Leofric, Earl of Mercia

[2] Northman, according to the Chronicle of Crowland Abbey, the reliability of which is often doubted by historians, says he was a retainer (knight) of Eadric Streona, the Earl of Mercia.

[3] Cnut then "made Leofric ealdorman in place of his brother Northman, and afterwards held him in great affection".

[5] However, Harold died in 1040 and was then succeeded by his brother Harthacnut, who made himself unpopular by implementing heavy taxation during his short reign.

The king was so enraged by this that in 1041 he ordered Leofric and his other earls to plunder and burn the city, and lay waste to the surrounding area.

In the end the issue was resolved by less violent means; in accordance with Leofric's advice the settlement of the dispute was referred to the Witenagemot,[1] and Earl Godwin and his family were outlawed for a time.

[8] John of Worcester tells us that "He and his wife, the noble Countess Godgifu, a worshipper of God and devout lover of St Mary ever-virgin, built the monastery there from the foundations out of their own patrimony, and endowed it adequately with lands and made it so rich in various ornaments that in no monastery in England might be found the abundance of gold, silver, gems and precious stones that was at that time in its possession.

Leofric used a double-headed eagle as his personal emblem, and this has been adopted by various units of the British Army as a symbol for Mercia.

Folklore tends to depict him as an unfeeling overlord who imposed over-taxation, whereas many historians object to this, and consider it as part of the Lady Godiva myth; they suggest that he was a strong and respected leader.

There is also great disagreement over his reputation as a military leader: some historians believe Leofric to have been weak in this respect, but others go as far as to give him the title 'Hammer of the Welsh'.