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94-781: Ponthieu played a small but important role in the politics that led up to the Norman invasion of England in 1066. In 1064 Edward the Confessor sent Harold Godwinson to Normandy in order to recognize its duke William as his successor. However, Harold shipwrecked at Ponthieu, where he was taken captive by Guy I (or Wido according to the Bayeux Tapestry), the then Count of Ponthieu. It is alleged that William (Duke of Normandy, later William I of England), discovering that Harold had been taken captive, persuaded Count Guy to hand over his prisoner. Harold then swore to support William's claim to

188-563: A saint who did not suffer martyrdom as opposed to his uncle, King Edward the Martyr . Some portray Edward the Confessor'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 that began after his death with no heirs to the throne. Biographers Frank Barlow and Peter Rex, on the other hand, portray Edward as

282-428: A cross to the altar of New Minster, Winchester." Stafford in her visual exegesis of the portrait states, "it is not clear whether we should read it as a representation of a powerful woman or a powerless one." In one portrait, each facet of Emma's role as sovereign is displayed; that of a dutiful wife and influential queen. It has been suggested that the poem Semiramis , possibly written in 1017 by Warner of Rouen at

376-603: A daughter, Goda of England (or Godgifu). When King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark invaded and conquered England in 1013, Emma and her children were sent to Normandy, where Æthelred joined them soon after. They returned to England after Sweyn died in 1014. Emma and Æthelred's marriage ended with Æthelred's death in London in 1016. Æthelred's oldest son from his first marriage, Æthelstan Ætheling , had been heir apparent until his death in June 1014. Emma's sons had been ranked after all of

470-504: A few Normans, who became unpopular. Chief among them was Robert, abbot of the Norman abbey of Jumièges, who had known Edward from the 1030s and came to England with him in 1041, becoming bishop of London in 1043. According to the Vita Edwardi , he became "always the most powerful confidential adviser to the king". In ecclesiastical appointments, Edward and his advisers showed a bias against candidates with local connections, and when

564-446: A man – of outstanding height, and distinguished by his milky white hair and beard, full face and rosy cheeks, thin white hands, and long translucent fingers; in all the rest of his body he was an unblemished royal person. Pleasant, but always dignified, he walked with eyes downcast, most graciously affable to one and all. If some cause aroused his temper, he seemed as terrible as a lion, but he never revealed his anger by railing." This, as

658-490: A martyr. In the 1230s, King Henry III became attached to the cult of Saint Edward, and he commissioned a new life, by Matthew Paris . Henry also constructed a grand new tomb for Edward in a rebuilt Westminster Abbey in 1269. Henry III also named his eldest son after Edward. Until about 1350, Edmund the Martyr , Gregory the Great , and Edward the Confessor were regarded as English national saints, but Edward III preferred

752-608: A month later declared war on England (he had done so previously in 1368 as well). As a result, Edward publicly reassumed the title 'King of France' in June. In 1372 an English army under the leadership of Robert Knolles invaded Ponthieu, burning the city of Le Crotoy before crossing the Somme at the ford of Blanchetaque. Also during the Hundred Years' War, in the Treaty of Arras (1435) , Charles VII of France bribed Philip

846-632: A number of times, although the English claimed control of it from 1279–1369, and then later until 1435. During English control of Ponthieu, Abbeville was used as the capital. In late August 1346, during his campaigns on French soil, Edward III of England reached the region of Ponthieu. While there, he restored the fortress at Crotoy that had been ruined. He forced a passage of the Somme at the ford of Blanchetaque . The army led by Philip VI of France caught up with him at nearby Crécy-en-Ponthieu , leading to

940-511: A political strategy, became an affectionate marriage. During their marriage, Emma and Cnut had a son, Harthacnut , and a daughter, Gunhilda . During her two marriages Emma had 5 children: In 1036, Alfred Aetheling and Edward the Confessor , Emma's sons by Æthelred, returned to England from their exile in Normandy in order to visit their mother. During their time in England they were supposed to be protected by Harthacnut. However, Harthacnut

1034-516: A series of strokes which led to his death. He was too weak to attend the consecration of his new church at Westminster , which had been substantially completed in 1065, on 28 December. Edward probably entrusted the kingdom to Harold and Edith shortly before he died at Westminster on 5 January 1066. On 6 January he was buried in Westminster Abbey , and Harold was crowned on the same day. Starting as early as William of Malmesbury in

