Edward the Exile
Edward the Exile (17 January 1016 — 19 April 1057) also known as Edward the Atheling was the heir apparent to the Kingdom of England. He was the oldest child of King Edmund II of England and Ealdgyth. He spent most of his life in exile in Hungary following his father being killed at the Battle of Assandun during Cnut the Great's invasion of England in 1016.
| Edward | |
|---|---|
 Edward in the early 14th-century Genealogical Roll of the Kings of England | |
| Born | 17 January 1016 Winchester, Hampshire |
| Died | 19 April 1057 (aged 41) near London |
| Burial | 22 April 1057 |
| Spouse | |
| Issue among others |
|
| House | Wessex |
| Father | Edmund II of England |
| Mother | Ealdgyth |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Life in exile
changeAfter the Danish conquest of England in 1016, Canute had Edward and his brother, Edmund, sent to the Swedish court of Olof Skötkonung. Edward was a baby at the time.[1] Canute's agents apparently had orders to have the children murdered. But they were quickly taken to Hungary where neither Canut or his agents could reach them.[2] He was brought up at the Hungarian court.[a][2] Edward married Agatha, a relative of Emperor Henry II.[1]
Edward the Confessor, King of England, had no children. Edward, his nephew, was his nearest living relative. The King wanted to make Edward his heir.[4] In 1057, the king's messengers reached Edward living in Hungary.[5] Edward agreed to return to England and in 1057 arrived in London with his family. But a few days after their arrival Edward was killed.[5]
Family
changeHe and Agatha had three children, Edgar the Atheling, Margaret of Scotland and Cristina, Abbess of Romsey Abbey.[6] In the summer of 1068 his son Edgar took his mother and sisters and escaped to Scotland.[7]
Notes
change- ↑ There have been many theories where Edward and his brother were during their exile. There are also many theories about who Agatha his wife was. Some claim that Agatha was daughter or sister of either Emperor Henry. It seems unlikely that his sibling or daughter would have been ignored by the German chroniclers.[3]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 John Cannon; Anne Hargreaves, The Kings and Queens of Britain (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 80
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Frank Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, Third Edition (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1971), p. 397
- ↑ Edward Augustus Freeman, The History of the Norman Conquest: its causes and its results, Third Edition, Revised (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1877), pp. 668-673.
- ↑ Martin Collier, Changing Times 1066-1500 (Oxford: Heinemann, 2003), p. 20
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 David Hughes, The British Chronicles, Volume 1 (Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, 2007), p. 299
- ↑ Florence (of Worcester, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester ([London: Seeleys, 1853), p. 121
- ↑ Frank Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England, Third Edition (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1971), p. 601
