Edward+the+Confessor

**St. Edward the Confessor** Edward the Confessor, who was later canonised by [|Pope Alexander III] in 1161, was King of England from 1042 to his death in 1066. Edwards close relationship with his Norman allies and the decisions he made while he was king can be seen as major catalysts for the Norman invasion.

Early Life
Edward was born between 1003-1005to [|Ethelred], then King of England, and [|Emma], the sister of the Duke of Normandy. Due to the constant threat of the Danes and Vikings at this time,Edward spent much of his young life in Normandy with his mother for safety while his father King Ethelred attempted to repel Cnut, a Danish prince, and his invasion force.This link to Normandy was understandably closer once Edward’s father passed away and his mother went to England to marry Cnut.  Upon the death of Cnut and his children, Edward was finally able to take the English throne in 1042. At this time, he made gifts to many of the Normans who had supported him and granted them ‘annual or perpetual grants’ and brought some with him to court, in important roles such as Chancellor. This increase in Norman presence in the English court continued until Edward’s death in 1066 and [|Harold Godwinson] became king.



Reign
With his strange rise to the throne from out of England, Edward had an interesting relationship with the English nobles. Though [|Godwin], an earl of the court, was father to Edward's wife [|Edith],his power within the English court posed a threat to Edward, as he often attempted to remove the ‘friends that came to [Edward] out of Normandy”. It is clear that Godwin was a man of great power within England and it was in fact his opposition to the Pro-Norman policy of Edward that “brought England to the brink of civil war in 1051” and saw Godwin flee England. His return with the threat of force the next year saw Edward back down and from there the continued rise of the Godwin influence was seen. Though Godwin died in 1053, his sons soon became the most powerful family in England, with Harold Godwinson, the eldest of the brothers and Earl of Wessex at the time, becoming the last Anglo-Saxon King of England following Edward’s death.

Succession Issue
Having no children of his own, it was Edward's role as King to name his successor to the throne. It is the belief of many historians that it was Edward’s intention for William II Duke of Normandy to follow him on the throne rather than Harold. It seems clear that at one time, most likely during the crisis with Godwin in 1051-1052, ‘the Confessor recognised Duke William as his heir’. This claim is generally accepted by modern sources; however there is some doubt as to the worth of such a promise to a foreign lord like William II. Unfortunately it is unclear as to Edward’s intentions in this regard, though it is clear that even if Edward intended William to succeed him, the English nobility wished Harold to be king.

Religious Life
  Edward was seen as a friend to the church throughout his life, with many exaggerated documents stating various miracles which he allegedly performed. While such miracles are generally dismissed by historians, it is clear that Edward was a generous benefactor to the church. On the day he was told he was to be king, he gifted his own land of Mersea to a French Monastery as his thanks to God. While such a gift may seem customary, that fact that he gifted it ‘two days after ... [he] became the head of the kingdom’ and that he gave it to a French monastery over an English church shows this was less a political move and more a religious act. Edward was happy to use the church as a political tool when he need to however, occasionally appointing his Norman friends into strong positions within the church, such as [|Robert of Jumièges]. A Norman friend and advisor, he was originally the Bishop of London until 1051, when he was named Archbishop of Canterbury in an effort to remove one of Earl Godwin’s men from the position. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> While those seeking to have Edward canonised argued his lack of children was due to a vow of celibacy, modern historians can find no evidence of this. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> It is also generally agreed that while Edward was a generous king to the church, his canonisation was a political move from a desperate Pope seeking to placate the English nobles rather than a response to indisputable evidence. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Frank Barlow. Introduction to //The Life of King Edward (1067)//, by A Monk of Saint-Bertin, translated by Frank Barlow. (Oxford: Clarendon Press,1992) xviii <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Ibid, xvii <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Matthew Paris. ‘Life of Saint Edward the Confessor (1236)’, in //Lives of Edward the Confessor//, trans. and ed. Henry Luard. (London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts. 1858) 186 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Ibid, 190 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> A Monk of Saint-Bertin. //The Life of King Edward// (1067), trans. Frank Barlow, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1992) 19 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> J.H Round. ‘The Officers of Edward the Confessor’, //The English Historical Review// 19(73) (1904):92. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> William Caxton, ‘The Life of Saint Edward the Confessor’ <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Miles Campbell. ‘Earl Godwin of Wessex and Edward the Confessor’s promise of the throne to William of Normandy’, //Traditio// 28(1972): 141 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> A monk of Saint-Bertin, //Edward//, 51 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Eric John. ‘Edward the Confessor and the Norman Succession’ //The English Historical Review// 94(371) (1979): 242 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> David Douglas. ‘Edward the Confessor, Duke William of Normandy, and the English Succession’ //The English Historical Review// 68(269) (1953): 526 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Matthew Paris, //Confessor//, 294 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> William Caxton, ‘The Life of Saint Edward the Confessor’ <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> ‘The Mersea Charter (1046)’ in //The Mersea Charter of Edward the Confessor// by Cyril Hart, http://cat.essex.ac.uk/reports/EAS-report-0019.pdf (accessed August 20, 2011) pg 101 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Ibid <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> A Monk of Saint Bertin, //Edward//, 29 <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Ibid, 31 Bernard Scholz, ‘Canonization of Edward the Confessor’, //Speculum// 36(1) (1961): 50

Image References

1. Nash Ford Publishing, [], accessed 14 th September 2011

2. James Woodward, [], accessed 14 th September 2011

3. The Parish Church of Saint Edward the Confessor, [], accessed 14 th September 2011

4.Terry Jones, [], accessed 14<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 70%; vertical-align: super;">th September 2011