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1128-427: A son as hostage, who were sent to Normandy. The Godwins' position disintegrated as their men were not willing to fight the king. When Stigand, who was acting as an intermediary, conveyed the king's jest that Godwin could have his peace if he could restore Alfred and his companions alive and well, Godwin and his sons fled, going to Flanders and Ireland. Edward repudiated Edith and sent her to a nunnery, perhaps because she

1222-501: A successful king, one who was energetic, resourceful and sometimes ruthless; they argue 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". About a century after his death, in 1161, Pope Alexander III canonised

1316-454: A successful skirmish near Southampton , and then retreated back to Normandy. He thus showed his prudence, but he had some reputation as a soldier in Normandy and Scandinavia. In 1037, Harold was accepted as king, and the following year he expelled Emma, who retreated to Bruges . She then summoned Edward and demanded his help for Harthacnut, but he refused as he had no resources to launch an invasion, and disclaimed any interest for himself in

1410-463: A typical member of the rustic nobility". He appeared to have a slim prospect of acceding to the English throne during this period, and his ambitious mother was more interested in supporting Harthacnut, her son by Cnut. Cnut died in 1035, and Harthacnut succeeded him as king of Denmark . It is unclear whether he intended to keep England as well, but he was defending his position in Denmark and thus

1504-604: Is first recorded as a 'witness' to two charters in 1005. He had one full brother, Alfred , and a sister, Godgifu . In charters he was always listed behind his older half-brothers, showing that he ranked beneath them. During his childhood, England was the target of Viking raids and invasions under Sweyn Forkbeard and his son, Cnut . Following Sweyn's seizure of the throne in 1013, Emma fled to Normandy , followed by Edward and Alfred, and then by Æthelred. Sweyn died in February 1014, and leading Englishmen invited Æthelred back on

1598-435: Is one of the most visually represented early medieval queens. In an attempt to pacify Normandy , King Æthelred of England married Emma in 1002. Similarly Richard II, Duke of Normandy hoped to improve relations with the English in the wake of recent conflict and a failed kidnapping attempt against him by Æthelred. Viking raids on England were often based in Normandy in the late 10th century, and for Æthelred this marriage

1692-464: Is regarded by most historians as an unlikely saint, and his canonisation as political, although some argue that his cult started so early that it must have had something credible to build on. Edward displayed a worldly attitude in his church appointments. When he appointed Robert of Jumièges as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1051, he chose the leading craftsman Spearhafoc to replace Robert as Bishop of London . Robert refused to consecrate him, saying that

1786-544: Is the central figure within the Encomium Emmae Reginae (incorrectly titled Gesta Cnutonis Regis during the later Middle Ages ) a critical source for the study of English succession in the 11th century. During the reign of Æthelred, Emma most likely served as little more than a figurehead a physical embodiment of the treaty between the English and her Norman father. However, her influence increased considerably under Cnut. Until 1043, writes Stafford, Emma "was

1880-598: The Battle of Assandun , after which they agreed to divide the kingdom, Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest of the country. Edmund died shortly afterwards on 30 November, and Cnut became the king of all England. At the time of their marriage in 1017, Emma's sons from her marriage to Æthelred were sent to live in Normandy under the tutelage of her brother. At this time Emma became Queen of England, and later of Denmark and Norway. The Encomium Emmae Reginae suggests in its second book that Emma and Cnut's marriage, though begun as

1974-760: The Encomium was believed to exist. However, a late-14th-century manuscript, the Courtenay Compendium , was discovered in the Devon Record Office , where it had languished since the 1960s. According to a report by the UK Arts Council, "The most significant item [within the text] for British history is the Encomium Emma Reginae ... It is highly probable that the present manuscript represents the most complete witness to

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2068-547: The Isle of Wight . There, Edward was received as king in return for his oath that he would continue the laws of Cnut. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , Edward was sworn in as king alongside Harthacnut, but a diploma issued by Harthacnut in 1042 describes him as the king's brother. Following Harthacnut's death on 8 June 1042, Godwin, the most powerful of the English earls, supported Edward, who succeeded to

2162-497: The 11th century have the saintly reputation which he later enjoyed, largely through the efforts of the Westminster monks themselves". After 1066, there was a subdued cult of Edward as a saint, possibly discouraged by the early Norman abbots of Westminster, which gradually increased in the early 12th century. Osbert of Clare , the prior of Westminster Abbey, then started to campaign for Edward's canonisation, aiming to increase

2256-480: The Battle of Hastings, Harold sent William an envoy who admitted that Edward had promised the throne to William but argued that this was overridden by his deathbed promise to Harold. In reply, William did not dispute the deathbed promise but argued that Edward's prior promise to him took precedence. In Stephen Baxter 's view, Edward's "handling of the succession issue was dangerously indecisive, and contributed to one of

