In 868, Alfred married Ealhswith, daughter of a Mercian nobleman, Æthelred Mucel, Ealdorman of the Gaini. The Gaini were probably one of the tribal groups of the Mercians. Ealhswith's mother, Eadburh, was a member of the Mercian royal family.[154]
They had five or six children together, including Edward the Elder who succeeded his father as king; Æthelflæd who became lady of the Mercians; and Ælfthryth who married Baldwin II, Count of Flanders. Alfred's mother was Osburga, daughter of Oslac of the Isle of Wight, Chief Butler of England. Asser, in his Vita Ælfredi asserts that this shows his lineage from the Jutes of the Isle of Wight.
Osferth was described as a relative in King Alfred's will and he attested charters in a high position until 934. A charter of King Edward's reign described him as the king's brother – mistakenly according to Keynes and Lapidge, but in the view of Janet Nelson, he probably was an illegitimate son of King Alfred.[155][156]
Name
Birth
Death
Notes
Æthelflæd
12 June 918
Married c. 886, Æthelred, Lord of the Mercians d. 911; had issue
Edward
c. 874
17 July 924
Married (1) Ecgwynn, (2) Ælfflæd, (3) 919 Eadgifu
Æthelgifu
Abbess of Shaftesbury
Æthelweard
16 October 922(?)
Married and had issue
Ælfthryth
929
Married Baldwin II d. 918; had issue