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On April 3, 1043, Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England. From the article:
"Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor, also known as Saint Edward the Confessor, reigned as king of England from 1042 to 1066 CE. Edward was reliant on the powerful Godwine (aka Godwin) family to keep his kingdom together but his achievements included a relatively peaceful reign in a turbulent century for England and the foundation of Westminster Abbey. With no children, Edward's successor was Harold Godwinson, aka Harold II (r. Jan-Oct 1066 CE) who would have to defend his right to the throne against several rivals, most dangerous of whom was Edward's distant cousin William the Conqueror (l. c. 1027-1087 CE). Seen by many later rulers as the spiritual founder of the English and now British monarchy, Edward was made a saint in the 12th century CE, and his crown (or surviving parts of it) is still used in the British coronation ceremony.
Succession
Edward was born c. 1003 CE at Islip in Oxfordshire, the son of King Aethelred II (aka the Unready, r. 978-1016 CE) and Emma of Normandy (c. 985-1052 CE). Edward’s brother was Edmund Ironside who had briefly reigned as king in 1016 CE until his death that year in November. In the rather messy dynastic happenings of pre-conquest England, Edward succeeded King Harthacnut (r. 1040-1042 CE), the son of King Cnut (r. 1016-1035 CE) and brother of King Harold I (r. 1040 CE). Harthacnut had died of a seizure without an heir on 8 June 1042 CE. Edward was Harthacnut’s half-brother (they shared the same mother) and he had been in exile in Normandy for 25 years until the king had recalled him and set him up as both co-ruler and heir. Harthacnut had been an unpopular ruler because of his severity and excessive taxes, and his demise, probably caused by a drinking bout, was lamented by few.
Edward the Confessor’s most dangerous enemies were not his neighbours but inside his own court.
By a chance of three kings all dying within seven years, then, Edward, who was now more Norman than English, unexpectedly found himself on the throne at age 40. The new king’s coronation was held at Winchester Cathedral on 3 April 1043 CE. For a man who seemed to like hunting more than anything else, and whose character is sometimes described by historians as weak, his reign was to be largely peaceful, a situation greatly helped by the reduction in Viking raids, a victorious campaign against the Scottish king Macbeth (r. 1040-1057 CE) in 1054 CE, and the successful containment of the rebellious Welsh in the 1060s CE. As it turned out, Edward’s most dangerous enemies were not his neighbours but inside his own court.
The Godwines
Edward married Edith Godwin (aka Edith of Wessex or Eadgyth Godwin, d. 1075 CE) on 23 January 1045 CE, a handy alliance to the kingdom’s most powerful family. Indeed, it was Edith’s father, Godwin, the Earl of Wessex, who largely ensured Edward kept his throne from rival Scandinavian claimants descended from various of his predecessors. There was some friction between the two as Godwin preferred to promote Saxons into key court positions while Edward favoured Normans. Another embarrassment was the wild behaviour of Godwin’s eldest son Earl Swegen (aka Swein) who infamously kidnapped the abbess of Leominster and then murdered her cousin, Earl Beorn. Things blew up in 1051 CE when the Godwines refused Edward’s orders to intervene in a dispute between the townsfolk of Dover and the visiting Eustace of Boulogne where a fracas had occurred and one of Eustace’s men was killed. Edward organised a trial, the result of which was prominent members of the Godwines family were banished to Ireland, and the king even sent his wife Edith to a convent.
The Godwines were not keen to give up their lands, and when they returned in force to England just one year later, it looked like civil war would erupt. Fortunately, the Witan, the king’s council of advisors, encouraged Edward to give the Godwines back their lands and titles. The Godwines proved too powerful and their followers too loyal for the king to sideline them for any length of time. Edith was brought out of her confinement and took her rightful place as queen again.
It was around 1051 CE - significantly, when the Godwines were in exile & out of favour - that William, Duke of Normandy visited King Edward.
After Earl Godwin died on 12 April 1053 CE, his son Harold Godwinson (b. c. 1023 CE) inherited his title as Earl of Wessex and role as leader of the family and most powerful military commander in England (Earl Swegen having died on a pilgrimage to the Middle East). Harold’s brothers were also powerful men in the kingdom: Tostig, Earl of Northumbria, and Gyrth, Earl of East Anglia. In order not to be completely dominated by the Godwins and ensure his earls had a more balanced distribution of land, King Edward insisted that Harold gave up East Anglia.
William of Normandy
It was around 1051 CE - significantly, when the Godwines were in exile and out of favour - that William, Duke of Normandy visited Edward. The man who became better known as William the Conqueror would later claim the English king had promised him the throne in gratitude for the hospitality the king had received in Normandy during his exile. The two were distantly related, Count Richard I of Normandy (l. 932-966 CE) being both Edward’s grandfather and William’s great-grandfather. It may also be true that Edward was happy to nominate William as his heir because it was only a contingency arrangement, that is, he intended to produce a son of his own, even if it meant remarrying. In addition, the favour given to William may have been a deliberate strategy to counterbalance the enormous power of the Godwines.
Another element to William’s claim (at least according to Norman chroniclers), was that Harold Godwinson had visited Normandy in March 1064 CE, where he had been captured by Count Guy of Ponthieu and then handed over to William. The medieval sources are unclear or conflicting as to why Harold sailed from Bosham in Sussex in the first place. Some say his ship was blown off course in a storm, others that he intended to meet William in Normandy to inform him the Norman was Edward’s nominated successor, and still others that Harold was attempting to release English prisoners held in Normandy.
According to pro-William sources such as William of Poitiers (c. 1020-1090 CE), a condition of Harold’s release was that Harold promised to become William’s vassal and prepare the way for an invasion of England. All of this may merely have been a justification for William to invade England in 1066 CE, and the Anglo-Saxon sources dispute much of the story. As it turned out, according to the Anglo-Saxon sources, on his deathbed Edward selected Harold Godwinson, who had become his closest advisor, as his successor.
Harold had indeed been using his time well. He proved himself a useful leader for the king, building his reputation on such successful military conquests as the attack on Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Wales in 1063-4 CE, after which he was widely applauded as the subregulus (under-king) and dux Anglorum (commander-in-chief of the English). In 1065 CE Harold had also sorted out a rebellion in Northumberland caused by his own brother Tostig’s harsh rule there. Tostig was banished to Flanders, and there were rumours that Harold had engineered the whole episode in order to gain even greater favour with King Edward. In short, Harold Godwinson, brother-in-law to the king, was the man of the moment in England, and it is perhaps no surprise that Edward, without children of his own, selected him as his heir even if he had favoured Duke William 15 years earlier.
Westminster Abbey
Edward famously founded Westminster Abbey in London, which was dedicated to Saint Peter and consecrated in December 1065 CE. Unfortunately, Edward was too ill to attend the ceremony. The Abbey, built in the Norman Romanesque style, was the largest in England and one of the finest in Europe; it would host coronations from 1066 CE onwards, starting with that of William the Conqueror. The abbey's choice of location also began the process of shifting the political capital of England away from Winchester to London. The Abbey was inhabited by Benedictine monks until 1640 CE, became the burial place of monarchs and luminaries, and was rebuilt many times over the centuries. A sealed writ from the king survives and notes the handing over of the estate of Perton for the abbey’s use. Edward also encouraged the trend of church-building elsewhere, ensuring nobody in his kingdom lived very far from one. The king was busy, too, with castles, building many of them in Herefordshire in western England to meet the threat of Welsh rebellion. These castles, like William the Conqueror’s more famous fortifications, were mostly structures made from wood and earth.
Death & Successor
Edward, then around 62 years of age, died on 5 January 1066 CE at Westminster, and he was, appropriately enough, interred in his new abbey. On 6 January 1066 CE Harold Godwinson was crowned Harold II of England, probably also in Westminster Abbey. The speed with which Harold had himself crowned is perhaps indicative of the challenges he faced from rivals other than Duke William. The most dangerous rival was Harald Hardrada, king of Norway (aka Harold III, r. 1046-1066 CE) whose highly dubious claim to the English throne was based on his belief he was the rightful ruler of Denmark which had once controlled areas of England and the fact that his own predecessor, Sweyn (Swein) of Norway, was an illegitimate son of Aelfgifu, wife of King Cnut. The other rival was Edgar the Aetheling, grandson of Ethelred II and great-nephew of Edward the Confessor, but he was only in his early teens in 1066 CE and so easily sidelined, especially as the nobles of England feared attacks from abroad and needed now a leader with military prowess.