2350-525: The Conqueror's grandfather, Duke Richard II , was the brother of Edward the Confessor's mother, Emma of Normandy , so the two men were first cousins once removed, and there was a blood tie between them. William may have visited Edward during Godwin's exile, and he is thought to have promised William the succession at this time, but historians disagree on how seriously he meant the promise, and whether he later changed his mind. Edmund Ironside's son, Edward

2444-475: The English Kings. Emma and her sons Edward and Alfred are characters in the anonymous Elizabethan play Edmund Ironside , sometimes considered an early work by William Shakespeare . The Ordeal of Queen Emma by Fire at Winchester is a legend that seems to have originated in the 13th century. Queen Emma was accused of unchastity with Bishop Ælfwine of Winchester . In order to prove her innocence, she

2538-451: The English throne by killing Edward and Alfred. Some scholars make the argument that it could have been Godwin, Earl of Wessex , who was traveling with Alfred and Edward as their protector in passage. Harthacnut, Emma and Cnut's son, assembled a fleet to invade England in 1039, and when Harold died in March 1040 he was invited to become king. He crossed to England with his fleet and Emma. He

2632-524: The Exile , had the best claim to be considered Edward's heir. He had been taken as a young child to Hungary , and in 1054 Bishop Ealdred of Worcester visited the Holy Roman Emperor , Henry III to secure his return, probably with a view to becoming Edward's heir. The exile returned to England in 1057 with his family but died almost immediately. His son Edgar , who was then about six years old,

2726-519: The Godwin brothers controlled all of England subordinately apart from Mercia . It is not known whether Edward approved of this transformation or whether he had to accept it, but from this time he seems to have begun to withdraw from active politics, devoting himself to hunting, which he pursued each day after attending church. In the 1050s, Edward pursued an aggressive and generally successful policy in dealing with Scotland and Wales . Malcolm Canmore

2820-512: The Good , Duke of Burgundy , to break his alliance with the English in exchange for possession of Ponthieu. This arguably marked a turning point that led to the end of England's part in the conflict 40 years later. In 1477 Ponthieu was reconquered by King Louis XI of France . Renaissance Ponthieu, specifically Abbeville , is the setting for the 1993 film The Hour of the Pig , which was released in

2914-666: The Great . A daughter of the Norman ruler Richard the Fearless and Gunnor , she was Queen of England during her marriage to King Æthelred from 1002 to 1016, except during a brief interruption in 1013–14 when the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard occupied the English throne. Æthelred died in 1016, and Emma married Sweyn's son Cnut. As Cnut's wife, she was Queen of England from their marriage in 1017, Queen of Denmark from 1018, and Queen of Norway from 1028 until Cnut died in 1035. After Cnut's death, Emma continued to participate in politics during

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3008-675: The US as The Advocate and stars Colin Firth . Part of the action turns on the difference in the Renaissance era between Ponthieu law and that of France, which was then a separate kingdom. 50°07′N 1°50′E  /  50.11°N 1.83°E  / 50.11; 1.83 Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( c. 1003 – 5 January 1066) was an Anglo-Saxon English king and saint . Usually considered

3102-463: The aim of adding it to his territory. In 1053, Edward ordered the assassination of the south Welsh prince Rhys ap Rhydderch in reprisal for a raid on England, and Rhys's head was delivered to him. In 1055, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn established himself as the ruler of Wales, and allied himself with Ælfgar of Mercia, who had been outlawed for treason. They defeated Earl Ralph at Hereford, and Harold had to collect forces from nearly all of England to drive

3196-468: The amiability of your way of life." Emma is "the most distinguished woman of her time for delightful beauty and wisdom." This flattery, writes Elizabeth M. Tyler, is "part of a deliberate attempt to intervene, on Emma's behalf, in the politics of the Anglo-Danish court," a connotation which an 11th-century audience would have understood. This proves to be a direct contrast to earlier evaluations of

3290-482: The anniversary of his death, 5 January, the date he is inscribed in the Martyrologium Romanum . The Church of England 's calendar of saints designates 13 October as a Lesser Festival . Each October the abbey holds a week of festivities and prayer in his honour. Edward is also regarded as a patron saint of difficult marriages. The Vita Ædwardi Regis states "[H]e was a very proper figure of

3384-405: The brothers to join them in marching south. They met Harold at Northampton, and Tostig accused Harold before the king of conspiring with the rebels. Tostig seems to have been a favourite with the king and queen, who demanded that the revolt be suppressed, but neither Harold nor anyone else would fight to support Tostig. Edward was forced to submit to his banishment, and the humiliation may have caused

