Edward the Elder
899– 925
House of Wessex

The son of Alfred the Great and Ealhswith [Ethelswitha], Edward was well trained by his father. He defeated the Danes in Northumbria at Tettenhall in 910 and was recognized by the Viking kingdom of York. In 921 the kings of Strathclyde and the Scots submitted to his rule. He held a powerful alliance with his sister Ethelfleda, who had been married to the Ealdorman of Mercia and appears to have taken over the rule of Mercia after his death. This alliance helped him to expand their influence and control through careful planning and military might. When Ethelfleda died in 918, he took control of Mercia.

Edward had around eighteen children, one of whom married King charles III of France. Eadgifu was the mother of King Louis IV. Edward was succeded by his son Athelstan.