thelwulf, d. 858, king of Wessex (839-56), son of Egbert and father of Æthelbald, Æthelbert, Æthelred, and Alfred. He had been lord of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and Essex before his father’s death in 839, and upon becoming king of Wessex he became overlord of Kent. He was compelled to defend his country against the invasion of the Danes, and with Æthelbald he won a notable victory over them at Aclea in 851. He also campaigned against the Welsh. A man of great piety, he sent his son Alfred to Rome and went there himself on a pilgrimage in 855. In 856 he took as a second wife Judith, daughter of Charles II (Charles the Bald) of France. Learning before his return to England that Æthelbald would resist his resumption of the kingship, Æthelwulf left his son as king of the Wessex and himself ruled only in Kent and its dependencies, where Æthelbert succeeded him. [The Illustrated Columbia Encyclopedia, 3rd ed., 1969]

Sub-King of Kent, Essex, Sussex, and Surrey from 825-839. Succeeded his Father in 839, resigned Wessex to his son Ethelbald in 855, retaining as Sub-King Kent, Sussex and Surrey. {Anglo-Saxon Chronicles} Had as issue by his 1st wife, four sons who lived long enough in turn to succeed him. {Burke’s Peerage} [GADD.GED]

King of Wessex 839 till abdication in 856. Under-King of Kent 825-839 and again 856-858. [ROWLEYHR.GED]

Additional information: Britannia.com

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