BBC - History - Edward the Confessor z Edward the Confessor © Edward, the penultimate Anglo-Saxon king of England, was known as 'the Confessor' because of his deep piety. Edward was the son of Ethelred II 'the Unready' and Emma, the daughter of Richard I of Normandy. The family was exiled in Normandy after the Danish invasion of 1013, but returned the following year and negotiated Ethelred's reinstatement. After Ethelred's death in 1016 the Danes again took control of England. Edward lived in exile until 1041, when he returned to the London court of his half brother, Hardecanute. He became king in 1042. Much of his reign was peaceful and prosperous. Skirmishes with the Scots and Welsh were only occasional and internal administration was maintained. The financial and judicial systems were efficient and trade was good. However, Edward's introduction to court of some Norman friends prompted resentment, particularly in the houses of Mercia and Wessex, which both held considerable power. For the first 11 years of Edward's reign the real ruler of England was Godwine, Earl of Wessex.

Edward married Godwine's daughter Edith in 1045, but this could not prevent a breach between the two men in 1049. Two years later, with the support of Leofric of Mercia, Edward outlawed Godwine and his family. However, Edward's continued favouritism caused problems with his nobles and in 1052 Godwine and his sons returned. The magnates were not prepared to engage them in civil war and forced the king to make terms. Godwine's lands were returned to him and many of Edward's Norman favourites were exiled. When Godwine died in 1053, his son Harold took over. It was he, rather than Edward, who subjugated Wales in 1063 and negotiated with the rebellious Northumbrians in 1065. Consequently, shortly before his death, Edward named Harold as his successor even though he may already have promised the crown to a distant cousin, William, Duke of Normandy. He died on 4 January 1066 and was buried in the abbey he had constructed at Westminster. Famous Men of the Middle Ages: Edward The Confessor.

King From 1042-1066 I THE Danish kings who followed Canute were not like him. They were cruel, unjust rulers and all the people of England hated them. So when in the year 1042 the last of them died, Edward, the son of the Saxon Ethelred, was elected king. He is known in history as Edward the Confessor. He was a man of holy life and after his death was made a saint by the Church, with the title of "the Confessor." Though born in England, he passed the greater part of his life in Normandy as an exile from his native land. He was thirty-eight years old when he returned from Normandy to become king. As he had lived so long in Normandy he always seemed more like a Norman than one of English birth. He generally spoke the French language and he chose Normans to fill many of the highest offices in his kingdom. For the first eight years of his reign there was perfect peace in his kingdom, except in the counties of Kent and Essex, where pirates from the North Sea made occasional attacks. These pirates were mostly Norwegians, whose leader was a barbarian named Kerdric.

They would come sweeping down upon the Kentish coast in many ships, make a landing where there were no soldiers, and fall upon the towns and plunder them. Then, as swiftly and suddenly as they had come, they would sail away homeward, before they could be captured. One day Kerdic's fleet arrived off the coast, and as no opposing force was visible, the pirates landed and started toward the nearest town to plunder it. By a quick march a body of English soldiers reached the town before the pirates, and when the latter arrived they found a strong force drawn up to give them battle. A short struggle took place. More than half of the pirates were slain and the remainder were taken prisoners. After the prisoners had been secured the English ships that were stationed on the coast attacked the pirate fleet and destroyed it. II EDWARD took part in the events upon which Shakespeare, five hundred years later, founded his famous tragedy of "Macbeth." There lived in Scotland during his reign an ambitious nobleman named Macbeth, who invited Duncan, the King of Scotland, to his castle and murdered him.

He tried to make it appear that the murder had been committed by Duncan's attendants and he caused the king's son and heir, Prince Malcolm, to flee from the land. He then made himself king of Scotland. Malcolm hastened to England and appealed to King Edward for help. When the king was told the number of soldiers Malcolm would probably need he gave orders for double that number to march into Scotland. Malcolm with this support attacked Macbeth, and after several well-fought battles drove the usurper from Scotland and took possession of the throne. Edward did a great deal during his reign to aid the cause of Christianity. He rebuilt the ancient Westminster Abbey in London and erected churches and monasteries in different parts of England. Edward was long supposed to have made many just laws, and years after his death the English people, when suffering from bad government, would exclaim, "Oh, for the good laws and customs of Edward the Confessor!" What he really did was to have the old laws faithfully carried out. He died in 1066 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Edward the Confessor, King Edward was born in 1003.

