Mildthryth

Saint Mildthryth
Born	unknown
Died	unknown Minster-in-Thanet
Major shrine	formerly Minster-in-Thanet St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury
Feast	13 July

Saint Mildthryth (Old English: Mildþrȳð; floruit 694–716x733), also Mildrith, Mildryth or Mildred, was an Anglo-Saxon abbess.

Mildthryth was the daughter of King Merewalh of Magonsaete, a sub-kingdom of Mercia, and Eormenburh (Saint Eormenburga), herself the daughter of King Æthelberht of Kent. Her sisters Milburh (Saint Milburga of Much Wenlock) and Mildgytha (Saint Mildgyth) were considered to be saints. Goscelin, probably relying on a now-lost history of the rulers of the Kingdom of Kent, wrote a hagiography of Mildthryth.

Mildthryth's maternal family had close ties to the Merovingian rulers of Gaul, and Mildthryth is said to have been educated at the prestigious Merovingian royal abbey of Chelles. She entered the abbey of Minster-in-Thanet, which her mother had earlier established, of which she became abbess by 694. Suggesting that ties to Gaul were maintained, number of dedications to Mildthryth exist in the Pas-de-Calais, including at Millam. Mildthryth died at Minster-in-Thanet and was buried there.

Her remains were translated to St Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury in 1035, the translation is commemorated on 18 May.

Mildthryth was apparently followed as abbess by Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet, correspondent of Saint Boniface.

Literature

• Brooks, Beda: The world of Saint Mildred, c. 660- 730. A study of an Anglo-Saxon nun in the golden age of the English Church, Bath 1996, ISBN 1-89866-308-4.
• Rollason, David W.: The Mildrith legend. A study in early Medieval hagiography in England, Leicester 1982, ISBN 0-7185-1201-4.

References

• Love, R. C., "Mildrith, St" in Michael Lapidge et al., The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. ISBN 0-631-22492-0
• Rollason, D. W., The Mildrith Legend: a study in early medieval hagiography in England (series "Studies in the Early History of Britain", Leicester University Press) 1983.
• Primary texts in Old English and translation, with further information

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Place of death	Minster-in-Thanet