Career
Æthelhelm or Æþelhelm (fl 880s) was the elder of two known sons of Æthelred I, King of Wessex from 865 to 871. The only certain record of Æthelhelm records him as a beneficiary in Alfred"s will in the mid 880s, and it is speculated that he died soon afterwards. Æthelhelm"s mother was probably Wulfthryth.
Some historians have suggested identifying him with the Æthelhelm who served as Ealdorman of Wiltshire, the probable father of Ælfflæd, who became Edward the Elder"s second wife about 899.
On Alfred"s death in 899 Æthelhelm"s younger brother Æthelwold contested the succession and died in battle. The historian Æthelweard (died c 998) claimed descent from King Æthelred I and may therefore be a descendant of Æthelhelm.
Some genealogists have suggested that the Godwins descended from Æthelred I through Æthelhelm, but almost all historians dismiss this idea.