He was the last Saxon king to rule (for more than a few months) in England. He is called "Edward the Confessor" to distinguish him from another King of England, Edward the Martyr (c962-979), who was assassinated (presumably by someone who wished to place Edward's younger half-brother on the throne), and who came to be regarded, on doubtful grounds, as a martyr for the faith. In Christian biographies, the term "confessor" is often used to denote someone who has born witness to the faith by his life, but who did not die as a martyr. Edward was the son of King Ethelred the Unready. This does not mean that he was unprepared, but rather that he was stubborn and wilful, and would not accept "rede," meaning advice or counsel. &Aelig;thelred was followed by several Danish kings of England, during whose rule young Edward and his mother took refuge in Normandy. But the last Danish king named Edward as his successor, and he was crowned in 1042. Opinions on his success as a king vary.

Some historians consider him weak and indecisive, and say that his reign paved the way for the Norman Conquest. Others say that his prudent management gave England more than twenty years of peace and prosperity, with freedom from foreign domination, at a time when powerful neighbors might well have dominated a less adroit ruler. He was diligent in public and private worship, generous to the poor, and accessible to subjects who sought redress of grievances. While in exile, he had vowed to make a pilgrimage to Rome if his family fortunes mended. However, his council told him that it was not expedient for him to be so long out of the country. Accordingly, he spent his pilgrimage money instead on the relief of the poor and the building of Westminster Abbey, which stands today (rebuilt in the thirteenth century) as one of the great churches of England, burial place of her kings and others deemed worthy of special honor. He died on 5 January 1066, leaving no offspring; and after his death, the throne was claimed by his wife's brother, Harold the Saxon, and by William, Duke of Normandy.

William defeated and slew Harold at the Battle of Hastings (14 October 1066), and thereafter the kings and upper classes of England were Norman-French rather than Anglo-Saxon. Edward is remembered, not on the day of his death, but on the anniversary of the moving ("translation") of his corpse to a new tomb, a date which is also the anniversary of the eve of the Battle of Hastings, the end of Saxon England. PRAYER (traditional language): O God, who didst call thy servant Edward to an an earthly Throne that he might advance thy heavenly kingdom, and didst give him zeal for thy Church and love for thy people: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate him this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

PRAYER (contemporary language): O God, who called your servant Edward to an an earthly throne That he might advance your heavenly kingdom, and gave him zeal for your Church and love for your people: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate him this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Unless otherwise indicated, this biographical sketch was written by James E. Kiefer and any comments about its content should be directed to him. The Biographical Sketches home page has more information. Historical Britain Blog » Why was King Edward called the Confessor? The History Behind the Story Why was King Edward called the Confessor? January 1, 2015 by Mercedes Rochelle | Filed under General 11th Century topics . Edward the Confessor is the only King of England to be canonized, though I think many would see him as an unlikely saint.

Just for the record, up until the 4th century a Confessor was seen as a holy person who was tortured and suffered for his faith but not killed, as opposed to martyrs who were killed for their faith. After that, since persecutions had mostly ceased, a Confessor was a holy person who by virtue of his writings and preachings became an object of veneration. In reality, it seems that Edward’s canonization was more politically driven, as Osbert of Clare, the prior of Westminster Abbey started a campaign in the 12th century to increase the importance (and wealth) of the Abbey. It took 20 some-odd years, a new Pope and a new King of England (Henry II) to finally canonize Edward in 1161. Ironically, his Feast Day is Oct. 13, the day before the Battle of Hastings anniversary (actually, it had nothing to do with Hastings. That was the day he was translated-moved to his new tomb-by St. Thomas of Canterbury in Henry II’s presence). What made Edward so holy?