3478-575: The church. Edward the Confessor was the only king of England to be canonized by the pope, but he was part of a tradition of (uncanonised) Anglo-Saxon royal saints, such as Eadburh of Winchester , a daughter of Edward the Elder , Edith of Wilton , a daughter of Edgar the Peaceful , and the boy-king Edward the Martyr . With his proneness to fits of rage and his love of hunting, Edward the Confessor

3572-493: The clergy and monks of Canterbury elected a relative of Godwin as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1051, Edward rejected him and appointed Robert of Jumièges, who claimed that Godwin was in illegal possession of some archiepiscopal estates. In September 1051, Edward was visited by his brother-in-law, Godgifu's second husband, Eustace II of Boulogne . His men caused an affray in Dover , and Edward ordered Godwin as earl of Kent to punish

3666-452: The condition that he promised to rule 'more justly' than before. Æthelred agreed, sending Edward back with his ambassadors. Æthelred died in April 1016, and he was succeeded by Edward's older half-brother Edmund Ironside , who carried on the fight against Sweyn's son, Cnut. According to Scandinavian tradition, Edward fought alongside Edmund; as Edward was at most thirteen years old at the time,

3760-508: The control of earldoms. In 1055, Siward died, but his son was considered too young to command Northumbria , and Harold's brother, Tostig , was appointed. In 1057, Leofric and Ralph died, and Leofric's son Ælfgar succeeded as Earl of Mercia, while Harold's brother Gyrth succeeded Ælfgar as Earl of East Anglia. The fourth surviving Godwin brother, Leofwine , was given an earldom in the south-east carved out of Harold's territory, and Harold received Ralph's territory in compensation. Thus by 1057,

3854-417: The court of Emma's brother, Richard, Duke of Normandy , and dedicated to her brother, Archbishop Robert , is a contemporary satire ridiculing Emma's relation with Cnut. Emma is also depicted in a number of later medieval texts, such as the 13th-century Life of Edward the Confessor ( Cambridge University Library MS. Ee.3.59) and a 14th-century roll Genealogy of the English Kings, Genealogical Chronicle of

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3948-421: The defeat of "Princes" Æthelred (never named) and Edmund, Cnut's marriage to Emma (again, without mentioning she had been the wife of Æthelred), and Cnut's kingship. The third address the events after Cnut's death; Emma's involvement in the seizing of the royal treasury, and the treachery of Earl Godwin. It begins by addressing Emma, "May our Lord Jesus Christ preserve you, O Queen, who excel all those of your sex in

4042-409: The early 1030s. He probably received support from his sister Godgifu, who married Drogo of Mantes , count of Vexin in about 1024. In the early 1030s, Edward witnessed four charters in Normandy, signing two of them as king of England. According to William of Jumièges , the Norman chronicler, Robert I, Duke of Normandy attempted an invasion of England to place Edward on the throne in about 1034 but it

4136-425: The early 12th century, historians have puzzled over Edward's intentions for the succession. One school of thought supports the Norman case that Edward always intended William the Conqueror to be his heir, accepting the medieval claim that Edward had already decided to be celibate before he married, but most historians believe that he hoped to have an heir by Edith at least until his quarrel with Godwin in 1051. William

4230-469: The end of Edward's reign. After the mid-1050s, Edward seems to have withdrawn from affairs as he became increasingly dependent on the Godwins, and he may have become reconciled to the idea that one of them would succeed him. The Normans claimed that Edward sent Harold to Normandy in about 1064 to confirm the promise of the succession to William. The strongest evidence comes from a Norman apologist, William of Poitiers . According to his account, shortly before

4324-457: The famous Battle of Crécy . In 1360, the Treaty of Brétigny between King John II of France and Edward III of England gave control of Ponthieu (along with Gascony and Calais ) over to the English, in exchange for Edward relinquishing his claim to the French throne. Edward took the land but still refused to surrender his claim. In April, 1369 Charles V of France conquered Ponthieu, and

4418-574: The fleet at Sandwich . Beorn's elder brother, Sweyn II of Denmark "submitted himself to Edward as a son", hoping for his help in his battle with Magnus for control of Denmark, but in 1047 Edward rejected Godwin's demand that he send aid to Sweyn, and it was only Magnus's death in October that saved England from attack and allowed Sweyn to take the Danish throne. Modern historians reject the traditional view that Edward mainly employed Norman favourites, but he did have foreigners in his household, including