Harold’s reign would be short indeed. First, he had to face an invading army in the north of England led by Harald Hardrada and Harold’s exiled brother Tostig. Harold was victorious at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September but then had to turn south and meet William the Conqueror’s army at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066 CE. Harold was killed in that battle and William began his successful Norman Conquest of England. The Norman duke was crowned William I on Christmas day 1066 CE, again in Westminster Abbey, and he would reign until 1087 CE.
Legacy - Sainthood & Crown
Edward the Confessor has cast a long shadow over English history for a king with such an uneventful reign. Domesday Book, the survey and record of all the landowners, property, tenants, and serfs of medieval England, was compiled in 1086-7 CE but recorded the situation of ownership at the end of Edward’s reign in January 1066 CE. Edward appears several times in that other great Norman record, the Bayeux Tapestry (1067-1079 CE) which presents a pictorial history of the Norman conquest. Edward’s fame would continue on in many other ways, too. Edward became the very symbol of pre-conquest England. He was made a saint by the medieval Church in 1161 CE for his great piety (of which there is not much evidence) and given his title ‘Edward the Confessor’ in a probably mistaken belief that his marriage was childless because he had taken a vow of celibacy. Saint Edward’s feast day was selected as 13 October.
The king was made the patron saint of England for a time, standing alongside Saint George in that exalted position, and his reign, seen as a golden age when a just monarch ruled wisely, inspired the 12th-century CE law code the Laws of Edward the Confessor. Besides all future monarchs having to swear to uphold the laws of Saint Edward at their coronation, Edward specifically inspired several later English kings such as Henry III of England (r. 1216-1272 CE) and Richard II of England (r. 1377-1399 CE) who both regarded the saint as a figure of admiration, the former even building him a magnificent new shrine in Westminster Abbey and being a major factor in his canonisation.
Edward continues to be commemorated by each of his successors as one of the crowns of the British Crown Jewels, the St. Edward’s Crown, has often been used during the coronation ceremony of British monarchs (and even if a substitute crown is used it is still called St. Edward’s Crown for the purposes of the ceremony). Henry III, when building his shrine to his illustrious predecessor, likely removed robes, jewels, and the gold Saxon crown or diadem from Edward’s coffin to incorporate them into his new royal regalia. The Crown Jewels were destroyed or sold off in 1649 CE following the execution of Charles I of England (r. 1600-1649 CE) but some pieces were reacquired and incorporated into the new regalia of 1660 CE following Restoration of the monarchy and coronation of Charles II in 1661 CE (r. 1660-1685 CE). The solid gold St. Edward’s Crown was made for this coronation and, weighing 2.3 kilos (5 lbs), it possibly includes pieces from Edward's original crown.
Finally, the oldest of all the Crown Jewels items is considered to be St. Edward’s Sapphire, an octagonal rose cut stone, said to have been taken from the ring of Edward the Confessor. This stone is now set in the top cross of the Imperial State Crown, which was made in 1838 CE for the coronation of Queen Victoria (r. 1837-1901 CE). The story goes that King Edward once gave the ring away to a beggar, but it was returned to him by two pilgrims. These pilgrims had miraculously met Saint John the Evangelist in Syria who had explained that he had been the beggar in disguise. Such are the tales of this king which spread and grew through the late Middle Ages."
"Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor, also known as Saint Edward the Confessor, reigned as king of England from 1042 to 1066 CE. Edward was reliant on the powerful Godwine (aka Godwin) family to keep his kingdom together but his achievements included a relatively peaceful reign in a turbulent century for England and the foundation of Westminster Abbey. With no children, Edward's successor was Harold Godwinson, aka Harold II (r. Jan-Oct 1066 CE) who would have to defend his right to the throne against several rivals, most dangerous of whom was Edward's distant cousin William the Conqueror (l. c. 1027-1087 CE). Seen by many later rulers as the spiritual founder of the English and now British monarchy, Edward was made a saint in the 12th century CE, and his crown (or surviving parts of it) is still used in the British coronation ceremony.
Succession
Edward was born c. 1003 CE at Islip in Oxfordshire, the son of King Aethelred II (aka the Unready, r. 978-1016 CE) and Emma of Normandy (c. 985-1052 CE). Edward’s brother was Edmund Ironside who had briefly reigned as king in 1016 CE until his death that year in November. In the rather messy dynastic happenings of pre-conquest England, Edward succeeded King Harthacnut (r. 1040-1042 CE), the son of King Cnut (r. 1016-1035 CE) and brother of King Harold I (r. 1040 CE). Harthacnut had died of a seizure without an heir on 8 June 1042 CE. Edward was Harthacnut’s half-brother (they shared the same mother) and he had been in exile in Normandy for 25 years until the king had recalled him and set him up as both co-ruler and heir. Harthacnut had been an unpopular ruler because of his severity and excessive taxes, and his demise, probably caused by a drinking bout, was lamented by few.
Edward the Confessor’s most dangerous enemies were not his neighbours but inside his own court.
By a chance of three kings all dying within seven years, then, Edward, who was now more Norman than English, unexpectedly found himself on the throne at age 40. The new king’s coronation was held at Winchester Cathedral on 3 April 1043 CE. For a man who seemed to like hunting more than anything else, and whose character is sometimes described by historians as weak, his reign was to be largely peaceful, a situation greatly helped by the reduction in Viking raids, a victorious campaign against the Scottish king Macbeth (r. 1040-1057 CE) in 1054 CE, and the successful containment of the rebellious Welsh in the 1060s CE. As it turned out, Edward’s most dangerous enemies were not his neighbours but inside his own court.
The Godwines
Edward married Edith Godwin (aka Edith of Wessex or Eadgyth Godwin, d. 1075 CE) on 23 January 1045 CE, a handy alliance to the kingdom’s most powerful family. Indeed, it was Edith’s father, Godwin, the Earl of Wessex, who largely ensured Edward kept his throne from rival Scandinavian claimants descended from various of his predecessors. There was some friction between the two as Godwin preferred to promote Saxons into key court positions while Edward favoured Normans. Another embarrassment was the wild behaviour of Godwin’s eldest son Earl Swegen (aka Swein) who infamously kidnapped the abbess of Leominster and then murdered her cousin, Earl Beorn. Things blew up in 1051 CE when the Godwines refused Edward’s orders to intervene in a dispute between the townsfolk of Dover and the visiting Eustace of Boulogne where a fracas had occurred and one of Eustace’s men was killed. Edward organised a trial, the result of which was prominent members of the Godwines family were banished to Ireland, and the king even sent his wife Edith to a convent.
The Godwines were not keen to give up their lands, and when they returned in force to England just one year later, it looked like civil war would erupt. Fortunately, the Witan, the king’s council of advisors, encouraged Edward to give the Godwines back their lands and titles. The Godwines proved too powerful and their followers too loyal for the king to sideline them for any length of time. Edith was brought out of her confinement and took her rightful place as queen again.
It was around 1051 CE - significantly, when the Godwines were in exile & out of favour - that William, Duke of Normandy visited King Edward.
After Earl Godwin died on 12 April 1053 CE, his son Harold Godwinson (b. c. 1023 CE) inherited his title as Earl of Wessex and role as leader of the family and most powerful military commander in England (Earl Swegen having died on a pilgrimage to the Middle East). Harold’s brothers were also powerful men in the kingdom: Tostig, Earl of Northumbria, and Gyrth, Earl of East Anglia. In order not to be completely dominated by the Godwins and ensure his earls had a more balanced distribution of land, King Edward insisted that Harold gave up East Anglia.
William of Normandy
It was around 1051 CE - significantly, when the Godwines were in exile and out of favour - that William, Duke of Normandy visited Edward. The man who became better known as William the Conqueror would later claim the English king had promised him the throne in gratitude for the hospitality the king had received in Normandy during his exile. The two were distantly related, Count Richard I of Normandy (l. 932-966 CE) being both Edward’s grandfather and William’s great-grandfather. It may also be true that Edward was happy to nominate William as his heir because it was only a contingency arrangement, that is, he intended to produce a son of his own, even if it meant remarrying. In addition, the favour given to William may have been a deliberate strategy to counterbalance the enormous power of the Godwines.
