Gunhild of Wessex
Gunhild of Wessex (1055–1097) was the eldest daughter of Harold Godwinson and Edith the Fair.
Life [edit]
Her parents were married in common law. Even though their marriage was not recognized by the church, their children were treated as if they were legitimate. She remained in England after her father's death at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and received her education at Wilton Abbey. This was a centre of learning, which attracted many high-born women, both English and Norman. Matilda of Scotland was educated here, with her sister Mary. It was also the home of the poetess Muriel.[1]
Since, according to Danelaw, she was the heiress of her mother's claims to some counties, she attracted the attention of Alan the Red, who abducted and then married her. After his death in 1089, she married his brother Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond (a.k.a Alan the Black).[2]
