younger of two known sons of Æthelred, king of Wessex
860 CE
to 902 CE
Æthelwold or Alwaldus (died December 13, 902) is the younger of two known sons of Æthelred, the king of Wessex from 865 to 871.
Æthelred had ended his reign fighting a Viking invasion, and he had suffered several defeats shortly before his death.
His sons were too young to carry on the resistance against the Vikings, and he had been succeeded by his younger brother, Alfred the Great.
After Alfred's death in 899, Æthelwold disputes the throne with Alfred's son, Edward the Elder.
Æthelwold attempts to raise an army to support his claim, but he is unable to get sufficient support to meet Edward in battle, and he flees to Viking controlled Northumbria, where he is accepted as king.
In 901, he sails with a fleet to East Anglia, which is also at this time part of the Danelaw.
The following year he persuades the East Anglian Danes to launch an attack on Edward's territory in Wessex and Mercia.
Edward retaliates by a raid on East Anglia, but when he retreats, the men of Kent linger and meet the Danes at the Battle of the Holme on December 13, 902.
The Danes are victorious, but suffer heavy losses, including the death of Æthelwold, ending the challenge to Edward's rule.