Another element to William’s claim (at least according to Norman chroniclers), was that Harold Godwinson had visited Normandy in March 1064 CE, where he had been captured by Count Guy of Ponthieu and then handed over to William. The medieval sources are unclear or conflicting as to why Harold sailed from Bosham in Sussex in the first place. Some say his ship was blown off course in a storm, others that he intended to meet William in Normandy to inform him the Norman was Edward’s nominated successor, and still others that Harold was attempting to release English prisoners held in Normandy.
According to pro-William sources such as William of Poitiers (c. 1020-1090 CE), a condition of Harold’s release was that Harold promised to become William’s vassal and prepare the way for an invasion of England. All of this may merely have been a justification for William to invade England in 1066 CE, and the Anglo-Saxon sources dispute much of the story. As it turned out, according to the Anglo-Saxon sources, on his deathbed Edward selected Harold Godwinson, who had become his closest advisor, as his successor.
Harold had indeed been using his time well. He proved himself a useful leader for the king, building his reputation on such successful military conquests as the attack on Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Wales in 1063-4 CE, after which he was widely applauded as the subregulus (under-king) and dux Anglorum (commander-in-chief of the English). In 1065 CE Harold had also sorted out a rebellion in Northumberland caused by his own brother Tostig’s harsh rule there. Tostig was banished to Flanders, and there were rumours that Harold had engineered the whole episode in order to gain even greater favour with King Edward. In short, Harold Godwinson, brother-in-law to the king, was the man of the moment in England, and it is perhaps no surprise that Edward, without children of his own, selected him as his heir even if he had favoured Duke William 15 years earlier.
Westminster Abbey
Edward famously founded Westminster Abbey in London, which was dedicated to Saint Peter and consecrated in December 1065 CE. Unfortunately, Edward was too ill to attend the ceremony. The Abbey, built in the Norman Romanesque style, was the largest in England and one of the finest in Europe; it would host coronations from 1066 CE onwards, starting with that of William the Conqueror. The abbey's choice of location also began the process of shifting the political capital of England away from Winchester to London. The Abbey was inhabited by Benedictine monks until 1640 CE, became the burial place of monarchs and luminaries, and was rebuilt many times over the centuries. A sealed writ from the king survives and notes the handing over of the estate of Perton for the abbey’s use. Edward also encouraged the trend of church-building elsewhere, ensuring nobody in his kingdom lived very far from one. The king was busy, too, with castles, building many of them in Herefordshire in western England to meet the threat of Welsh rebellion. These castles, like William the Conqueror’s more famous fortifications, were mostly structures made from wood and earth.
Death & Successor
Edward, then around 62 years of age, died on 5 January 1066 CE at Westminster, and he was, appropriately enough, interred in his new abbey. On 6 January 1066 CE Harold Godwinson was crowned Harold II of England, probably also in Westminster Abbey. The speed with which Harold had himself crowned is perhaps indicative of the challenges he faced from rivals other than Duke William. The most dangerous rival was Harald Hardrada, king of Norway (aka Harold III, r. 1046-1066 CE) whose highly dubious claim to the English throne was based on his belief he was the rightful ruler of Denmark which had once controlled areas of England and the fact that his own predecessor, Sweyn (Swein) of Norway, was an illegitimate son of Aelfgifu, wife of King Cnut. The other rival was Edgar the Aetheling, grandson of Ethelred II and great-nephew of Edward the Confessor, but he was only in his early teens in 1066 CE and so easily sidelined, especially as the nobles of England feared attacks from abroad and needed now a leader with military prowess.
Harold’s reign would be short indeed. First, he had to face an invading army in the north of England led by Harald Hardrada and Harold’s exiled brother Tostig. Harold was victorious at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September but then had to turn south and meet William the Conqueror’s army at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066 CE. Harold was killed in that battle and William began his successful Norman Conquest of England. The Norman duke was crowned William I on Christmas day 1066 CE, again in Westminster Abbey, and he would reign until 1087 CE.
Legacy - Sainthood & Crown
Edward the Confessor has cast a long shadow over English history for a king with such an uneventful reign. Domesday Book, the survey and record of all the landowners, property, tenants, and serfs of medieval England, was compiled in 1086-7 CE but recorded the situation of ownership at the end of Edward’s reign in January 1066 CE. Edward appears several times in that other great Norman record, the Bayeux Tapestry (1067-1079 CE) which presents a pictorial history of the Norman conquest. Edward’s fame would continue on in many other ways, too. Edward became the very symbol of pre-conquest England. He was made a saint by the medieval Church in 1161 CE for his great piety (of which there is not much evidence) and given his title ‘Edward the Confessor’ in a probably mistaken belief that his marriage was childless because he had taken a vow of celibacy. Saint Edward’s feast day was selected as 13 October.
The king was made the patron saint of England for a time, standing alongside Saint George in that exalted position, and his reign, seen as a golden age when a just monarch ruled wisely, inspired the 12th-century CE law code the Laws of Edward the Confessor. Besides all future monarchs having to swear to uphold the laws of Saint Edward at their coronation, Edward specifically inspired several later English kings such as Henry III of England (r. 1216-1272 CE) and Richard II of England (r. 1377-1399 CE) who both regarded the saint as a figure of admiration, the former even building him a magnificent new shrine in Westminster Abbey and being a major factor in his canonisation.
Edward continues to be commemorated by each of his successors as one of the crowns of the British Crown Jewels, the St. Edward’s Crown, has often been used during the coronation ceremony of British monarchs (and even if a substitute crown is used it is still called St. Edward’s Crown for the purposes of the ceremony). Henry III, when building his shrine to his illustrious predecessor, likely removed robes, jewels, and the gold Saxon crown or diadem from Edward’s coffin to incorporate them into his new royal regalia. The Crown Jewels were destroyed or sold off in 1649 CE following the execution of Charles I of England (r. 1600-1649 CE) but some pieces were reacquired and incorporated into the new regalia of 1660 CE following Restoration of the monarchy and coronation of Charles II in 1661 CE (r. 1660-1685 CE). The solid gold St. Edward’s Crown was made for this coronation and, weighing 2.3 kilos (5 lbs), it possibly includes pieces from Edward's original crown.
Finally, the oldest of all the Crown Jewels items is considered to be St. Edward’s Sapphire, an octagonal rose cut stone, said to have been taken from the ring of Edward the Confessor. This stone is now set in the top cross of the Imperial State Crown, which was made in 1838 CE for the coronation of Queen Victoria (r. 1837-1901 CE). The story goes that King Edward once gave the ring away to a beggar, but it was returned to him by two pilgrims. These pilgrims had miraculously met Saint John the Evangelist in Syria who had explained that he had been the beggar in disguise. Such are the tales of this king which spread and grew through the late Middle Ages."
Edward the Confessor
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When I saw the crown jewels, I was a bit disappointed. I think I was expecting something more gaudy.
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Saint Edward the Confessor: Last of the Saxon Kings?
Edward was a kind man who endured a long, twisting road to the English crown. History calls him the last true Saxon king, but as our biographic profile shows...
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on April 3, 1043, Edward the Confessor was crowned King of England.
Saint Edward the Confessor: Last of the Saxon Kings?
Edward was a kind man who endured a long, twisting road to the English crown. History calls him the last true Saxon king, but as our biographic profile shows, there could be another title that's even more accurate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI9PtW5BLdw
Images:
1. Edward the Confessor, King of England and Saint Edward the Confessor
2. Edith of Wessex, Wife of Edward the Confessor
3. Earl Godwin and his family return by ship to the court of Edward the Confessor in 1052
4. Edward the Confessor as shown in the Bayeaux Tapestry
Background from {{https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Edward-The-Confessor/]}
Edward The Confessor
by Jessica Brain
Edward the Confessor, known by this name for his extreme piety, was canonised in 1161 by Pope Alexander III. He became one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England, reigning for an impressive twenty four years from 1042 until 1066.
The last king of the House of Wessex was born in Oxfordshire at Islip, son of King Ethelred “the Unready” and his wife Emma of Normandy. He was the king’s seventh son and the first of Ethelred’s new wife, Emma. Born around 1003, his childhood was marred by the continuing escalation of conflict from Viking raids which targeted England. By 1013 Sweyn Forkbeard had seized the throne, forcing Emma of Normandy to flee to safety with her sons, Edward and Alfred.
He spent much of his early life living in exile in France, his family driven away by Danish rule. When his father Ethelred passed away in 1016 it was left to Edward’s half-brother, known as Edmund Ironside to continue to fight against Danish aggression in England, this time facing the imposing threat from Sweyn’s son, Cnut.