Well, it is conjectured that his widow Editha commissioned the Life of King Edward (Vita Ædwardi Regis) partly to glorify the deeds of her family, partly to glorify her husband, and partly to excuse her lack of children. After all, if Edward was considered a holy man who was not interested in the things of this world, his sanctity would include refraining from the marriage bed; she couldn’t be held responsible for England’s fate. Nonetheless, this was our most important source for his life and cast him in a holy light. According to Catholic.org, “By 1138, he (Osbert) had converted the Vita Ædwardi…into a conventional saint’s life.” Here is a legend I found on the Westminster Abbey website: “Edward was riding by a church in Essex and an old man asked for alms. As the king had no money to give he drew a large ring off his finger and gave this to the beggar. A few years later two pilgrims were traveling in the Holy Land and became stranded.

They were helped by an old man and when he knew they came from England he told them he was St John the Evangelist and asked them to return the ring to Edward telling him that in six months he would join him in heaven.” When his uncorrupted body was translated in 1163 the ring was removed and placed with the Abbey relics, which of course were plundered in 1540 when the monastery was dissolved. Edward’s body was moved to some obscure place, but Mary Tudor had it returned in 1557 and replaced the stolen jewels with new ones. Edward was considered one of the Patron Saints of England until Edward III created the Order of the Garter and promoted St. George in his place, although he has remained the patron saint of the English royal family. He is the first English King to cure people suffering from scrofula, “the king’s evil” by the touch of his hand; William of Malmesbury stated that he was already known for this in Normandy while an exile. Interestingly, he is also the patron saint of difficult marriages and separated spouses.

Many would see his ungracious treatment of Earl Godwine in 1051, not to mention his insistence that Godwine wreak havoc with the unfortunate citizens of Dover, as unsaintly behavior. But in the end, his ardor in building Westminster Cathedral seems to have overcome any earlier indiscretions. Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor King from 1042-1066 I The Danish kings who followed Canute were not like him. They were cruel, unjust rulers and all the people of England hated them. So when in the year 1042 the last of them died, Edward, the son of the Saxon Ethelred, was elected king. He is known in history as Edward the Confessor. He was a man of holy life and after his death was made a saint by the Church, with the title of "the Confessor." Though born in England, he passed the greater part of his life in Normandy as an exile from his native land. He was thirty-eight years old when he returned from Normandy to become king. As he had lived so long in Normandy he always seemed more like a Norman than one of English birth.

He generally spoke the French language and he chose Normans to fill many of the highest offices in his kingdom. For the first eight years of his reign there was perfect peace in his kingdom, except in the counties of Kent and Essex, where pirates from the North Sea made occasional attacks. These pirates were mostly Norwegians, whose leader was a barbarian named Kerdric. They would come sweeping down upon the Kentish coast in many ships, make a landing where there were no soldiers, and fall upon the towns and plunder them. Then, as swiftly and suddenly as they had come, they would sail away homeward, before they could be captured. One day Kerdic's fleet arrived off the coast, and as no opposing force was visible, the pirates landed and started toward the nearest town to plunder it. By a quick march a body of English soldiers reached the town before the pirates, and when the latter arrived they found a strong force drawn up to give them battle. A short struggle took place. More than half of the pirates were slain and the remainder were taken prisoners. After the prisoners had been secured the English ships that were stationed on the coast attacked the pirate fleet and destroyed it.

Edward took part in the events upon which Shakespeare, five hundred years later, founded his famous tragedy of "Macbeth." There lived in Scotland during his reign an ambitious nobleman named Macbeth, who invited Duncan, the King of Scotland, to his castle and murdered him. He tried to make it appear that the murder had been committed by Duncan's attendants and he caused the king's son and heir, Prince Malcolm, to flee from the land. He then made himself king of Scotland. Malcolm hastened to England and appealed to King Edward for help. When the king was told the number of soldiers Malcolm would probably need he gave orders for double that number to march into Scotland. Malcolm with this support attacked Macbeth, and after several well-fought battles drove the usurper from Scotland and took possession of the throne. Edward did a great deal during his reign to aid the cause of Christianity. He rebuilt the ancient Westminster Abbey in London and erected churches and monasteries in different parts of England.

