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Birth:          ABT  933 of Wessex

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thored
Thored (Old English: Ðoreð or Þoreð; fl. 979–992) was a 10th-century ealdorman of 
York, ruler of the southern half of the old Kingdom of Northumbria on behalf of the 
king of England. He was the son of either Gunnar or Oslac, northern ealdormen. If he 
was the former, he may have attained adulthood by the 960s, when a man of his name 
raided Westmorland. Other potential appearances in the records are likewise uncertain 
until 979, the point from which Thored's period as ealdorman can be accurately dated.

Although historians differ in their opinions about his relationship, if any, to Kings Edgar 
the Peaceable and Edward the Martyr, it is generally thought that he enjoyed a good 
relationship with King Æthelred II. His daughter Ælfgifu married Æthelred. Thored was 
ealdorman in Northumbria for much of his reign, disappearing from the sources in 992 
after being appointed by Æthelred to lead an expedition against the Vikings.

Origins[edit]
Thored appears to have been of at least partially Scandinavian origin, suggested by 
the title applied to him in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for 992. Here, the 
ealdorman of Hampshire is called by the English title "ealdorman", while Thored 
himself is styled by the Scandinavian word eorl (i.e. Earl).[1]

Two accounts of Thored's origins have been offered by modern historians. The first is 
that he was a son of Oslac, ealdorman of York from 966 until his exile in 975.[2] This 
argument is partly based on the assertion by the Historia Eliensis, that Oslac had a 
son named Thorth (i.e. "Thored").[3] The other suggestion, favoured by most 
historians, is that he was the son of a man named Gunnar.[4] This Gunnar is known to 
have held land in the East and North Ridings of Yorkshire.[5]

If the latter suggestion is correct, then Thored's first appearance in history is the 
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recension D (EF)'s entry for 966, which recorded the accession 
of Oslac to the ealdormanry of southern Northumbria:

In this year, Thored, Gunnar's son, harried Westmoringa land, and, in this same year, 
Oslac succeeded to the office of ealdorman.[6]

The Anglo-Saxon scholar Frank Stenton believed that this was an act of regional 
faction-fighting, rather than, as had been suggested by others, Thored carrying out 
the orders of King Edgar the Peaceable.[7] This entry is, incidentally, the first mention 
of Westmoringa land, that is, Westmorland.[7] Gunnar seems to have been ealdorman 
earlier in the decade, for in one charter (surviving only in a later cartulary) dated to 
963 and three Abingdon charters dated to 965, an ealdorman (dux) called Gunnar is 
mentioned.[8]

Thored may be the Thored who appears for the first time in charter attestations during 
the reign of King Edgar (959–75), his earliest possible appearance being in 964, 
witnessing a grant of land in Kent by King Edgar to St Peter's, Ghent. This is uncertain 
because the authenticity of this particular charter is unclear.[9] A charter issued by 
Edgar in 966, granting land in Oxfordshire to a woman named Ælfgifu, has an illegible 
ealdorman witness signature beginning with Þ, which may be Thored.[10]

Ealdorman[edit]

Thored's governorship as ealdorman, based on charter attestations, cannot be 
securely dated before 979.[11] He did attest royal charters during the reign of 
Æthelred II, the first in 979,[12] six in 983,[13] one in 984,[14] three in 985,[15] one in 
988,[16] appearing in such attestations for the last time in 989.[12] It is possible that 
such appearances represent more than one Thored, though that is not a generally 
accepted theory.[17] His definite predecessor, Oslac, was expelled from England in 
975.[18] The historian Richard Fletcher thought that Oslac's downfall may have been 
the result of opposing the succession of Edward the Martyr, enemy and brother of 
Æthelred II.[19] What is known about Thored's time as ealdorman is that he did not 
have a good relationship with Oswald, Archbishop of York (971–92). In a memorandum 
written by Oswald, a group of estates belonging to the archdiocese of York was listed, 
and Oswald noted that "I held them all until Thored came to power; then was St Peter 
[to whom York was dedicated] robbed".[20] One of the estates allegedly lost was 
Newbald, an estate given by King Edgar to a man named Gunnar, suggesting to 
historian Dorothy Whitelock that Thored may just have been reclaiming land "wrongly 
alienated from his family".[21]