Unfortunately Edmund did not last long, as he died later that year, allowing Cnut to become king with Edward and his siblings forced into exile. One of his first acts as king was to have Edward’s elder half-brother Eadwig killed, leaving Edward the next in line. Edward’s mother married Cnut in 1017.
Edward subsequently spent his formative years in France although he vowed he would return to England one day as the rightful ruler of the kingdom. It is believed he spent much time in Normandy where he lived the lifestyle of nobility, whilst hoping on various occasions to seize an opportunity to ascend to the throne. He even signed charters as King of England and received support from a number of people who gave his royal entitlement their personal backing.
One of these figures was the Duke of Normandy, Robert I who in 1034 attempted an invasion of England in order to restore Edward to his rightful position. Furthermore, other supporters of his cause included figures in the church. It was during this time that Edward appeared to turn to religion and develop a strong sense of conviction, a piety he would carry with him throughout his life and for which he would ultimately become well-known.
Unfortunately for young Edward, despite receiving support, his chances of assuming the throne looked particularly thin, especially due to his mother, Emma of Normandy, who greatly favoured her other son, Harthacnut, son of Cnut the Great. Emma’s ambition for her Danish son usurped Edward’s chances as king, but for how long?
By 1035, Cnut had died and his son with Emma, Harthacnut assumed the role as King of Denmark. At the time he had been largely preoccupied with events in Denmark and had failed to lay claim to the throne in England. This left the royal role vacant for his elder half-brother Harold Harefoot who stood in as regent. Meanwhile, Harthacnut’s mother Emma kept Wessex on behalf of her son.
A year later, probably fearing their mother was losing her grip on power at the hands of Harold, Edward and Alfred received invitations to go to England from Emma. Unfortunately for Alfred this visit would seal his demise, as he was quickly captured by Godwin, the Earl of Wessex who handed him over to Harold where his grisly fate was met. Alfred suffered a dreadful death, blinded with red-hot pokers; he would later die from his injuries. Edward justifiably would bear a grudge and a seething hatred for Godwin and later banish him when he became king.
Edward quickly returned to Normandy. In the years that followed, Emma would find herself expelled by Harold and forced to live in Bruges, begging Edward for help in securing Harthacnut’s ascendancy. Edward simply refused and it was not until Harold’s death in 1040 that Harthacnut was able to take the throne in England.
By this time his half-brother, now King of England invited Edward to England, knowing that he would be the next in line to the throne. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle subsequently records Edward’s swearing in as king upon the death of his brother. With the support of the powerful Earl of Wessex, Godwin, Edward was able to succeed the throne.
His coronation took place at Winchester Cathedral on 3rd April 1043. A jubilant atmosphere welcomed the Saxon king back to his kingdom. As king he found it prudent to deal with his mother who had practically abandoned him in his time of need and favoured his sibling. In November the same year he saw fit to deprive her of her property, an act of personal vengeance against a mother he felt had never really supported him. She died in 1052.
During his reign Edward would manage affairs in a fairly consistent manner, however despite this he was faced with some skirmishes occurring both in Scotland and Wales. Edward managed a forceful campaign and in 1053 ordered the assassination of the southern Welsh prince Rhys ap Rhydderch. Furthermore, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn emerged in 1055 and declared himself leader of Wales but was forced back by the English, who forced Gruffydd to swear an oath of loyalty to the king.
Meanwhile, Edward’s leadership continued to reflect his Norman background. One of the most tangible displays of Norman influence was the creation of Westminster Abbey. The project itself was executed in 1042 and was eventually consecrated in 1065. The building represented the first Norman Romanesque church and even though it was to be later demolished in favour of Henry III’s construction, it would play a major role in developing a style of architecture and demonstration of his links to the church.
Edward’s long time abroad and clear Norman style however did contribute to a growing atmosphere of resentment. In January 1045, Edward had sought to calm any conflict between himself and Godwin, the Earl of Wessex, by marrying his daughter Edith.
Unfortunately for Edward, his position was severely compromised by the power held by the earls, in particular Godwin, Leofric and Siward. In time the earls would grow increasingly irate at the clear demonstrations of Norman favouritism exhibited by the king.
The tension boiled over when Edward chose Robert of Jumièges as Archbishop of Canterbury instead of Godwin’s relative. The new Archbishop would later accused Godwin of plotting to murder the king. Edward would seize his chance to oust Godwin, with the help of Leofric and Siward and with Godwin’s men unwilling to go up against the king, he outlawed Godwin and his family, which included Edward’s own wife Edith.
Unfortunately the battle for power was not over yet for King Edward, as Godwin would return a year later with his sons having accumulated much needed support for their cause. Edward no longer had the support of Leofric and Siward and was forced to make concessions or fear civil war.
In the latter half of Edward’s reign the political picture began to alter and Edward was distancing himself from the political fray, instead engaging in gentlemanly pursuits after attending church every morning. The Godwin family would subsequently control much of England whilst Edward withdrew.
By 1053 Godwin had died leaving his legacy to his son Harold who became responsible for dealing with rebellion in the north of England and Wales. It was these actions that prompted Edward to name Harold as his successor even though it had already been established that William, Duke of Normandy would assume the throne. This inevitably led to conflict and chaos when Edward died on 4th January 1066. The issue of succession was a major contributing factor to the Norman conquest of England.
Edward the Confessor, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings, has been historically preserved and depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry. His legacy as a leader was mixed, damaged by infighting and attempts by others to seize power. Nevertheless, he brought with him a strongly religious influence, Norman-style administration and reigned for a long twenty four year period. He was later canonised and adopted as one of England’s national saints, with a feast day celebrated on 13th October in his memory.'
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Saint Edward the Confessor: Last of the Saxon Kings?
Edward was a kind man who endured a long, twisting road to the English crown. History calls him the last true Saxon king, but as our biographic profile shows, there could be another title that's even more accurate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI9PtW5BLdw
Images:
1. Edward the Confessor, King of England and Saint Edward the Confessor
2. Edith of Wessex, Wife of Edward the Confessor
3. Earl Godwin and his family return by ship to the court of Edward the Confessor in 1052
4. Edward the Confessor as shown in the Bayeaux Tapestry
Background from {{https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Edward-The-Confessor/]}
Edward The Confessor
by Jessica Brain
Edward the Confessor, known by this name for his extreme piety, was canonised in 1161 by Pope Alexander III. He became one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England, reigning for an impressive twenty four years from 1042 until 1066.
The last king of the House of Wessex was born in Oxfordshire at Islip, son of King Ethelred “the Unready” and his wife Emma of Normandy. He was the king’s seventh son and the first of Ethelred’s new wife, Emma. Born around 1003, his childhood was marred by the continuing escalation of conflict from Viking raids which targeted England. By 1013 Sweyn Forkbeard had seized the throne, forcing Emma of Normandy to flee to safety with her sons, Edward and Alfred.
He spent much of his early life living in exile in France, his family driven away by Danish rule. When his father Ethelred passed away in 1016 it was left to Edward’s half-brother, known as Edmund Ironside to continue to fight against Danish aggression in England, this time facing the imposing threat from Sweyn’s son, Cnut.
Unfortunately Edmund did not last long, as he died later that year, allowing Cnut to become king with Edward and his siblings forced into exile. One of his first acts as king was to have Edward’s elder half-brother Eadwig killed, leaving Edward the next in line. Edward’s mother married Cnut in 1017.
Edward subsequently spent his formative years in France although he vowed he would return to England one day as the rightful ruler of the kingdom. It is believed he spent much time in Normandy where he lived the lifestyle of nobility, whilst hoping on various occasions to seize an opportunity to ascend to the throne. He even signed charters as King of England and received support from a number of people who gave his royal entitlement their personal backing.
One of these figures was the Duke of Normandy, Robert I who in 1034 attempted an invasion of England in order to restore Edward to his rightful position. Furthermore, other supporters of his cause included figures in the church. It was during this time that Edward appeared to turn to religion and develop a strong sense of conviction, a piety he would carry with him throughout his life and for which he would ultimately become well-known.
Unfortunately for young Edward, despite receiving support, his chances of assuming the throne looked particularly thin, especially due to his mother, Emma of Normandy, who greatly favoured her other son, Harthacnut, son of Cnut the Great. Emma’s ambition for her Danish son usurped Edward’s chances as king, but for how long?