Edward was long supposed to have made many just laws, and years after his death the English people, when suffering from bad government, would exclaim, "Oh, for the good laws and customs of Edward the Confessor!" What he really did was to have the old laws faithfully carried out. Saint Edward - St. Edward the Confessor Anglican Church he following examines his life in more detail; the images are from an early 13th century manuscript about his life : Battle of Stamford Bridge dward lived in violent times. After a long history of Saxon kings, the English throne had become a prize sought by ambitious Normans, Saxons, and Vikings. Edward’s father, King Ethelred the Unready, gained and kept his throne by the sword. The people suffered greatly: heavy taxes were levied to bribe the Vikings to leave England at peace; but the Viking raids continued. Ethelred married Emma of Normandy, a daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, to gain Duke Richard’s support against the Vikings; this marriage would later help give the Normans, who coveted England, one reason to claim the English throne.

nto this time of tumult, Edward was born, a very different kind of man: he had no ambition except for the welfare of his people; he won the throne by election, not by the sword; and he gave his subjects a time of peace, prosperity, and good government that was remembered by the people for centuries. dward was born in Islip, Oxfordshire, in about 1003. He spent his early years in relative peace at Ely Abbey: this abbey, founded in 673 by St. Etheldreda, was one of the richest and most influential abbeys of the time. (Ely Abbey still exists, known today as Ely Cathedral.) In 1013, however, when Edward was about 10, Ethelred and his family were forced to flee into exile when Sweyn Forkbeard, the Viking King of Denmark, seized the English throne. dward and his brother Alfred were taken to the court of his uncle, Duke Richard II of Normandy, where they would be able to live in safety. Edward was to live in Normandy for nearly half his life.

During this time he quite naturally grew very close to the Normans: this became a problem later, when he was King; he would antagonize the Saxons by introducing Normans and their ways into England. dward’s father Ethelred died soon after they had fled to Normandy. Edmund Ironside, Edward’s elder half-brother, was briefly King: however, the Viking prince, Canute, fought Edmund, killed him, and made himself King. Edward’s mother Emma then married Canute, agreeing that her future children by King Canute would be the heirs to the English throne. uring his sojourn in Normandy, Edward came to be very pious. He made a vow of chastity, and spent much time at prayer, assisting at services, and helping in church activities. He developed the reputation of having a saintly character: this later would help persuade the Saxons to choose Edward as King. ing Canute the Great died in 1035: his successor should have been Edward’s half-brother Hardicanute, son of Canute and Emma, but Hardicanute was in Denmark when Canute died, and the throne was seized by Hardicanute’s illegitimate brother, Harold Harefoot.

Harold cruelly oppressed the English people. In 1036 Edward and his brother Alfred tried to free their people, but failed: Edward escaped to Normandy; Alfred was betrayed, captured, blinded, tortured, and murdered. ing Harold Harefoot died in 1041, so Hardicanute was finally able to ascend the throne, where he proved himself as brutal and hated as Harold. However, Hardicanute reigned for only a short time, dying in 1042, leaving no heir: this ended the brief Viking dynasty in England. Edward was finally able to sail back to England, where he was to live for the remainder of his life. dward was elected King in 1042, after Hardicanute’s death. (In this era the English and Scandinavian kings were normally elected unless the throne was taken by force.) Edward was chosen partly due to his saintly character, and partly because he had the strongest claim to the throne: the Viking dynasty was extinct; Edward was the son of one king, Ethelred II, and a half-brother to both King Edmund Ironside (the previous Saxon king) and King Hardicanute (the last Viking king).

ing Edward did not wish to marry: he had long before made a vow of chastity. But he was persuaded by his advisors to marry, and in 1045 he married Edith, daughter of Earl Godwin of Wessex: she had to agree, however, to honour his vow; they would therefore have no children. Edith was reputed to be virtuous, which made her a good match for Edward. dith’s father, Earl Godwin, however, was far from virtuous. He was ambitious and ruthless: he coveted the crown for his family, and was a major power in England. Godwin, it was found, had taken part in the betrayal of Edward’s brother, Alfred. Godwin schemed to put one of his sons on the throne. And Godwin rebelled against Edward, for which crime he and his family, including Edith, were outlawed. But Edward was forced to reinstate them: Godwin was too influential, and had the support of too many Saxons, who were angry with Edward’s Normanization of England. dward’s reign was one of peace and prosperity. He managed the country well. He resolved internal conflicts without bloodshed.

