The Three Marriages of Judith of Flanders

When she was only twelve, she married a man in his mid-fifties, because that’s what her father wanted. Depending on your definition of “England”, she may have been its first crowned Queen.

Judith with her third husband, Count Baldwin of Flanders. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Most of us have heard about Alfred the Great, king of the West Saxons. He was one of the only two British monarchs to be remembered by history as “The Great”, he fought the Vikings, made the noblemen in his court learn how to read, and burned some cakes. He could probably even teach you a thing or two about brand marketing.

But did you know he had a teenage stepmother who then became his sister-in-law? The story of Judith of Flanders, wife of King Æthelwulf of Essex starts out pretty grim, but in the end, she found freedom; and eventually, she even got to marry for love.

The Carolingian Court

Portrait of Ermentrude of Orleans, Judith’s mother. 19th Century French lithography. Source: Wikimedia commons.

Judith was the daughter of Charles the Bald, King of West Frankia, and his first wife, Ermentrude of Orléans. In those days, a queen couldn’t rule in her own right. She would be involved in running the Royal household…