Godwulf

Compilation by D. A. Sharpe

 

 

Godwulf was born about 80 AD.  He heads the longest genealogical line recorded in my records, covering 67 generations.  That shows easily that a generation averages about 29 years.  That is the time between a person's birth and the first child given issue by that person.

 

Source:http://www.smokykin.com/ged/f002/f54/a0025416.htm

 

Various royal genealogies of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, collectively referred to as the Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies, have been preserved in a manuscript tradition based in the 8th to 10th centuries. The genealogies trace the succession of the early Anglo-Saxon kings, back to the semi-legendary kings of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, notably named as Hengest and Horsain Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, and further to legendary kings and heroes of the pre-migration period, usually including an eponymous ancestor of the respective lineage and converging on Woden. In their fully elaborated forms as preserved in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and the Textus Roffensis, they continue the pedigrees back to the biblical patriarchs Noah and Adam. They also served as the basis for pedigrees that would be developed in 13th century Iceland for the Scandinavian royalty.

 

Godwulf seems to be the 34th great grandfather of the 26th great grand uncle of Betty Westmoreland and the 28th great grand uncle of my Westmoreland grandchildren.  Betty is the mother of Steven O. Westmoreland, my son-in-law.  Godwulf's descendants travel down through the Westmoreland family line. 

 

Through my fatherŐs Sharpe family line, my relationship to Godwulf is that Godwulf is the 34th great granduncle of Sir Thomas Southworth, the first husband of Alice Carpenter, my seventh great grandmother.  My descending is through Alice and her second husband, Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford.

 

This very long genealogical line ties into my most lengthly genealogical line, the one going back to Halfdan Vanha Sveidasson, the Earle of the Uplands in Norway.  Halfdan Vanha Sveidasson was a Viking born about 750 AD.  Halfdan Vanha Sveidasson is my 34th great grandfather.  Halfdan Vanha Sveidasson's family line and Godwulf's family line came together in the person of French born English King Henry II.  King Henry II came from the Plantagenet (pronounced planTAJ uh niht), which was the family name of a line of kings that ruled England from 1154 to 1399. 

 

These kings descended from the marriage of Matilda, daughter of King Henry I, to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, France.  Geoffrey was nicknamed Plantagenet, because he wore a sprig of the broom (genet) plant in his cap.  Numerous historians also call these kings Angevins, meaning from Anjou.  The Plantagenet dynasty began with Henry II, son of Matilda and Geoffrey.  Henry is my 9th cousin, 24 times removed, as well as the 14th great grandfather of the first husband of Alice Carpenter, my seven times great grandmother.  Henry II is the 10th great grandson of Halfdan Vanha Sveidasson and the 35th great grandson of Godwulf.

 

Godwulf's birth occurred just months following the event of Mount Vesuvius erupting on August 24, 79 AD, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic ash.  An estimated 20,000 people died.

 

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vesuvius

 

Godwulf came about on this earth in the days that the Biblical New Testament were being completed.  The concluding book of the Bible, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ," was written by the Apostle John, "the disciple whom Jesus loved," when Christians were entering a time of persecution.  The two periods most often mentioned are the latter part of Nero's reign (54-68 AD) and the latter part of Domitian's reign (81-96 AD).  Most scholars date the book by the Apostle John about 95 AD.  A few suggest a date during the reign of Vespasian: 69-79 AD."   Other New Testament writings were being wrapped up in the era of Godwulf's birth.  John is thought to have written this last book of the Bible while a political and religious prisoner on Pastmos, a rocky island used as a Roman prison off the western coast of Asia Minor, near Ephesus (modern day western Turkey).

 

Source: "The New International Version Study Bible," editor Kenneth Barker, Zondervan, publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, 1984,page 1,522

 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ was beginning to grow across the world.  However, it would be the 17th generation from Godwulf before Christianity came into this family line.

 

Of course, one of the most famous Post Biblical events to occur to the Israelite nation was the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem in 70 AD, just a decade prior to Godwulf's birth.

 

In Godwulf's lifetime, when Trajan was Emperor of Rome (98-116), the Roman Empire reached its greatest geographical extent.

 

Source:"The Timetables of History," Bernard Grun, a Touchstone Book, published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 1975 ISBN 0-671-74919-6, page 26

 

Not much is known about Godwulf, the man.  It is said that he is from Norse traditions.    Norse is of or relating to medieval Scandinavia or its peoples, languages, or cultures.  It is of or relating to Norway or its people, language, or culture.  Norse is relating to, or being the branch of the North Germanic languages that includes Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese.  All of this is a pre-Christian time for this part of the world.

 

Source:http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Norse

 

An extensive discourse is posted about the people of Godwulf and his descendants at this URL:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology

 

Be aware, in this context, that the term, "mythology" means experiences of human kind encountering the Devine.  That would include the God (and Trinity) of the Bible, as well as the false deities of what is called by various names, such as "Greek mythology."  A myth is a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.

 

Source:http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/myth

 

Other reports which account events of 80 AD or close to it:

 

#Year 80 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.

 

# The Emperor Titus inaugurates the Colosseum with 100 days of games.

 

# The earliest stage of Lullingstone Roman villa is built (approximate date).

 

# The Roman occupation of Britain reaches the River Tyne-Solway Firth frontier area (approximate date).

 

# The original Roman Pantheon is destroyed in a fire, together with many other buildings.  

 

# The Eifel Aqueduct is constructed to bring water 95 km (60 miles)from the Eifel region to Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensum (modern Cologne).

 

# The first African enters the Roman Senate

 

#The aeolipile, the first steam engine, is invented by Hero ofAlexandria.

 

#The Gospel of Luke and Acts are written (approximate date), as well as the three letters of the Apostle John and his Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

 

#The Gospel according to Matthew is translated into Greek.

 

#Saint Timothy, bishop of Ephesus died in 80 A.D. (traditional date)

 

Source:    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80

 

This series of genealogical and historical events have been compiled for the information and enjoyment of interested persons.  Obviously, dates and facts claimed to have ancient origins, chiefly prior to the 1600s, are often not considered reliable by serious historians.   However, they do reflect ideas and notions people researching history have felt likely took place.  It is in those senses that I hope the reader enjoys this effort.

 

For those interested in a more complete genealogical report of descendants in these 67 generations, here is a 377-page report:

 

http://www.dasharpe.com/Genealogy/GodwulfDesc.pdf

 

To see a genealogical chart of my relationship to Godwulf through my fatherŐs Sharpe family line, here is a link:

 

http://www.dasharpe.com/Genealogy/Charts/GodwulfRelaDA.pdf

 

 

Compilation by:

 

Dwight Albert (D. A.) Sharpe

805 Derting Road East

Aurora, TX 76078-3712

 

da@dasharpe.com

www.dasharpe.com

817-504-6508

Facebook:    Dwight Albert Sharpe