Editing Æthelwulf, King of Wessex (section)

== Æthelwulf's will ==
[[File:Alfred the Great's will.jpg|thumb|A page from King Alfred's will]]

Æthelwulf's will has not survived, but Alfred's has and it provides some information about his father's intentions. He left a bequest to be inherited by whichever of Æthelbald, Æthelred, and Alfred lived longest. Abels and [[Barbara Yorke|Yorke]] argue that this meant the whole of his personal property in Wessex, and probably that the survivor was to inherit the throne of Wessex as well, while Æthelberht and his heirs ruled Kent.{{sfnm|1a1=Abels|1y=2002|1pp=89–91|2a1=Yorke|2y=1990|2pp=149–50}} Other historians disagree. Nelson states that the provision regarding the personal property had nothing to do with the kingship,{{sfn|Nelson|2004a}} and Kirby comments: "Such an arrangement would have led to fratricidal strife. With three older brothers, Alfred's chances of reaching adulthood would, one feels, have been minimal."{{sfn|Kirby|2000|p=167}} Smyth describes the bequest as a provision for his youngest sons when they reached manhood.{{sfn|Smyth|1995|pp=416–17}} Æthelwulf's moveable wealth, such as gold and silver, was to be divided among "children, nobles and the needs of the king's soul".{{sfn|Nelson|2004a}} For the latter, he left one tenth of his hereditary land to be set aside to feed the poor, and he ordered that three hundred [[mancus]]es be sent to Rome each year, one hundred to be spent on lighting the lamps in [[Old St. Peter's Basilica|St Peter's]] at Easter, one hundred for the lights of [[Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls|St Paul's]], and one hundred for the pope.{{sfn|Abels|1998|p=87}}