By 1035, Cnut had died and his son with Emma, Harthacnut assumed the role as King of Denmark. At the time he had been largely preoccupied with events in Denmark and had failed to lay claim to the throne in England. This left the royal role vacant for his elder half-brother Harold Harefoot who stood in as regent. Meanwhile, Harthacnut’s mother Emma kept Wessex on behalf of her son.
A year later, probably fearing their mother was losing her grip on power at the hands of Harold, Edward and Alfred received invitations to go to England from Emma. Unfortunately for Alfred this visit would seal his demise, as he was quickly captured by Godwin, the Earl of Wessex who handed him over to Harold where his grisly fate was met. Alfred suffered a dreadful death, blinded with red-hot pokers; he would later die from his injuries. Edward justifiably would bear a grudge and a seething hatred for Godwin and later banish him when he became king.
Edward quickly returned to Normandy. In the years that followed, Emma would find herself expelled by Harold and forced to live in Bruges, begging Edward for help in securing Harthacnut’s ascendancy. Edward simply refused and it was not until Harold’s death in 1040 that Harthacnut was able to take the throne in England.
By this time his half-brother, now King of England invited Edward to England, knowing that he would be the next in line to the throne. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle subsequently records Edward’s swearing in as king upon the death of his brother. With the support of the powerful Earl of Wessex, Godwin, Edward was able to succeed the throne.
His coronation took place at Winchester Cathedral on 3rd April 1043. A jubilant atmosphere welcomed the Saxon king back to his kingdom. As king he found it prudent to deal with his mother who had practically abandoned him in his time of need and favoured his sibling. In November the same year he saw fit to deprive her of her property, an act of personal vengeance against a mother he felt had never really supported him. She died in 1052.
During his reign Edward would manage affairs in a fairly consistent manner, however despite this he was faced with some skirmishes occurring both in Scotland and Wales. Edward managed a forceful campaign and in 1053 ordered the assassination of the southern Welsh prince Rhys ap Rhydderch. Furthermore, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn emerged in 1055 and declared himself leader of Wales but was forced back by the English, who forced Gruffydd to swear an oath of loyalty to the king.
Meanwhile, Edward’s leadership continued to reflect his Norman background. One of the most tangible displays of Norman influence was the creation of Westminster Abbey. The project itself was executed in 1042 and was eventually consecrated in 1065. The building represented the first Norman Romanesque church and even though it was to be later demolished in favour of Henry III’s construction, it would play a major role in developing a style of architecture and demonstration of his links to the church.
Edward’s long time abroad and clear Norman style however did contribute to a growing atmosphere of resentment. In January 1045, Edward had sought to calm any conflict between himself and Godwin, the Earl of Wessex, by marrying his daughter Edith.
Unfortunately for Edward, his position was severely compromised by the power held by the earls, in particular Godwin, Leofric and Siward. In time the earls would grow increasingly irate at the clear demonstrations of Norman favouritism exhibited by the king.
The tension boiled over when Edward chose Robert of Jumièges as Archbishop of Canterbury instead of Godwin’s relative. The new Archbishop would later accused Godwin of plotting to murder the king. Edward would seize his chance to oust Godwin, with the help of Leofric and Siward and with Godwin’s men unwilling to go up against the king, he outlawed Godwin and his family, which included Edward’s own wife Edith.
Unfortunately the battle for power was not over yet for King Edward, as Godwin would return a year later with his sons having accumulated much needed support for their cause. Edward no longer had the support of Leofric and Siward and was forced to make concessions or fear civil war.
In the latter half of Edward’s reign the political picture began to alter and Edward was distancing himself from the political fray, instead engaging in gentlemanly pursuits after attending church every morning. The Godwin family would subsequently control much of England whilst Edward withdrew.
By 1053 Godwin had died leaving his legacy to his son Harold who became responsible for dealing with rebellion in the north of England and Wales. It was these actions that prompted Edward to name Harold as his successor even though it had already been established that William, Duke of Normandy would assume the throne. This inevitably led to conflict and chaos when Edward died on 4th January 1066. The issue of succession was a major contributing factor to the Norman conquest of England.
Edward the Confessor, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings, has been historically preserved and depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry. His legacy as a leader was mixed, damaged by infighting and attempts by others to seize power. Nevertheless, he brought with him a strongly religious influence, Norman-style administration and reigned for a long twenty four year period. He was later canonised and adopted as one of England’s national saints, with a feast day celebrated on 13th October in his memory.'
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Oct 13 - Saint Edward the Confessor - King of England - 1066 - London England
From the Golden Legend or Lives of the Saints.
Oct 13 - Saint Edward the Confessor - King of England - 1066 - London England
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr4k2nqtlTg
Images:
1. Coronation of Edward the Confessor took place at Winchester Cathedral on 3rd April 1043
2. Edward the Confessor and Harold Godwinson at Winchester
3. Edward the Confessor's seal.
4. Penny of Edward the Confessor
Background from {[https://forallsaints.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/edward-the-confessor-king-of-england-1066/]}
Edward was born in 1002, the child of Æthelred, king of England, and his Norman wife Emma. Living in exile during the rule of the Scandinavian kings Sweyn and Cnut, the first of whom seized the throne from his father, Edward was invited back to England in 1042 to become king. He was heartily welcomed as a descendant of the old Saxon royal line.
Sustained by Edward’s diplomacy and determination, his reign was a balancing act between the influences of stronger characters at home and abroad. Some have seen him as a weak, vacillating ruler who paved the way for the Norman Conquest, while others have stressed his tenacity and cunning which enabled him in a state of near-isolation to preserve peace for over twenty years, while Danish and Norman magnates struggled for power. He was concerned to maintain peace and justice in his realm and to avoid foreign wars, but his reputation for holiness was built on his personal, rather than his political, qualities. He was accessible to his subjects, generous to the poor, and hospitable to strangers. His marriage with Edith, the daughter of Godwin, earl of Wessex, was supposedly unconsummated, a belief that added to the sanctity ascribed to him by his subjects. He was also reputed to have seen visions and to have had portentous dreams, after one of which, concerning the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, he sent envoys to the emperor in Constantinople to inquire after the dream’s meaning. He strengthened the close ties between the English Church and the Church in Rome, sending bishops to Leo the Ninth’s councils in 1049 and 1050, and receiving papal legates in 1061. He promoted secular (non-monastic) clerics, sometimes from abroad, to bishoprics, thereby diminishing the near monopoly of monastic bishops.
But the latter did not imply a lack of esteem for monasticism. Having vowed as a young man while still in Normandy to go on a pilgrimage to Rome should his family’s fortunes every be restored, he later felt it irresponsible to leave his kingdom, and was permitted to fulfill the vow by endowing a monastery dedicated to Saint Peter. Edward chose the abbey on Thorney Island, by the Thames, thus beginning the royal patronage of what would become known as Westminster Abbey. At one time he devoted a tithe (one tenth) of his income to the abbey. He made generous grants of land to the abbey and built a huge Romanesque church, three hundred feet long, which was finished and consecrated just before his death. He was too ill to attend the consecration and died on the fifth of January 1066. His relics were translated to the Abbey Church of Saint Peter on this day in 1163, during the reign of King Henry the Second who, though of French birth, was related by blood to Edward through his great-grandmother, Saint Margaret of Scotland. The abbey church that Edward so richly endowed, and where his relics await the Resurrection to this day, became the place of coronation and burial of the kings and queens of England and is well known throughout the world today.
The Collect
Sovereign God, you set your servant Edward on the throne of an earthly kingdom and inspired him with zeal for the kingdom of heaven: Grant that we may so confess the faith of Christ by word and deed, that we, with all your saints, may inherit that heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr4k2nqtlTg
Images:
1. Coronation of Edward the Confessor took place at Winchester Cathedral on 3rd April 1043
2. Edward the Confessor and Harold Godwinson at Winchester
3. Edward the Confessor's seal.
4. Penny of Edward the Confessor
Background from {[https://forallsaints.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/edward-the-confessor-king-of-england-1066/]}
Edward was born in 1002, the child of Æthelred, king of England, and his Norman wife Emma. Living in exile during the rule of the Scandinavian kings Sweyn and Cnut, the first of whom seized the throne from his father, Edward was invited back to England in 1042 to become king. He was heartily welcomed as a descendant of the old Saxon royal line.