He engaged in no wars, except to defend England from Viking and Welsh raids, and to help King Malcolm III of Scotland regain the throne which Macbeth had taken from Malcolm’ father, King Duncan. Edward ended the ‘Danegelt’, the brutal tax levied to bribe the Vikings. He ended the taxes raised to support the court, instead using money raised from his own estates. He listened to complaints, and dispensed justice fairly. He was generous in giving to the poor and to the church. Only his Norman affinities created discontent. any miracles were attributed to Edward. He was said to have had visions, giving him foresight into events that would take place, or into actions that he should take. He was also said to have healed the blind, the crippled, and the diseased; even after his death, people came to his tomb to be cured of their ailments. dward promised to build an abbey for St. Peter in Westminster. He fell ill, however, and died early in 1066, a week after the abbey was dedicated. Edward’s body rests in his abbey, now better known as Westminster Abbey, where also rest many other great figures in English history.

Edward was canonized in 1161: he is referred to as St. Edward the Confessor; ‘Confessor’ denoted someone whose life proclaimed their faith, but whose death was not a martyr’s death. fter Edward’s death, violence briefly returned to England. Though in many ways he was a very good king, in one critical sense he was not: he failed to select a credible successor. He had no children. He promised the throne to the Duke of Normandy, but this was rejected by the Saxons. Later it seemed as if he might be succeeded by a nephew, a son of Edmund Ironside, but the nephew died. On Edward’s death-bed he bequeathed the crown to Earl Godwin’s son, Harold. But Harold had no royal blood. This resulted in a disputed throne and two invasions of England in 1066. The first was by the Viking King, Harald Hardrede: it was repulsed at great cost at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. The second was by William of Normandy: this resulted in Harold Godwinson’s death at the Battle of Hastings, and an end to the Saxon kings. The next dynasty was Norman, established by William the Conqueror.

For more information, please refer to the links page. ost images on this page are from an early 13th century manuscript about St. Edward . We are indebted to Cambridge University for preserving and publishing this important work. his page refers to people by names used today, but their actual names were somewhat different. Here is a list of today’s names, their original names, and their meanings. Caution: those with older browsers may have fonts which lack special characters appearing here. Duke Richard I of Normandy (father of Emma, Edward the Confessor’s mother) also known as Richard Sans Peur : “Richard” means “powerful leader”; “Sans Peur” means “fearless”. Duke Richard II of Normandy also known as Richard Le Bon : “Richard” means “powerful leader”; “Le Bon” means “the good”. Earl Godwin of Wessex (father of Edith, Edward the Confessor’s wife) also known as Godwine, Goodwin, Godwyn or Goodwyn : “Godwin” and its variants meant “friend of God” or “good friend”, though his actions proved that he was neither.

Edith of Wessex (Edward the Confessor’s wife, and the daughter of Earl Godwin of Wessex) : “Edith” meant “prosperous in war”. King Canute the Great also known as Cnut or Knud or Knut the Great, and in Norse as “Knútr inn ríki” : “Canute” and its variants meant “knot”. King Edmund Ironside (half-brother of Edward the Confessor) : “Edmund” (or Eadmund) meant “prosperous protection”; “Ironside” was a nickname referring to his great strength. King Edward the Confessor : “Edward” (or Eadweard) meant “guardian of prosperity”; “Confessor” denotes someone whose life proclaimed their faith, but who wasn’t martyred. King Ethelred II the Unready (father of Edward the Confessor), in Old English “Æþelræd Unræd”.