4512-508: The following year, he retreated and was killed by Welsh enemies. Edward and Harold were then able to impose vassalage on some Welsh princes. In October 1065, Harold's brother, Tostig, Earl of Northumbria, was hunting with the king when his thegns in Northumbria rebelled against his rule , which they claimed was oppressive, and killed some 200 of his followers. They nominated Morcar , the brother of Edwin of Mercia, as earl and invited

4606-463: The greatest catastrophes to which the English have ever succumbed." Edward's Norman sympathies are most clearly seen in the major building project of his reign, Westminster Abbey , the first Norman Romanesque church in England. This was commenced between 1042 and 1052 as a royal burial church, consecrated on 28 December 1065, completed after his death in about 1090, and demolished in 1245 to make way for Henry III's new building, which still stands. It

4700-488: The historian Richard Mortimer notes, 'contains obvious elements of the ideal king, expressed in flattering terms – tall and distinguished, affable, dignified and just.' Edward was allegedly not above accepting bribes. According to the Ramsey Liber Benefactorum , the monastery's abbot decided that it would be dangerous to publicly contest a claim brought by "a certain powerful man", but he claimed he

4794-424: The invaders back into Wales. Peace was concluded with the reinstatement of Ælfgar, who was able to succeed as Earl of Mercia on his father's death in 1057. Gruffydd swore an oath to be a faithful under-king of Edward. Ælfgar likely died in 1062, and his young son Edwin was allowed to succeed as Earl of Mercia, but Harold then launched a surprise attack on Gruffydd. He escaped, but when Harold and Tostig attacked again

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4888-519: The invitation by Emma, who would have been keen to preserve her position by ensuring that England was still ruled by a son of hers. After Harthacnut's death in June 1042, Edward the Confessor succeeded to the throne and was crowned in April 1043. During the same year, Edward rode to Winchester along with Earls Leofric, Godwin, and Siward, accused Emma of treason, and deprived her of her lands and titles. However, Edward soon relented, and Emma's lands and titles were restored. After her death in 1052, Emma

4982-485: The irregularity of Stigand's position. Edward usually preferred clerks to monks for the most important and richest bishoprics, and he probably accepted gifts from candidates for bishoprics and abbacies. However, his appointments were generally respectable. When Odda of Deerhurst died without heirs in 1056, Edward seized lands which Odda had granted to Pershore Abbey and gave them to his Westminster foundation; historian Ann Williams observes that "the Confessor did not in

5076-680: The king. Edward was one of England's national saints until King Edward III adopted Saint George (George of Lydda) as the national patron saint in about 1350. Saint Edward's feast day is 13 October and is celebrated by both the Church of England and the Catholic Church . Edward was the seventh son of Æthelred the Unready , and the first by his second wife, Emma of Normandy . Edward was born between 1003 and 1005 in Islip, Oxfordshire , and

5170-498: The last king of the House of Wessex , he ruled from 1042 until his death in 1066. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy . He succeeded Cnut the Great 's son – and his own half-brother – Harthacnut . He restored the rule of the House of Wessex after the period of Danish rule since Cnut conquered England in 1016. When Edward died in 1066, he was succeeded by his wife's brother Harold Godwinson , who

5264-562: The last legitimate Anglo-Saxon king. The shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey remains where it was after the final translation of his body to a chapel east of the sanctuary on 13 October 1269 by Henry III. The day of his translation, 13 October (his first translation had also been on that date in 1163), is an optional memorial in the Catholic dioceses of England only. Saint Edward may also be commemorated on

5358-518: The more war-like figure of Saint George, and in 1348 he established the Order of the Garter with Saint George as its patron. At Windsor Castle , its chapel of Saint Edward the Confessor was re-dedicated to Saint George, who was acclaimed in 1351 as patron of the English race. Edward was a less popular saint for many, but he was important to the Norman dynasty, which claimed to be the successor of Edward as

5452-401: The opportunity to renew Edward's claim. This time, it had the full support of the king and the English hierarchy, and a grateful pope issued the bull of canonisation on 7 February 1161, the result of a conjunction of the interests of Westminster Abbey, King Henry II and Pope Alexander III. He was called 'Confessor' as the name for someone who was believed to have lived a saintly life but was not

5546-526: The pope had forbidden it, but Spearhafoc occupied the bishopric for several months with Edward's support. After the Godwins fled the country, Edward expelled Spearhafoc, who fled with a large store of gold and gems which he had been given to make Edward a crown. Stigand was the first archbishop of Canterbury not to be a monk in almost a hundred years, and he was said to have been excommunicated by several popes because he held Canterbury and Winchester in plurality. Several bishops sought consecration abroad because of

