethelred II with the ealdormanry of Bamburgh even though his father 
was still alive. In the meantime, Ethelred had Ealdorman Ælfhelm of York murdered, 
and he allowed Uhtred to succeed Ælfhelm as ealdorman of York, thus uniting 
northern and southern Northumbria under the house of Bamburgh. It seems likely that 
Ethelred did not trust the Scandinavian population of southern Northumbria and 
wanted an Anglo-Saxon in power there. [2]

After receiving these honours Uhtred dismissed his wife, Ecgfrida, and married Sige, 
daughter of Styr, son of Ulf. Styr was a rich citizen of York. It appears that Uhtred was 
trying to make political allies amongst the Danes in Deira. Through Sige, Uhtred had 
two children, Eadulf, later Eadulf III, and Gospatric. This Gospatric's grandson was 
the infamous Eadwulf Rus who murdered Bishop Walcher.[2]

In 1013 King Sweyn of Denmark invaded England, sailing up the Humber and Trent to 
the town of Gainsborough. Uhtred submitted to him there, as did all of the Danes in 
the north. In the winter of 1013 Ethelred was forced into exile in Normandy. After 
London had finally submitted to him, Sweyn was accepted as king by Christmas 1013. 
However he only reigned for five weeks, for he died at, or near, Gainsborough on 2 
February 1014. At Sweyn’s death, Ethelred was able to return from exile and resume 
his reign. Uhtred, along with many others, transferred his allegiance back to Ethelred, 
on his return. Uhtred also married Ethelred’s daughter Ælfgifu about this time. [2]

In 1016 Uhtred campaigned with Ethelred's son Edmund Ironside in Cheshire and the 
surrounding shires. While Uhtred was away from his lands, Sweyn's son, Cnut, invaded 
Yorkshire. Cnut's forces were too strong for Uhtred to fight, and so Uhtred did homage 
to him as King of England. Uhtred was summoned to a meeting with Cnut, and on the 
way there, he and forty of his men were murdered by Thurbrand the Hold, with 
assistance from Uhtred's own servant, Wighill and with the connivance of Cnut. 
Uhtred was succeeded in Bernicia by his brother Eadwulf Cudel. Cnut made the 
Norwegian, Eric of Hlathir, ealdorman ("earl" in Scandinavian terms) in southern 
Northumbria. [1]

The killing of Uhtred by Thurbrand the Hold started a blood feud that lasted for many 
years. Uhtred's son Ealdred subsequently avenged his father by killing Thurbrand, but 
Ealdred in turn was killed by Thurbrand's son, Carl. Ealdred's vengeance had to wait 
until the 1070s, when Waltheof, Ealdred’s grandson had his soldiers kill most of Carl's 
sons and grandsons. This is an example of the notorious Northumbrian blood feuds 
that were common at this time. [3]

Uhtred's dynasty continued to reign in Bernicia through Ealdred, Earl of Bamburgh 
(killed 1038) his son from his marriage to Ecgfrida, and Eadulf (killed 1041) his son 
from his marriage to Sige, and briefly Eadulf's son Osulf held the earldom of northern 
Northumbria 1067 until he too was killed. Eadulf's brother Cospatric began the 
Swinton Family dynasty, his son Eadulf Rus famously murdering William Walcher, 
Bishop of Durham which led to William the Conqueror sending an army northwards to 
harry the region again. Uhtred’s marriage to Ælfgifu produced a daughter, Ealdgyth, 
who married Maldred, brother of Duncan I of Scotland and who gave birth to a son, 
Gospatric, who was Earl of Northumbria from 1068 to 1072. [4]

Fiction[edit]

In Bernard Cornwell's series The Saxon Stories the protagonist is Earl Uhtred of 
Bebbanburg, also from Northumbria. The story of the siege of Durham and the severed 
heads on poles is told about the historical Uhtred (see Battles of the Dark Ages, Peter 
Marren), though it is perhaps possible to assume that the fictional Earl Uhtred of 
Bebbanburg is an ancestor of this Uhtred.

In Bernard Cornwell's series he adds a 'historical note' at the end, in which, especially 
in the first book, he mentions that Uhtred was his ancestor. He took the liberty of 
installing Uhtred earlier in history.

Adrian Mourby's two Radio Plays, The Corsaint (c.1986) and its sequel, The King of 
the North Rides his Horse through the Sky (1992) provide convincing dramatic 
realisations of these historical events. They were broadcast by BBC Radio 4.

Parents
OF BAMBURGH Walthoef I (Siward) (ABT  940 - AFT  994)
____ Elfeda (ABT  940 - )

Siblings
OF NORTHUMBRIA Uchtred (ABT  968 - 1016)

Marriage To ____ Ecgfrida ()
    m.  

Notes

Parents
____ Aldhun ()
----- ----- ()

Children by ____ Ecgfrida 
OF BERNICEA Ealdred (Aldred) (ABT  985 - 1038)

Marriage To ____ Elfgifu ( 987 - )
    m.  

Notes

Parents
____ Aethelred (Ethelred) II "The Unready" (ABT  966 - 23 Apr 1016)
____ Elgiva (Alfgifu) (Aelgifu) (Aelflaed) (ABT  966 - 1002)

Children by ____ Elfgifu  987 - 
____ Ealdgyth (Aglithia) (ABT 1015 - )

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