Edward the Confessor (1003-1066)

    Edward the Confessor was the king of the English. He was the first son of the second marriage of the King ?thelred the Unready and his Norman wife, Emma, daughter of Richard II. Since the year 1003 the Danish troops were devastating England in revenge for the slaughter of the Danish settlers a year before. When the Danes again landed in England the royal family escaped and took cover in Normandy. Some years later Emma married Canute, the Danish leader, who seized the whole England and became the King of England. Edward at that time was living abroad, mostly in Normandy and Flanders until in 1041 he was brought to England by his half brother Harthacanute, whom he succeeded as king in 1042. His position was complicated with the fact that Edward was a stranger in this country, locally provincial earls had complete domination. Edward was an able but not very energetic ruler, and he was unable to assert his authority over the great earls of the kingdom. Most powerful of these was Godwin, whose daughter Edith married the king. Edward's natural inclination to favor the Normans in England led to a breach with Godwin. In 1051, after a fracas between the king's brother-in-law, Eustace II, count of Boulogne, and the citizens of Dover, Godwin refused to obey Edward's order to punish the men of Dover and tried to raise a revolt. Edward, however, was supported by Leofric of Mercia and Siward of Northumbria, and he outlawed and banished Godwin and his family. In their absence Edward received William, duke of Normandy (later William I), and apparently made him his heir. In 1052, Godwin and his sons returned and demonstrated their power by forcing Edward to accept Stigand as archbishop of Canterbury instead of Robert. Thenceforth the king took less interest in his realm, becoming absorbed in his religion and in supervising the rebuilding of Westminster Abbey. Shortly before his death, Edward named Harold, son of Godwin, as his successor, possibly in the hope of averting the threat of war posed by the rival claims to the throne of William of Normandy and Harold III of Norway. During his reign in England Edward displayed his militant character, at the same time he reduced the taxes and carried out the currency reform. In his elderly age Edward became extremely pious and for this piety he received this name the Confessor. During his last years of life he was said to work wonders. He was canonized in the 12th cent.