Egbert of Wessex and the Saxon (carolingian) Egbert

[SETTIPANI]

Don Stone wrote :
>Here is a 'research report' on Ecgberht or Egbert of Wessex...

Some more remarks after Chris Bennett's:
Liudolf is not attested as Ecbert's son, and he was probably not. He is
probably identical to Liudolf, brother of Ecbert and son of Cobbo, that
E. Hlawitchka think to be Cobbo II, grandson of Ecbert, but that I
suppose to be Cobbo I, son of Ecbert. For that matter, Liudolf was
probably born c. 805 : he died is in 866, and his wife was born in 806
(she died in 913 at 107 !)
Hadwig of Herford, granddaughter of Ecbert is attested as the cousin of
Charles le Chauve, grandson of Charlemagne, at degree 3:4. That is to
say : 1) that a grand-parent of Hadwig is the brother or sister of
great-grandparent of Charles II, and 2) that there is no more close
relationship between them.
This relationship was take by some (K.A. Eckhard,and after him D.H.
Kelley and E. Hlawitschka) for make Ida the daughter of Carloman,
Charlemagne's brother. This is not possible, for Ida is attested as the
only daughter of a frankish count. Nor is possible to associate such a
relationship with the 'sororia regis' of Readburg.
The name Readburg is frankish Chrodberga, while Ida is Idoberga.
Different names. Are Ecbert of Saxe and Ecbert of West Saxons the same
man, their wifes were certainly different.
Ecbert of Saxe was born, for prosopographical considerations, c. 760. He
is last named in 811. This fit well enough with the english Ecbert.
But the name Ecbert is not rare in Saxe in the first part of the IX
century. We know many of them, and many Liudolf. The onomastic argument
and a good chronology does not suffice.
Ecbert of Saxe seems to have a sister named Hildeswindis. This woman
sister of an Ecbert is possessioned at Wackenheim and so is Adela,
daughter of duke Ecbert.
More difficult : neither the Vita Idae (admittandly a later one),
neither the Translatio Pusinnae, neither the Translatio S. Viti (the
last two contemporary) says nothing about regal or english origin.
Last, we know well enough the posterity of Ecbert of Saxe (4 descendants
to the first generation, 9 to the second, and 9 to the third) and not a
single name is an anglo-saxon one.
To conclude : an attractive hypothesis, but too poorly documented at the
moment. One should resist to the temptation.

CS