page_title: Edmund Ironside
section_title: In culture
hierarchical_section_title: Edmund Ironside / In culture
context_page_description: Edmund Ironside was King of England from 23 April to 30 November 1016. He was the son of King Æthelred the Unready and his first wife, Ælfgifu of York. Edmund's reign was marred by a war he had inherited from his father; his cognomen "Ironside" was given to him "because of his valour" in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut the Great.
  Edmund was not expected to be King of England; however, by June 1014 two elder brothers had died, making him heir apparent. England was conquered by Sweyn Forkbeard at the end of the same year, but he died shortly thereafter, paving the way for Æthelred to return to the throne, which he did, but not without opposition. Sweyn's son, Cnut, was defeated and returned to Denmark, where he assembled an invasion force to re-conquer England. It would not arrive for another year.
  After regaining the throne, the royal family set about strengthening its hold on the country with the assistance of Eadric Streona. People who had sided with the Danes in 1014 were punished, and some were killed. In one case, two brothers, Morcar and Sigeferth, were killed and their possessions, along with Sigferth's wife Ealdgyth, were taken by Æthelred.
context_section_description: Edmund Ironside is an Elizabethan play about him, which some critics believe to be a very early work by William Shakespeare.
  Edmund is played by John Horn in the 1970 television movie The Ceremony of Innocence.
  Edmund is one of the main characters in Justin Hill's novel Shieldwall (2011), first in the Conquest Trilogy.
caption: Fictional depiction from the 18th century
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