5640-551: The reigns of her sons by each husband, Harthacnut and Edward the Confessor . In 1035 when her second husband Cnut died and was succeeded by their son Harthacnut, who was in Denmark at the time, Emma was designated to act as his regent until his return, which she did in rivalry with Harold Harefoot . Emma is the central figure within the Encomium Emmae Reginae , a critical source for the history of early-11th-century English politics. As Catherine Karkov notes, Emma

5734-752: The revised version of the Encomium". The manuscript was put up for auction in December 2008, and purchased for £600,000 (5.2 million Danish kroner) on behalf of the Royal Library, Denmark . Unlike the Liber Vitae, the compendium does not contain any images of Emma. The New Minster Liber Vitae , now in the British Library , was completed in 1030, shortly before Cnut's death in 1035. The frontispiece depicts "King Cnut and Queen Emma presenting

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5828-490: The richest woman in England ... and held extensive lands in the East Midlands and Wessex." Emma's authority was not simply tied to landholdings —which fluctuated greatly from 1036 to 1043—she also wielded significant sway over the ecclesiastical offices of England. The Encomium is divided into three parts, the first of which deals with Sweyn Forkbeard and his conquest of England. The second focuses on Cnut and relates

5922-438: The sons from Æthelred's first wife, the eldest surviving of whom was Edmund Ironside . Emma attempted to get her older son, Edward, recognized as heir. Although this movement was supported by Æthelred's chief advisor, Eadric Streona , it was opposed by Edmund Ironside, Æthelred's third-oldest son, and his allies, who eventually revolted against his father. In 1015 Cnut the Great , the son of Sweyn Forkbeard, invaded England. He

6016-444: The southern earldoms. He had no personal power base, and it seems he did not attempt to build one. In 1050–51 he even paid off the fourteen foreign ships which constituted his standing navy and abolished the tax raised to pay for it. However, in ecclesiastical and foreign affairs he was able to follow his own policy. King Magnus I of Norway aspired to the English throne, and in 1045 and 1046, fearing an invasion, Edward took command of

6110-461: The story is disputed. Edmund died in November 1016, and Cnut became undisputed king. Edward then again went into exile with his brother and sister; in 1017 his mother married Cnut. In the same year, Cnut had Edward's last surviving elder half-brother, Eadwig , executed. Edward spent a quarter of a century in exile, probably mainly in Normandy, although there is no evidence of his location until

6204-443: The support of King Stephen , but he lacked the full support of the English hierarchy and Stephen had quarrelled with the church, so Pope Innocent II postponed a decision, declaring that Osbert lacked sufficient testimonials of Edward's holiness. In 1159, there was a disputed election to the papacy , and Henry II 's support helped to secure the recognition of Pope Alexander III. In 1160, a new abbot of Westminster, Laurence, seized

6298-399: The text, such as the introduction to the 1998 reprint of Alistair Campbell's 1949 edition in which Simon Keynes remarks: ... While the modern reader who expects the Encomium to provide a portrait of a great and distinguished queen at the height of her power will be disappointed, and might well despair of an author who could suppress, misrepresent, and garble what we know or think to have been

6392-541: The throne, and joined the duke in his brief campaign in Brittany before returning to England. In 1067 the chaplain of Matilda of Flanders , Guy, Bishop of Amiens , composed Carmen de Hastingae Proelio , a Latin poem on the battle of Hastings . In 1150 the Count of Ponthieu built a fortress for himself at Crotoy, a strategic point on the mouth of the river Somme . During the Hundred Years' War, Ponthieu changed hands

6486-552: The throne. Harthacnut, his position in Denmark now secure, planned an invasion, but Harold died in 1040, and Harthacnut was able to cross unopposed, with his mother, to take the English throne. In 1041, Harthacnut invited Edward back to England, probably as his heir because he knew he had not long to live. The 12th-century Quadripartitus states that he was recalled by the intervention of Bishop Ælfwine of Winchester and Earl Godwin. Edward met "the thegns of all England" at Hursteshever, likely near modern-day Hurst Spit opposite

6580-667: The throne. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes the popularity he enjoyed at his accession – "before he [Harthacnut] was buried, all the people chose Edward as king in London." Edward was crowned at the cathedral of Winchester , the royal seat of the West Saxons , on Easter Sunday, 3 April 1043. Edward complained that his mother had "done less for him than he wanted before he became king, and also afterwards". In November 1043, he rode to Winchester with his three leading earls, Leofric of Mercia , Godwin, and Siward of Northumbria , to deprive her of her property, possibly because she