His relationship with King Edgar is unclear, particularly given the uncertainty of 
Thored's paternity, Oslac being banished from England in 975, the year of Edgar's 
death.[2] Richard Fletcher, who thought Thored was the son of Gunnar, argued that 
Thored's raid on Westmorland was caused by resentment derived from losing out on 
the ealdormanry to Oslac, and that Edgar thereafter confiscated various territories as 
punishment.[5] The evidence for this is that Newbald, granted by Edgar to Gunnar 
circa 963, was bought by Archbishop Osketel from the king sometime before 971, 
implying that the king had seized the land.[5]

Thored's relationship with the English monarchy under Æthelred II seems to have been 
good. Ælfgifu, the first wife of King Æthelred II, was probably Thored's daughter.[22] 
Evidence for this is that in the 1150s Ailred of Rievaulx in his De genealogia regum 
Anglorum wrote that the wife of Æthelred II was the daughter of an ealdorman (comes) 
called Thored (Thorth).[23] Historian Pauline Stafford argued that this marriage was 
evidence that Thored had been a local rather than royal appointment to the 
ealdormanry of York, and that Æthelred II's marriage was an attempt to woo Thored.
[24] Stafford was supported in this argument by Richard Fletcher.[25]

Death[edit]
The date of Thored's death is uncertain, but his last historical appearance came in the 
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, recension C (D, E), under the year 992, which reported the 
death of Archbishop Oswald and an expedition against a marauding Scandinavian 
fleet:

In this year the holy Archbishop Oswald left this life and attained the heavenly life, 
and Ealdorman Æthelwine [of East Anglia] died in the same year. Then the king and all 
his counsellors decreed that all the ships that were any use should be assembled at 
London. And the king then entrusted the expedition to the leadership of Ealdorman 
Ælfric (of Hampshire), Earl Thored and Bishop Ælfstan [.of London or of Rochester.] 
and Bishop Æscwig [of Dorchester], and they were to try if they could entrap the 
Danish army anywhere at sea. Then Ealdorman Ælfric sent someone to warn the 
enemy, and then in the night before the day on which they were to have joined battle, 
he absconded by night from the army, to his own disgrace, and then the enemy 
escaped, except that the crew of one ship was slain. And then the Danish army 
encountered the ships from East Anglia and from London, and they made a great 
slaughter there and captured the ship, all armed and equipped, on which the 
ealdorman was.[26]

Scandinavians led by Óláfr Tryggvason had been raiding England's coast since the 
previous year, when they killed Ealdorman Brihtnoth of Essex at the Battle of Maldon.
[27]

Historians think that Thored was either killed fighting these Scandinavians, or else 
survived, but became disgraced through defeat or treachery.[28] Fletcher speculated 
that Thored was removed from office and replaced by the Mercian Ælfhelm as a result 
of his failure against the Scandinavians.[29] Another historian, William Kapelle, 
believed Thored was removed because of his Scandinavian descent, an argument 
based on the Worcester Chronicle's claim, added to the text borrowed from the 
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, that Fræna, Godwine and Frythegyst fled a battle against the 
Danes in the following year because "they were Danish on their father's side".[30]

A man named Æthelstan who died at the Battle of Ringmere in 1010, "the king's 
aþum", was probably Thored's son.[31] The term aþum means either "son-in-law" or 
"brother-in-law", so this Æthelstan could also have been Thored's grandson by an 
unknown intermediary.[32] Thored's immediate successor was Ælfhelm, who appears 
witnessing charters as ealdorman from 994.[33]

Parents
____ Gunnor (ABT  915 - AFT  979)
----- ----- ()

Siblings
GUNNARSSON OF NORTHUMBRIA Thorod (ABT  933 - )

Marriage To ----- ----- ()
    m.  

Notes


Children by ----- ----- 
____ Elgiva (Alfgifu) (Aelgifu) (Aelflaed) (ABT  966 - 1002)

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