Sustained by Edward’s diplomacy and determination, his reign was a balancing act between the influences of stronger characters at home and abroad. Some have seen him as a weak, vacillating ruler who paved the way for the Norman Conquest, while others have stressed his tenacity and cunning which enabled him in a state of near-isolation to preserve peace for over twenty years, while Danish and Norman magnates struggled for power. He was concerned to maintain peace and justice in his realm and to avoid foreign wars, but his reputation for holiness was built on his personal, rather than his political, qualities. He was accessible to his subjects, generous to the poor, and hospitable to strangers. His marriage with Edith, the daughter of Godwin, earl of Wessex, was supposedly unconsummated, a belief that added to the sanctity ascribed to him by his subjects. He was also reputed to have seen visions and to have had portentous dreams, after one of which, concerning the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, he sent envoys to the emperor in Constantinople to inquire after the dream’s meaning. He strengthened the close ties between the English Church and the Church in Rome, sending bishops to Leo the Ninth’s councils in 1049 and 1050, and receiving papal legates in 1061. He promoted secular (non-monastic) clerics, sometimes from abroad, to bishoprics, thereby diminishing the near monopoly of monastic bishops.
But the latter did not imply a lack of esteem for monasticism. Having vowed as a young man while still in Normandy to go on a pilgrimage to Rome should his family’s fortunes every be restored, he later felt it irresponsible to leave his kingdom, and was permitted to fulfill the vow by endowing a monastery dedicated to Saint Peter. Edward chose the abbey on Thorney Island, by the Thames, thus beginning the royal patronage of what would become known as Westminster Abbey. At one time he devoted a tithe (one tenth) of his income to the abbey. He made generous grants of land to the abbey and built a huge Romanesque church, three hundred feet long, which was finished and consecrated just before his death. He was too ill to attend the consecration and died on the fifth of January 1066. His relics were translated to the Abbey Church of Saint Peter on this day in 1163, during the reign of King Henry the Second who, though of French birth, was related by blood to Edward through his great-grandmother, Saint Margaret of Scotland. The abbey church that Edward so richly endowed, and where his relics await the Resurrection to this day, became the place of coronation and burial of the kings and queens of England and is well known throughout the world today.
The Collect
Sovereign God, you set your servant Edward on the throne of an earthly kingdom and inspired him with zeal for the kingdom of heaven: Grant that we may so confess the faith of Christ by word and deed, that we, with all your saints, may inherit that heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."
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LTC Stephen F.
Edward The Confessor (The last true Anglo Saxon King)
In this video we look at Edward the Confessor the last true Anglo Saxon King of England.If you want to support this channel, you can make a Paypal donation u...
Edward The Confessor (The last true Anglo Saxon King)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZd1pwJk8KE
Images
1. St Edward the Confessor
2. A sealed writ of Edward the Confessor
3. Harold meeting Edward shortly before Edward's death, Bayeax Tapestry
4. Death of Edward The Confessor funeral procession Bayeux Tapestry
Background from {[https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Edward_the_Confessor]}
Edward the Confessor
Saint Edward II, the Confessor
King of England
Reign June 8 1042 (not crowned till 3 April, 1043) – 4/5 January 1066
Born c. 1004 at Islip, Oxfordshire, England
Died January 5 1066
Buried Westminster Abbey, Westminster, England
Predecessor Harthacanute
Successor Harold Godwinson
Consort Edith of Wessex
Father Ethelred the Unready
Mother Emma of Normandy
St Edward the Confessor or Eadweard III (c. 1004– January 5, 1066), son of Ethelred the Unready, was the penultimate Anglo-Saxon King of England and the last of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 until his death.[1] His reign marked the continuing disintegration of royal power in England and the rise of the great territorial earls, and foreshadowed the country's later connection with Normandy, whose duke William I was to replace Edward's successors Harold Godwinson and Edgar Ætheling as England's ruler. He also left his mark on London as founder of Westminster Abbey, where many English monarchs have been crowned.
He succeeded his half-brother Harthacanute, who had successfully regained the throne of England after being dispossessed by his half-brother, Harold Harefoot. Edward and his brother Alfred the Aetheling, both sons of Emma of Normandy by Ethelred the Unready, had previously failed to depose Harold in 1036. When Edward died in 1066 he had no son to take over the throne so a conflict arose as three people claimed the throne of England. Strongly inclined towards peace, his reign was a time of prosperity and, following the Norman Conquest was remembered with nostalgia by the non-elite especially, who saw their Norman rulers as foreign. His canonization in 1161 as part of a conscious development of English national identity was popular among the peasantry, who regarded him as representative of an older, gentler type of governance. Until 1348, Edward was patron saint of England. He has remained the patron saint of the Royal Family.
Early years
Edward was born c. 1003, allegedly in Islip, Oxfordshire. His palace was in Brill, Buckinghamshire. In 1013, he and his brother Alfred were taken to Normandy by their mother Emma of Normandy, sister of Normandy's Duke Richard II, to escape the Danish invasion of England. Edward is traditionally said to have developed an intense personal piety in his quarter-century of Norman exile (disputed by Howarth), during his most formative years, while England formed part of a great Danish empire. His familiarity with Normandy and its leaders would also influence his later rule: the refuge he was given in Normandy, vis a vis the disregard the Normans paid him while he was there, would leave him both grateful and bitter towards his kinsmen. Howarth argues that much of Edward's reputation for piety was wishful back projection; English account 'written a century later', says Howarth, 'make Edward more of a saint than he seemed to the men who knew him, for by then the English felt nostalgia for the last of their native kings, and the aim of these accounts was to persuade the pope that he should be canonized' (Howarth 1978, 34).
After an abortive attempt with Alfred in 1036 to displace Harold Harefoot from the throne, Edward returned to Normandy. Alfred, however, was captured by Godwin, Earl of Wessex who then turned him over to Harold Harefoot and was blinded to make him unsuitable for kingship. Alfred died soon after as a result of his torture. This murder of his brother is thought to be the source of much of his later hatred for the Earl—although he was acquitted of the crime - and played a major part in the reason for his banishment in autumn 1051; Edward said that the only way in which Godwin could be forgiven was if he brought back the murdered Alfred, an impossible task. At one point, Edward blamed not only Godwin but his children, too, when 'nobody ... had ever suggested ... that his sons had anything' to do with Alfred's murder, at this point 30 years earlier (Howarth 1978, 95).
The Anglo-Saxon lay and ecclesiastical nobility invited Edward back to England in 1041; this time he became part of the household of his half-brother Harthacanute (son of Emma and Canute), and according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was sworn in as king alongside him. Following Harthacanute's death on June 8, 1042, Edward ascended the throne. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle indicates the popularity he enjoyed at his accession—"before Harthacanute was buried, all the people chose Edward as king in London." Edward was crowned at the cathedral of Winchester, the royal seat of the West Saxons on April 3, 1043.
Edward's Reign
Edward's reign was marked by peace and prosperity, but effective rule in England required coming to terms with three powerful earls: Godwin, Earl of Wessex, who was firmly in control of the thegns of Wessex, which had formerly been the heart of the Anglo-Saxon monarchy; Leofric, Earl of Mercia, whose legitimacy was strengthened by his marriage to Lady Godiva, and in the north, Siward, Earl of Northumbria. Edward's sympathies for Norman favourites frustrated Saxon and Danish nobles alike, fuelling the growth of anti-Norman opinion led by Godwin, who had become the king's father-in-law in 1045. The breaking point came over the appointment of an archbishop of Canterbury: Edward rejected Godwin's man and appointed the bishop of London, Robert of Jumièges, a trusted Norman.
Matters came to a head over a bloody riot at Dover between the townsfolk and Edward's kinsman Eustace, count of Boulogne. Godwin refused to punish them, Leofric and Siward backed the King, and Godwin and his family were all exiled in September 1051. Queen Edith was sent to a nunnery at Wherwell. Earl Godwin returned with an army following a year later, however, forcing the king to restore his title and send away his Norman advisors. Godwin died in 1053 and the Norman Ralph the Timid received Herefordshire, but his son Harold accumulated even greater territories for the Godwins, who held all the earldoms save Mercia after 1057. Harold led successful raiding parties into Wales in 1063 and negotiated with his inherited rivals in Northumbria in 1065, and in January 1066, upon Edward's death, he was proclaimed king.
Aftermath
The details of the succession have been widely debated: the Norman position was that William had been designated the heir, and that Harold had been publicly sent to him as emissary from Edward, to apprise him of Edward's decision. Harold's party asserted that the old king had made a deathbed bestowal of the crown on Harold. However, Harold was approved by the Witenagemot who, under Anglo-Saxon law, held the ultimate authority to convey kingship.
