Emma of Normandy
| Emma of Normandy | |
|---|---|
Emma receiving the Encomium, in The Encomium Of Queen Emma, British Library MS 33241.
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| Queen consort of England | |
| Tenure | 1002 – summer 1013 3 February 1014 – 23 April 1016 July 1017 – 12 November 1035 |
| Queen consort of Denmark | |
| Tenure | 1018 – 12 November 1035 |
| Queen consort of Norway | |
| Tenure | 1028 – 12 November 1035 |
| Born |
c. 985 Normandy |
| Died | 6 March 1052 (aged 66–67) Winchester, Hampshire, England |
| Burial | Old Minster, Winchester. Bones now in Winchester Cathedral |
| Spouse |
Æthelred the Unready Cnut the Great |
| Issue |
with Æthelred Edward the Confessor Goda, Countess of Boulogne Alfred Ætheling with Cnut Harthacnut Gunhilda, Holy Roman Empress |
| House | Normandy |
| Father | Richard the Fearless |
| Mother | Gunnora |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Emma of Normandy (c. 985 – 6 March 1052) was a queen consort of England, Denmark and Norway. She was the daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, and his second wife, Gunnora. Through her marriages to Æthelred the Unready (1002-1016) and Cnut the Great (1017-1035), she became the Queen Consort of England, Denmark, and Norway. She was the mother of three sons, Edward the Confessor, Alfred, and Harthacnut, as well as two daughters, Goda of England, and Gunhilda of Denmark. Even after her husbands' deaths Emma remained in the public eye, and continued to participate actively in politics. She is the central figure within the Encomium Emmae Reginae, a critical source for the history of early 11th-century English politics. As Catherine Karkov notes, Emma is one of the most visually represented early medieval queens.
In an attempt to pacify Normandy, King Æthelred of England married Emma in 1002. Viking raids on England were often based in Normandy in the late 10th century, and this marriage was intended to unite against the Viking threat. Upon their marriage, Emma was given the Anglo-Saxon name of Ælfgifu, which was used for formal and official matters, and became Queen of England. She received properties of her own in Winchester, Rutland, Devonshire, Suffolk, and Oxfordshire, as well as the city of Exeter.
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