“Ethelred” (Æþelræd) meant “noble counsel” or “noble advice”; the nickname “the unready” (Unræd), given to him long after he died, meant “poorly advised”: he was named thus because he got poor advice from his counsellors. King Harald III of Norway also known as Harald Sigurdsson or Harald Hardrada or Harald Hardrede : “Harald” meant “army ruler”; “Sigurdsson” meant “son of Sigurd”; “Hardrada or Hardrede” meant “stern counsel or hard ruler”. King Hardicanute (son of King Canute the Great and of Emma, mother of Edward the Confessor, hence a half-brother to Edward the Confessor) also known as Harthacnut, Harthacanute, Hardicanute, Hardecanute, and in Norse as Hörthaknútr : “Canute” and its variants meant “knot”; “Hardi” and its variants meant “the hardy”, hence “Hardicanute” was “Canute the Hardy”.

King Harold II of England (son of Earl Godwin of Wessex), also known as Harold Godwinson : “Harold” meant “army ruler”; “Godwinson” meant “son of Godwin”. King Harold Harefoot (son of King Canute the Great and of Ælfgifu of Northampton) : “Harold” meant “army ruler”; “Harefoot” is a nickname which referred to his speed and prowess as a hunter. King Macbeth of Scotland , originally Mac Bethad mac Findlaích, also known as Rí Deircc : “mac Findlaích” meant “son of Findlaích”; “Rí Deircc” meant “The Red King”. King Malcolm III of Scotland , originally Máel Coluim mac Donnchada, also named King Malcolm Canmore : “Malcolm or Máel Coluim” meant “devotee of Saint Columba”; “Canmore” is a nickname which meant “great chief, or big head, or long-neck”.

King Sweyn Forkbeard (father of King Canute), also known as Sweyn (or Sveinn or Swegen) Tiugeskaeg (or Tjúguskegg), and also as Svein Otto Haraldsson : “Tiugeskaeg” or “Tjúguskegg” meant “forked beard”; “Haraldsson” meant “son of Harald”. King William I of England , also known as Duke William II of Normandy, William the Conqueror (in French, Guillaume le Conquérant), and William the Bastard (in French, Guillaume le Bâtard) : “William” meant “will, or helmet, or protection”; “Conqueror” (or le Conquérant) refers to his role as conqueror of England; “Bastard” (or le Bâtard) refers to the fact that he was illegitimate. St. Edward the Confessor St. Edward the Confessor The Just King Edward was born in 1003 in Oxford, England, the son of King Ethelred II, who was later unseated by a Danish invasion.

Edward was to be sent to Denmark to be killed, but fled to Normandy instead. His mother later married the invader’s son, Canute, so Edward waited to return to England. Edward gained a reputation as a just man, worthy of kingship, and the people of England gave him their support. After Canute and Canute’s son died, Edward ascended to the throne of his father on April 3, 1042, Easter Sunday. Edward’s elder brother Alfred had been brutally murdered by Godwin, Earl of Kent. Nevertheless, for reasons of state, Edward married Godwin’s daughter, Edith, in 1044. She turned out to be very different from her father. He and the queen remained celibate in their marriage. As king, Edward contended with the powerful opposition of Godwin along with other grave difficulties, such as rivalry between Norman and Saxon courtiers. With determination, Edward staved off invaders during his reign, and he helped restore the King of Scotland to his rightful throne. Edward was generous with the royal treasury, especially to the poor and to strangers who begged for mercy. He also remitted unjust taxes. King Edward was known for his devout faith and love of God.

It was reported that he healed people by his touch. The king had churches built, including Westminster Abbey. He died at Westminster on January 5, 1066. As he lay dying, his words were: “I shall not die but shall live. Departing from the land of the dying, I hope to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.” He was canonized in 1161, and his saintly body is incorrupt in the Abbey of St. Thomas à Becket. Other Saints We Remember Today St. Gerald of Aurillac (909), Patron of bachelors and the handicapped Famous Men of the Middle Ages - Edward the Confessor (by John H. Haaren (John Henry)) Famous Men of the Middle Ages By John H. Haaren (John Henry) Presented by King from 1042-1066 I The Danish kings who followed Canute were not like him. They were cruel, unjust rulers and all the people of England hated them. So when in the year 1042 the last of them died, Edward, the son of the Saxon Ethelred, was elected king.