Edward had married Godwin's daughter Edith on January 23, 1045, but the union was childless. The reason for this is the subject of much speculation. Possible explanations include Edward, having taken vow of chastity, considering the union a spiritual marriage, the age difference between Edward and Edith engendering a filial rather than spousal relationship, Edward's antipathy toward Edith's father, or infertility.
Edward's nearest heir would have been his nephew Edward the Exile, who was born in England, but spent most of his life in Hungary. He had returned from exile in 1056 and died not long after, in February the following year. So Edward made his great nephew Edgar Atheling his heir. But Edgar had no secure following among the earls: the resultant succession crisis on Edward's death without a direct "throneworthy" heir—the "foreign" Edgar was a stripling of 14—opened the way for Harold's coronation and the invasions of two effective claimants to the throne, the unsuccessful invasion of Harald Hardrada in the north and the successful one of William of Normandy.
William of Normandy, who had visited England during Godwin's exile, claimed that the childless Edward had promised him the succession to the throne, and his successful bid for the English crown put an end to Harold's nine-month kingship following a 7,000-strong Norman invasion. Edgar Ætheling was elected king by the Witan after Harold's death but was brushed aside by William. Edward, or more especially the mediæval cult which would later grow up around him under the later Plantagenet kings, had a lasting impact on English history. Westminster Abbey was founded by Edward between 1045 and 1050 on land upstream from the City of London, and was consecrated on 28 December, 1065. Centuries later, Westminster was deemed symbolic enough to become the permanent seat of English government under Henry III. The Abbey contains a shrine to Edward which was the centrepiece to the Abbey's redesign during the mid-thirteenth century. In 2005, Edward's remains were found beneath the pavement in front of the high altar. His remains had been moved twice in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and the original tomb has since been found on the central axis of the Abbey in front of the original high altar.
Historically, Edward's reign marked a transition between the tenth century West Saxon kingship of England and the Norman monarchy which followed Harold's death. Edward's allegiances were split between England and his mother's Norman ties. The great earldoms established under Canute grew in power, while Norman influence became a powerful factor in government and in the leadership of the Church.
It was during the reign of Edward that some features of the English monarchy familiar today were introduced. Edward is regarded as responsible for introducing the royal seal and coronation regalia. Also under Edward, a marked change occurred in Anglo-Saxon art, with continental influences becoming more prominent (including the "Winchester Style" which had become known in the tenth century but prominent in the eleventh), supplanting Celtic influences prominent in preceding painting, sculpture, calligraphy and jewellery (see Benedictional of St. Æthelwold for an example of the Winchester Style). His crown is believed to have survived until the English Civil War when Oliver Cromwell allegedly ordered it to be destroyed. Gold from it is understood to have been integrated into the St. Edward's Crown, which has been used in coronations since Charles II of England in 1661.
Legacy
Canonization
When Henry II came to the throne in 1154, he united in his person at last the English and Norman royal lines. To reinforce the emerging consciousness of English—as opposed to Norman or French identity—he promoted the cult of King Edward the Confessor. This was an early attempt at nation building in that it was a deliberate effort to bridge the gap between the majority of the population, who were Angl-Saxon, and the elite minority, who were French. He cleverly commissioned Osbert de Clare, a monk of—appropriately, since Edward has founded the Abbey—Westminster, and Prior from 1136, to petition the cause. Osbert had written lives of saints Edmund, Ethelbert and Edburga to which he added one of Edward, in which the king was represented as a holy man, reported to have performed several miracles—necessary for canonization—and to have healed people by his touch. Osbert, as his surviving letters demonstrate, was an active ecclesiastical politician. Traveling to Rome, he successfully secured Edward’s canonisation by Pope Alexander III in 1161.
In 1163, the newly sainted king's remains were enshrined in Westminster Abbey with solemnities presided over by Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. On this occasion the honor of preparing a sermon was given to Aelred, the revered Abbot of Rievaulx, to whom is generally attributed the vita (life) in Latin, a hagiography partly based on materials in an earlier vita by Osbert de Clare and which in its turn provided the material for a rhymed version in octasyllabic Anglo-Norman, possibly written by the chronicler Matthew Paris. At the time of Edward's canonization, saints were broadly categorized as either martyrs or confessors: martyrs were people who had been killed for their faith, while confessors were saints who had died natural deaths. Edward was accordingly styled Edward the Confessor, partly to distinguish him from his canonized predecessor Edward the Martyr.
The Roman Catholic Church regards Edward the Confessor as the patron saint of kings, difficult marriages, and separated spouses. After the reign of Henry II, Edward was considered the patron saint of England until 1348 when he was replaced in this role by St. George. He remained the patron saint of the Royal Family.
Edward's reign is memorialized in an eight panel stained glass window within St Laurence Church, Ludlow, England.
The shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor remains where it was after the final translation of his body in the thirteenth century—at the heart of Westminster Abbey. The date of that translation, October 13, is his feast day. Richard II who, for all his faults, also inclined towards peace, was promoted the cult of Edward. Evaluation of Edward's legacy is complicated by the myth-making that surrounds his name. On the one hand, he may not have been the saint of later tradition. On the other, the tradition that developed around his memory of a peace-loving king who preferred giving to charity than fighting was carefully crafted; it did not deny that Edward had engaged in his share of hunting and warfare but pictured him as increasingly peace-loving, and charitable towards the end of his reign. [2]'
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZd1pwJk8KE
Images
1. St Edward the Confessor
2. A sealed writ of Edward the Confessor
3. Harold meeting Edward shortly before Edward's death, Bayeax Tapestry
4. Death of Edward The Confessor funeral procession Bayeux Tapestry
Background from {[https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Edward_the_Confessor]}
Edward the Confessor
Saint Edward II, the Confessor
King of England
Reign June 8 1042 (not crowned till 3 April, 1043) – 4/5 January 1066
Born c. 1004 at Islip, Oxfordshire, England
Died January 5 1066
Buried Westminster Abbey, Westminster, England
Predecessor Harthacanute
Successor Harold Godwinson
Consort Edith of Wessex
Father Ethelred the Unready
Mother Emma of Normandy
St Edward the Confessor or Eadweard III (c. 1004– January 5, 1066), son of Ethelred the Unready, was the penultimate Anglo-Saxon King of England and the last of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 until his death.[1] His reign marked the continuing disintegration of royal power in England and the rise of the great territorial earls, and foreshadowed the country's later connection with Normandy, whose duke William I was to replace Edward's successors Harold Godwinson and Edgar Ætheling as England's ruler. He also left his mark on London as founder of Westminster Abbey, where many English monarchs have been crowned.
He succeeded his half-brother Harthacanute, who had successfully regained the throne of England after being dispossessed by his half-brother, Harold Harefoot. Edward and his brother Alfred the Aetheling, both sons of Emma of Normandy by Ethelred the Unready, had previously failed to depose Harold in 1036. When Edward died in 1066 he had no son to take over the throne so a conflict arose as three people claimed the throne of England. Strongly inclined towards peace, his reign was a time of prosperity and, following the Norman Conquest was remembered with nostalgia by the non-elite especially, who saw their Norman rulers as foreign. His canonization in 1161 as part of a conscious development of English national identity was popular among the peasantry, who regarded him as representative of an older, gentler type of governance. Until 1348, Edward was patron saint of England. He has remained the patron saint of the Royal Family.
Early years
Edward was born c. 1003, allegedly in Islip, Oxfordshire. His palace was in Brill, Buckinghamshire. In 1013, he and his brother Alfred were taken to Normandy by their mother Emma of Normandy, sister of Normandy's Duke Richard II, to escape the Danish invasion of England. Edward is traditionally said to have developed an intense personal piety in his quarter-century of Norman exile (disputed by Howarth), during his most formative years, while England formed part of a great Danish empire. His familiarity with Normandy and its leaders would also influence his later rule: the refuge he was given in Normandy, vis a vis the disregard the Normans paid him while he was there, would leave him both grateful and bitter towards his kinsmen. Howarth argues that much of Edward's reputation for piety was wishful back projection; English account 'written a century later', says Howarth, 'make Edward more of a saint than he seemed to the men who knew him, for by then the English felt nostalgia for the last of their native kings, and the aim of these accounts was to persuade the pope that he should be canonized' (Howarth 1978, 34).