6674-433: The town's burgesses, but he took their side and refused. Edward seized the chance to bring his over-mighty earl to heel. Archbishop Robert accused Godwin of plotting to kill the king, just as he had killed his brother Alfred in 1036, while Leofric and Siward supported the king and called up their vassals. Sweyn and Harold called up their own vassals, but neither side wanted a fight, and Godwin and Sweyn appear to have each given

6768-432: The truth. Felice Lifshitz, in her seminal study of the Encomium comments: ... To Alistair Campbell and to see C.N.L. Brooke the omission was explicable as a matter of 'artistic necessity' and of Emma's personal vanity ... both scholars subscribed to the older view, which afforded the Encomium only literary significance as a panegyric to individual or dynasty, but saw no political import. Prior to May 2008 only one copy of

6862-543: The wealth and power of the Abbey. By 1138, he had converted the Vita Ædwardi Regis , the life of Edward commissioned by his widow, into a conventional saint's life. He seized on an ambiguous passage which might have meant that their marriage was chaste, perhaps to give the idea that Edith's childlessness was not her fault, to claim that Edward had been celibate. In 1139, Osbert went to Rome to petition for Edward's canonisation with

6956-425: Was a continuing source of dispute with the pope. Until the mid-1050s Edward was able to structure his earldoms to prevent the Godwins from becoming dominant. Godwin died in 1053, and although Harold succeeded to his earldom of Wessex, none of his other brothers were earls at this date. His house was then weaker than it had been since Edward's succession, but a succession of deaths from 1055 to 1057 completely changed

7050-523: Was able to procure a favourable judgment by giving Edward twenty marks in gold and his wife five marks. Emma of Normandy Emma of Normandy (referred to as Ælfgifu in royal documents; c. 984 – 6 March 1052) was a Norman -born noblewoman who became the English , Danish , and Norwegian queen through her marriages to the Anglo-Saxon king Æthelred the Unready and the Danish king Cnut

7144-520: Was an exile at Edward's court after his father, Duncan I , was killed in battle in 1040, against men led by Macbeth who seized the Scottish throne. In 1054, Edward sent Siward to invade Scotland. He defeated Macbeth, and Malcolm, who had accompanied the expedition, gained control of southern Scotland. By 1058, Malcolm had killed Macbeth in battle and had taken the Scottish throne. In 1059, he visited Edward, but in 1061, he started raiding Northumbria with

7238-524: Was appointed to an earldom in the south-west midlands, and on 23 January 1045 Edward married Godwin's daughter Edith . Soon afterwards, her brother Harold and her Danish cousin Beorn Estrithson were also given earldoms in southern England. Godwin and his family now ruled subordinately all of Southern England . However, in 1047 Sweyn was banished for abducting the abbess of Leominster . In 1049, he returned to try to regain his earldom, but this

7332-541: Was blown off course to Jersey . He also received support for his claim to the throne from several continental abbots, particularly Robert , abbot of the Norman abbey of Jumièges , who later became Edward's Archbishop of Canterbury. Edward was said to have developed an intense personal piety during this period, but modern historians regard this as a product of the later medieval campaign for his canonisation. In Frank Barlow's view "in his lifestyle would seem to have been that of

7426-480: Was brought up at the English court. He was given the designation Ætheling , meaning throne-worthy, which may mean that Edward considered making him his heir, and he was briefly declared king after Harold's death in 1066. However, Edgar was absent from witness lists of Edward's diplomas, and there is no evidence in the Domesday Book that he was a substantial landowner, which suggests that he was marginalised at

7520-413: Was captured by Godwin, Earl of Wessex , who turned him over to Harold Harefoot. He had Alfred blinded by forcing red-hot pokers into his eyes to make him unsuitable for kingship, and Alfred died soon after as a result of his wounds. The murder is thought to be the source of much of Edward's hatred for Godwin and one of the primary reasons for Godwin's banishment in autumn 1051. Edward is said to have fought

7614-409: Was childless, and Archbishop Robert urged her divorce. Sweyn went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem (dying on his way back), but Godwin and his other sons returned, with an army following a year later, and received considerable support, while Leofric and Siward failed to support the king. Both sides were concerned that a civil war would leave the country open to foreign invasion. The king was furious, but he

7708-421: Was criticised by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for his heavy taxation to pay for the fleet and for having Harold's body disinterred and thrown into a ditch. In 1041 he invited his half-brother Edward the Confessor to England. The Encomium says that Edward was sworn in as king, which probably means that he was recognised as heir as Harthacnut knew that he did not have long to live. He may have been persuaded to make