He is known in history as Edward the Confessor. He was a man of holy life and after his death was made a saint by the Church, with the title of “the Confessor.” Though born in England, he passed the greater part of his life in Normandy as an exile from his native land. He was thirty-eight years old when he returned from Normandy to become king. As he had lived so long in Normandy he always seemed more like a Norman than one of English birth. He generally spoke the French language and he chose Normans to fill many of the highest offices in his kingdom. For the first eight years of his reign there was perfect peace in his kingdom, except in the counties of Kent and Essex, where pirates from the North Sea made occasional attacks. These pirates were mostly Norwegians, whose leader was a barbarian named Kerdric. They would come sweeping down upon the Kentish coast in many ships, make a landing where there were no soldiers, and fall upon the towns and plunder them. Then, as swiftly and suddenly as they had come, they would sail away homeward, before they could be captured.

One day Kerdic’s fleet arrived off the coast, and as no opposing force was visible, the pirates landed and started toward the nearest town to plunder it. By a quick march a body of English soldiers reached the town before the pirates, and when the latter arrived they found a strong force drawn up to give them battle. A short struggle took place. More than half of the pirates were slain and the remainder were taken prisoners. After the prisoners had been secured the English ships that were stationed on the coast attacked the pirate fleet and destroyed it. II Edward took part in the events upon which Shakespeare, five hundred years later, founded his famous tragedy of “Macbeth.” There lived in Scotland during his reign an ambitious nobleman named Macbeth, who invited Duncan, the King of Scotland, to his castle and murdered him. He tried to make it appear that the murder had been committed by Duncan’s attendants and he caused the king’s son and heir, Prince Malcolm, to flee from the land. He then made himself king of Scotland. Malcolm hastened to England and appealed to King Edward for help. When the king was told the number of soldiers Malcolm would probably need he gave orders for double that number to march into Scotland.

Malcolm with this support attacked Macbeth, and after several well-fought battles drove the usurper from Scotland and took possession of the throne. Edward did a great deal during his reign to aid the cause of Christianity. He rebuilt the ancient Westminster Abbey in London and erected churches and monasteries in different parts of England. Edward was long supposed to have made many just laws, and years after his death the English people, when suffering from bad government, would exclaim, “Oh, for the good laws and customs of Edward the Confessor!” What he really did was to have the old laws faithfully carried out. He died in 1066 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Preface • Introduction • The Nibelungs • Alaric the Visigoth • Attila the Hun • Genseric the Vandal • Theodoric the Ostrogoth • Clovis • Justinian the Great • Mohammed • Charles Martel, 714-741 A.D. and Pepin, 741-768 A.D.

• Charlemagne • Harun-al-Rashid • Egbert • Rollo the Viking • Alfred the Great • Henry the Fowler • Canute the Great • Edward the Confessor • William the Conqueror • Peter the Hermit • Frederick Barbarossa • Henry the Second 1154-1189 and His Sons 1189-1216 • Louis the Ninth • Robert Bruce • Marco Polo • Edward the Black Prince • Tamerlane • Henry V • Joan of Arc • Gutenberg • Warwick the Kingmaker This complete text of Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John Henry Haaren, LL.D., District Superintendent of Schools The City of New York, and A. B. Poland, Ph.D. Superintendent of Schools Newark N.J., is in the public domain. Buy Henry Second by W. L. Warren at Amazon.com You can also buy this book . This page has been created by Philipp Lenssen . Page last updated on August 2004. Complete book .