After an abortive attempt with Alfred in 1036 to displace Harold Harefoot from the throne, Edward returned to Normandy. Alfred, however, was captured by Godwin, Earl of Wessex who then turned him over to Harold Harefoot and was blinded to make him unsuitable for kingship. Alfred died soon after as a result of his torture. This murder of his brother is thought to be the source of much of his later hatred for the Earl—although he was acquitted of the crime - and played a major part in the reason for his banishment in autumn 1051; Edward said that the only way in which Godwin could be forgiven was if he brought back the murdered Alfred, an impossible task. At one point, Edward blamed not only Godwin but his children, too, when 'nobody ... had ever suggested ... that his sons had anything' to do with Alfred's murder, at this point 30 years earlier (Howarth 1978, 95).
The Anglo-Saxon lay and ecclesiastical nobility invited Edward back to England in 1041; this time he became part of the household of his half-brother Harthacanute (son of Emma and Canute), and according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was sworn in as king alongside him. Following Harthacanute's death on June 8, 1042, Edward ascended the throne. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle indicates the popularity he enjoyed at his accession—"before Harthacanute was buried, all the people chose Edward as king in London." Edward was crowned at the cathedral of Winchester, the royal seat of the West Saxons on April 3, 1043.
Edward's Reign
Edward's reign was marked by peace and prosperity, but effective rule in England required coming to terms with three powerful earls: Godwin, Earl of Wessex, who was firmly in control of the thegns of Wessex, which had formerly been the heart of the Anglo-Saxon monarchy; Leofric, Earl of Mercia, whose legitimacy was strengthened by his marriage to Lady Godiva, and in the north, Siward, Earl of Northumbria. Edward's sympathies for Norman favourites frustrated Saxon and Danish nobles alike, fuelling the growth of anti-Norman opinion led by Godwin, who had become the king's father-in-law in 1045. The breaking point came over the appointment of an archbishop of Canterbury: Edward rejected Godwin's man and appointed the bishop of London, Robert of Jumièges, a trusted Norman.
Matters came to a head over a bloody riot at Dover between the townsfolk and Edward's kinsman Eustace, count of Boulogne. Godwin refused to punish them, Leofric and Siward backed the King, and Godwin and his family were all exiled in September 1051. Queen Edith was sent to a nunnery at Wherwell. Earl Godwin returned with an army following a year later, however, forcing the king to restore his title and send away his Norman advisors. Godwin died in 1053 and the Norman Ralph the Timid received Herefordshire, but his son Harold accumulated even greater territories for the Godwins, who held all the earldoms save Mercia after 1057. Harold led successful raiding parties into Wales in 1063 and negotiated with his inherited rivals in Northumbria in 1065, and in January 1066, upon Edward's death, he was proclaimed king.
Aftermath
The details of the succession have been widely debated: the Norman position was that William had been designated the heir, and that Harold had been publicly sent to him as emissary from Edward, to apprise him of Edward's decision. Harold's party asserted that the old king had made a deathbed bestowal of the crown on Harold. However, Harold was approved by the Witenagemot who, under Anglo-Saxon law, held the ultimate authority to convey kingship.
Edward had married Godwin's daughter Edith on January 23, 1045, but the union was childless. The reason for this is the subject of much speculation. Possible explanations include Edward, having taken vow of chastity, considering the union a spiritual marriage, the age difference between Edward and Edith engendering a filial rather than spousal relationship, Edward's antipathy toward Edith's father, or infertility.
Edward's nearest heir would have been his nephew Edward the Exile, who was born in England, but spent most of his life in Hungary. He had returned from exile in 1056 and died not long after, in February the following year. So Edward made his great nephew Edgar Atheling his heir. But Edgar had no secure following among the earls: the resultant succession crisis on Edward's death without a direct "throneworthy" heir—the "foreign" Edgar was a stripling of 14—opened the way for Harold's coronation and the invasions of two effective claimants to the throne, the unsuccessful invasion of Harald Hardrada in the north and the successful one of William of Normandy.
William of Normandy, who had visited England during Godwin's exile, claimed that the childless Edward had promised him the succession to the throne, and his successful bid for the English crown put an end to Harold's nine-month kingship following a 7,000-strong Norman invasion. Edgar Ætheling was elected king by the Witan after Harold's death but was brushed aside by William. Edward, or more especially the mediæval cult which would later grow up around him under the later Plantagenet kings, had a lasting impact on English history. Westminster Abbey was founded by Edward between 1045 and 1050 on land upstream from the City of London, and was consecrated on 28 December, 1065. Centuries later, Westminster was deemed symbolic enough to become the permanent seat of English government under Henry III. The Abbey contains a shrine to Edward which was the centrepiece to the Abbey's redesign during the mid-thirteenth century. In 2005, Edward's remains were found beneath the pavement in front of the high altar. His remains had been moved twice in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and the original tomb has since been found on the central axis of the Abbey in front of the original high altar.
Historically, Edward's reign marked a transition between the tenth century West Saxon kingship of England and the Norman monarchy which followed Harold's death. Edward's allegiances were split between England and his mother's Norman ties. The great earldoms established under Canute grew in power, while Norman influence became a powerful factor in government and in the leadership of the Church.
It was during the reign of Edward that some features of the English monarchy familiar today were introduced. Edward is regarded as responsible for introducing the royal seal and coronation regalia. Also under Edward, a marked change occurred in Anglo-Saxon art, with continental influences becoming more prominent (including the "Winchester Style" which had become known in the tenth century but prominent in the eleventh), supplanting Celtic influences prominent in preceding painting, sculpture, calligraphy and jewellery (see Benedictional of St. Æthelwold for an example of the Winchester Style). His crown is believed to have survived until the English Civil War when Oliver Cromwell allegedly ordered it to be destroyed. Gold from it is understood to have been integrated into the St. Edward's Crown, which has been used in coronations since Charles II of England in 1661.
Legacy
Canonization
When Henry II came to the throne in 1154, he united in his person at last the English and Norman royal lines. To reinforce the emerging consciousness of English—as opposed to Norman or French identity—he promoted the cult of King Edward the Confessor. This was an early attempt at nation building in that it was a deliberate effort to bridge the gap between the majority of the population, who were Angl-Saxon, and the elite minority, who were French. He cleverly commissioned Osbert de Clare, a monk of—appropriately, since Edward has founded the Abbey—Westminster, and Prior from 1136, to petition the cause. Osbert had written lives of saints Edmund, Ethelbert and Edburga to which he added one of Edward, in which the king was represented as a holy man, reported to have performed several miracles—necessary for canonization—and to have healed people by his touch. Osbert, as his surviving letters demonstrate, was an active ecclesiastical politician. Traveling to Rome, he successfully secured Edward’s canonisation by Pope Alexander III in 1161.
In 1163, the newly sainted king's remains were enshrined in Westminster Abbey with solemnities presided over by Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. On this occasion the honor of preparing a sermon was given to Aelred, the revered Abbot of Rievaulx, to whom is generally attributed the vita (life) in Latin, a hagiography partly based on materials in an earlier vita by Osbert de Clare and which in its turn provided the material for a rhymed version in octasyllabic Anglo-Norman, possibly written by the chronicler Matthew Paris. At the time of Edward's canonization, saints were broadly categorized as either martyrs or confessors: martyrs were people who had been killed for their faith, while confessors were saints who had died natural deaths. Edward was accordingly styled Edward the Confessor, partly to distinguish him from his canonized predecessor Edward the Martyr.
The Roman Catholic Church regards Edward the Confessor as the patron saint of kings, difficult marriages, and separated spouses. After the reign of Henry II, Edward was considered the patron saint of England until 1348 when he was replaced in this role by St. George. He remained the patron saint of the Royal Family.
Edward's reign is memorialized in an eight panel stained glass window within St Laurence Church, Ludlow, England.
The shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor remains where it was after the final translation of his body in the thirteenth century—at the heart of Westminster Abbey. The date of that translation, October 13, is his feast day. Richard II who, for all his faults, also inclined towards peace, was promoted the cult of Edward. Evaluation of Edward's legacy is complicated by the myth-making that surrounds his name. On the one hand, he may not have been the saint of later tradition. On the other, the tradition that developed around his memory of a peace-loving king who preferred giving to charity than fighting was carefully crafted; it did not deny that Edward had engaged in his share of hunting and warfare but pictured him as increasingly peace-loving, and charitable towards the end of his reign. [2]'
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