When Edgar died in 975, the succession was contested. Edgar had an older son, Edward, from a previous marriage, and a younger son, Æthelred, by Ælfthryth. Edward was crowned king, but his rule was brief and troubled by factionalism.

In 978, Edward was murdered at Corfe Castle under suspicious circumstances while visiting Ælfthryth and Æthelred. Contemporary and later sources—especially those written by monks sympathetic to Edward—implicated Ælfthryth in the assassination. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle refrains from direct accusations, but other texts like those by William of Malmesbury suggest she orchestrated the murder to ensure her son’s succession.

Whether she was truly culpable or merely the victim of political slander, Ælfthryth's reputation was permanently shadowed by the event. Edward was later canonized as a martyr, and Ælfthryth’s image became that of a scheming queen—a medieval Lady Macbeth figure whose ambition drove her to bloodshed.

Regency and Religious Life

Following Edward’s death, Ælfthryth served as regent for Æthelred, who was only about ten years old at the time of his accession. As queen mother and regent, she wielded enormous power, governing on her son's behalf during a time of instability and renewed Viking threat.

Records indicate she continued to be involved in governance even after Æthelred came of age. However, their relationship became strained in later years, and Ælfthryth seems to have retired from court life around the turn of the century.

In her final years, Ælfthryth focused on religious pursuits. She founded and supported several monastic institutions, including Wherwell Abbey, where she eventually took the veil and lived out her last days. She died around 1000 or 1001, her legacy torn between reverence for her piety and suspicion over her ambition. shutdown123