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Birth:          14 May  978 Chester, England
Death:          31 Aug 1057 Bromley, Staffordshire, England

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leofric,_Earl_of_Mercia
Leofric (died 31 August or 30 September 1057) was an Earl of Mercia. He founded 
monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock. Leofric is most remembered as the 
husband of Lady Godiva.
Life[edit]

Leofric was the son of Leofwine, Ealdorman of the Hwicce, who witnessed a charter in 
997 for King Æthelred II. Leofric had three brothers: Northman, Edwin and Godwine. It 
is likely that Northman is the same as Northman Miles ("Northman the knight") to 
whom King Æthelred II granted the village of Twywell in Northamptonshire in 1013 .[1] 
Northman, according to the Chronicle of Crowland Abbey, the reliability of which is 
often doubted by historians, says he was a retainer (knight) of Eadric Streona, the Earl 
of Mercia.[2] It adds that Northman had been killed upon Cnut's orders along with 
Eadric and others for this reason.[2] Cnut "made Leofric ealdorman in place of his 
brother Northman, and afterwards held him in great affection."[3]

Becoming Earl of Mercia made him one of the most powerful men in the land, second 
only to the ambitious Earl Godwin of Wessex, among the mighty earls. Leofric may 
have had some connection by marriage to Ælfgifu of Northampton, the first wife of 
Cnut, which might help to explain why he was the chief supporter of her son Harold 
Harefoot against Harthacnut, Cnut's son by Emma of Normandy, when Cnut died in 
1035.[4] However, Harold died in 1040 and was succeeded by his brother Harthacnut, 
who made himself unpopular by implementing heavy taxation during 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 to the surrounding area.[5] This command must have sorely 
tested Leofric, since Worcester was the cathedral city of the Hwicce, his people.

When Harthacnut died suddenly in 1042, he was succeeded by his half-brother 
Edward the Confessor. Leofric loyally supported Edward when Edward 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. His advisors counseled 
Edward that battle would be folly, since there would be important members of the 
nobility on both sides; the loss of these men, should many die in battle, would leave 
England open to its enemies. So in the end the issue was resolved by less bloody 
means: Earl Godwin and his family were outlawed for a time. Earl Leofric's power was 
then at its height. But in 1055 Leofric's own son Ælfgar was outlawed, "without any 
fault", says the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Ælfgar 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".

Leofric died 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.[6] Leofric 
was succeeded by his son Ælfgar as earl.

Religious works[edit]

Earl Leofric and Godiva were noted for great generosity to religious houses. In 1043 
he founded and endowed a Benedictine monastery at Coventry.[7] 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."[6]

In the 1050s Leofric and Godiva appear jointly as benefactors in a document granting 
land to the monastery of St Mary, Worcester,[8] and the endowment of the minster at 
Stow St Mary, Lincolnshire.[9] They are commemorated as benefactors of other 
monasteries as well, at Leominster, Chester, Much Wenlock, and Evesham.[6]

Family[edit]

Apart from Northman, killed in 1017, Leofric had at least two other brothers: Edwin 
was killed in battle by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in 1039, and Godwine died some time 
before 1057.

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 (Godiva), it is not clear whether she was the mother 
of Ælfgar, Leofric's only known child. If Godiva was married to Earl Leofric later than 
about 1010, she could not have been the mother of Ælfgar.

Other[edit]

Leofric used a double-headed eagle as his personal emblem, and this has been 
adopted by various units of the British Army as a symbol for Mercia.[10]

Historians disagree extensively on the character of Leofric. Folklore tends to depict 
him as an unfeeling overlord who imposed over-taxation, whereas many historians 
object to this, and consider it as part of the Lady Godiva myth; they suggest that he 
was a strong and respected leader. There is also great disagreement over his 
reputation as a military leader: some historians believe Leofric to have been weak in 
this respect, but others go as far as to give him the title 'Hammer of the Welsh'.

In popular culture[edit]

On screen, Leofric was portrayed by Roy Travers in the British silent short Lady 
Godiva (1928), George Nader in the film Lady Godiva of Coventry (1955), and Tony 
Steedman in the BBC TV series Hereward the Wake (1965). He also may have inspired 
“The Last Kingdom” character, “Leofric”.

Parents
____ Leofwine (ABT  950 - 1028)
____ Alwara (ABT  950 - )

Siblings
____ Leofric III (14 May  978 - 31 Aug 1057)

Marriage To ----- ----- (first wife or mistress) ()
    m.  

Notes


Children by ----- ----- (first wife or mistress) 
OF MERCIA Hereward (ABT 1004 - AFT 1086)
____ ----- (daughter of Leofric) (ABT 1005 - )

Marriage To ____ Godiva (Godgifu) (ABT 1010 - 10 Sep 1067)
    m.  

Notes

Parents
OF COVENTRY Thorold (ABT  985 - )
----- ----- ()

Children by ____ Godiva (Godgifu) ABT 1010 - 10 Sep 1067
____ Alfgar III (ABT 1025 - ABT 1060)

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