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St. Edward the Confessor

Edward the Confessor
Bayeux Tapestry scene1 EDWARD REX.jpg
EDWARD(US) REX: Edward the Confessor, enthroned, opening scene of the Bayeux Tapestry
King of the English
Reign 8 June 1042 – 5 January 1066
Coronation 3 April 1043, Winchester Cathedral
Predecessor Harthacnut
Successor Harold Godwinson
Born 1003
Islip, Oxfordshire, England
Died 5 January 1066(1066-01-05) (aged about 62)
London, England
Burial Westminster Abbey, England
Spouse Edith of Wessex
House Wessex
Father Æthelred the Unready
Mother Emma of Normandy
Religion Catholicism
Saint Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor.jpg
King of England, Confessor
Born 1003
Islip, Oxfordshire, England
Died 5 January 1066(1066-01-05) (aged about 62)
London, England
Venerated in Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Anglican Communion
Canonized 7 February 1161, Rome by Pope Alexander III
Major shrine Westminster Abbey
Feast 13 October
Attributes King crowned with nimbus, sceptre, martlet
Patronage Difficult marriages; England (before 1347); English Royal Family; Kings

Edward the Confessor (Old English: Ēadƿeard Andettere, Latin: Eduardus Confessor; 1003 – 5 January 1066), also known as Saint Edward the Confessor, was among the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England, and usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066.

The son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, Edward succeeded Cnut the Great's son – and his own half brother – Harthacnut, restoring the rule of the House of Wessex after the period of Danish rule since Cnut (better known as Canute) conquered England in 1016. When Edward died in 1066, he was succeeded by Harold Godwinson, who was defeated and killed in the same year by the Normans under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. Edgar the Ætheling, who was of the House of Wessex, was proclaimed king after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, but never ruled and was deposed after about eight weeks.

As discussed below, historians disagree about Edward's fairly long (24 year) reign. His nickname reflects the traditional image of him as unworldly and pious. Confessor reflects his reputation as a saint who did not suffer martyrdom, as opposed to King Edward the Martyr. Some portray this king's reign as leading to the disintegration of royal power in England and the advance in power of the House of Godwin, because of the infighting after his heirless death. Biographers Frank Barlow and Peter Rex instead portray Edward as a successful king, who was energetic, resourceful and sometimes ruthless, arguing that the Norman conquest shortly after his death tarnished his image. However, Richard Mortimer argues that the return of the Godwins from exile in 1052 "meant the effective end of his exercise of power", citing Edward's reduced activity as implying a withdrawal from affairs".


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