7802-540: Was defeated and killed in the same year at the Battle of Hastings by the Normans under William the Conqueror . Edward's young great-nephew Edgar Ætheling of the House of Wessex was proclaimed king after the Battle of Hastings, but was never crowned and was peacefully deposed after about eight weeks. 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

7896-498: Was descended from a family which had served Æthelred. Siward was probably Danish, and although Godwin was English, he was one of Cnut's new men, married to Cnut's former sister-in-law. However, in his early years, Edward restored the traditional strong monarchy, showing himself, in Frank Barlow's view, "a vigorous and ambitious man, a true son of the impetuous Æthelred and the formidable Emma." In 1043, Godwin's eldest son Sweyn

7990-454: Was forced to give way and restore Godwin and Harold to their earldoms, while Robert of Jumièges and other Frenchmen fled, fearing Godwin's vengeance. Edith was restored as queen, and Stigand , who had again acted as an intermediary between the two sides in the crisis, was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in Robert's place. Stigand retained his existing bishopric of Winchester, and his pluralism

8084-430: Was held out of London until the deaths in 1016 of Æthelred (April) and Edmund (November). Queen Emma attempted to maintain Anglo-Saxon control of London until her marriage to Cnut was arranged. Some scholars believe that the marriage saved her sons' lives, as Cnut tried to rid himself of rival claimants, but spared their lives. Cnut gained control of most of England after he defeated Edmund Ironside on 18 October 1016, at

8178-495: Was holding on to treasure which belonged to the king. Her adviser, Stigand , was deprived of his bishopric of Elmham in East Anglia . However, both were soon restored to favour. Emma died in 1052. Edward's position when he came to the throne was weak. Effective rule required keeping on terms with the three leading earls, but loyalty to the ancient house of Wessex had been eroded by the period of Danish rule, and only Leofric

8272-533: Was intended to unite against the Viking threat. Upon their marriage, Emma was given the Anglo-Saxon name of Ælfgifu , which was used for formal and official matters, and became Queen of England. She received properties of her own in Winchester , Rutland , Devonshire , Suffolk and Oxfordshire , as well as the city of Exeter . Æthelred and Emma had two sons, Edward the Confessor and Alfred Ætheling , and

8366-731: Was interred alongside Cnut and Harthacnut in the Old Minster, Winchester, before being transferred to the new cathedral built after the Norman Conquest . During the English Civil War (1642–1651), their remains were disinterred and scattered about the Cathedral floor by parliamentary forces. The jumbled bones were later re-interred. As Pauline Stafford noted, Emma is the "first of the early medieval queens" to be depicted through contemporary portraiture. To that end, Emma

8460-450: Was involved with his kingdom in Denmark. Alfred was captured and blinded by holding a hot iron poker to his eyes. He later died from his wounds. Edward escaped the attack, and returned to Normandy. He returned after his place on the throne had been secured. Encomium Emmae Reginae places the blame of Alfred's capture, torture and murder completely on Harold Harefoot , thinking he intended to rid himself of two more potential claimants to

8554-424: Was obliged to undergo the ordeal of walking over nine red-hot ploughshares placed on the pavement of the nave of Winchester Cathedral . Two bishops conducted the barefoot queen to the line of red-hot ploughshares. She walked over the red-hot ploughshares, but, having sought the protection of St Swithun , whose shrine is at Winchester, felt neither the naked iron nor the fire. William Blake did an illustration of

8648-453: Was said to have been opposed by Harold and Beorn, probably because they had been given Sweyn's land in his absence. Sweyn murdered his cousin Beorn and went again into exile. Edward's nephew Ralph was given Beorn's earldom, but the following year Sweyn's father was able to secure his reinstatement. The wealth of Edward's lands exceeded that of the greatest earls, but they were scattered among

8742-494: Was unable to come to England to assert his claim to the throne. It was therefore decided that his elder half-brother Harold Harefoot should act as regent, while Emma held Wessex on Harthacnut's behalf. In 1036, Edward and his brother Alfred separately came to England. Emma later claimed that they came in response to a letter forged by Harold inviting them to visit her, but historians believe that she probably did invite them in an effort to counter Harold's growing popularity. Alfred

8836-435: Was very similar to Jumièges Abbey , which was built at the same time. Robert of Jumièges must have been closely involved in both buildings, although it is not clear which is the original and which is the copy. Edward does not appear to have been interested in books and associated arts, but his abbey played a vital role in the development of English Romanesque architecture, showing that he was an innovative and generous patron of

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