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor Edward, the eldest son of Ethelred the Unready , king of England, was born in Islip in Oxfordshire in about 1003. Edward's mother, Emma of Normandy , was the daughter of Richard, Duke of Normandy. After the death of Ethelred the Unready in 1016, the throne of England passed to Canute the Great . The new king married Emma of Normandy and the couple had a son, Hardicanute . Edward spent the first part of his life in Normandy . He held deep religious convictions and became known as Edward the Confessor. When Hardicanute became king of England in 1040, he recalled his half-brother to the English court. In 1042, Hardicanute died of convulsions at a drinking party. Edward now became king and one of his first acts was to deprive his mother, Emma of Normandy , of all her estates. Anglo-Saxon chroniclers claimed that Edward had done this because he felt he had been neglected by his mother as a child.

For the first years of his reign English political life was dominated by Godwin of Wessex, Leofric of Mercia and Siward of Northumbria. Godwin became the most important of these when Edward married his daughter Edith in 1045. Godwin hoped that his daughter would have a son but Edward had taken a vow of celibacy and it soon became clear that the couple would not produce an heir to the throne. Coronation of Edward the Confessor (13th century English illustrated manuscript ) In 1051 a group of Normans became involved in a brawl at Dover and several men were killed. The king ordered Godwin , as earl of Wessex, to punish the people of Dover for this attack on his Norman friends. Godwin refused and instead raised an army against the king. The earls of Mercia and Northumbria remained loyal to Edward and to avoid a civil war, Godwin and his family agreed to go into exile. Over the next year Edward the Confessor increased the number of Norman advisers in England.

This upset the Anglo-Saxons and when Godwin and a large army commandeered by his sons, Harold and Tostig , landed in the south of England in 1052, Edward was unable to raise significant forces to stop the invasion. Godwin now forced Edward to send his Norman advisers home. Godwin was also given back his family estates and was now the most powerful man in England. When Godwin died the following year, his place as the leading Anglo-Saxon in England was taken by his son Harold of Wessex . Edward the Confessor and Edith did not have any children. William of Normandy claimed that at a meeting in 1051 Edward had promised him that he would become his heir. Edward's legitimate heir was his grandson, Edgar Atheling . However, on Edward's deathbed in 1066, it is claimed that he nominated Harold of Wessex , as the successor to the throne. Family Tree FaithND - St. Edward the Confessor St. Edward the Confessor St. Edward the Confessor was one of the great kings of England. Because he is patron saint of University founder Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C., today is traditionally a day of celebration for Notre Dame.

Edward was born to royal parents who were sent to Normandy, France, during a time when Danes controlled the nation. When Edward’s father returned to England, he was arrested, tortured, and killed, so Edward remained in Normandy until 1042, when the political situation had resolved and he was called to ascend as king . He was 40 years old. Edward had to contend with opposing factions both inside his court and in Normandy, but ruled justly and faithfully. He won the hearts of his people with his peaceful negotiations and statesmanship. One of his notable acts: to give to the poor money from the tax that was collected for the army. It is said that Edward was well-built with a red face behind a white beard and hair. He received travelers and the poor and showed them great hospitality, and was known for supporting monks. One biographer described him as “a man by choice devoted to God… He was so gentle that he would not say a word of reproach to the meanest person.” Edward loved to hunt and quarry prey with his hawks, and would spend days in the field, but these diversions never prevented him from attending daily Mass.

Edward died of an illness in 1066, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. St. Edward’s Hall, a men’s dorm next to the golden-domed Main Building, is named after this English king because he was patron saint of Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C. , founder of the University. The stained glass window above comes from the chapel in that hall, and this statue of St. Edward stands in the courtyard in front of the dorm; he holds a model of the Basilica in his hand. Today marks Founder’s Day for the University. In the early years of Notre Dame, students and faculty wanted to honor Father Sorin on his birthday, but he preferred a University-wide celebration on his patron’s feast day. Classes were cancelled, and the day was marked by games, performances, and a feast. Today the University marks Founder’s Day with a special Mass in the Basilica, celebrated by University president Father John Jenkins, C.S.C. For more about the history of Founder’s Day, watch the video below. St. Edward the Confessor, patron saint of Father Sorin, pray for us!

Question: Which English king was known as ‘The Confessor’?
Answer: Edward