num_pages: 332
description: An authoritative life of Edward the Confessor the monarch whose death sparked the invasion of 1066In putting flesh back on Edwards bones Licence has brought a new succession story to popular attention.Leanda de Lisle The TimesThis fine biography of Edward the Confessor is both entertaining and elegiac.Nicholas Vincent The TabletOne of the last kings of Anglo-Saxon England Edward the Confessor regained the throne for the House of Wessex and is the only English monarch to have been canonized. Often cast as a reluctant ruler easily manipulated by his in-laws he has been blamed for causing the invasion of 1066the last successful conquest of England by a foreign power. Tom Licence navigates the contemporary webs of political deceit to present a strikingly different Edward. He was a compassionate man and conscientious ruler whose reign marked an interval of peace and prosperity between periods of strife. More than any monarch before he exploited the mystique of royalty to capture the hearts of his subjects. This compelling biography provides a much-needed reassessment of Edwards reigncalling into doubt the legitimacy of his successors and rewriting the ending of Anglo-Saxon England.
language: English
title: Edward the Confessor: Last of the Royal Blood
publisher: Yale University Press