Kings and Queens

England's Sixth King: King Edward The Martyr

King Edward The Martyr succeeded his father, King Edgar The Peaceful in 975.

Background

On the 18th March of 978 a tragic incident had occurred: the young king of England had been slain at Corfe Castle, having only served as the king for a meer three years, from 975 until his early death in the year 978, when the king had become known as Edward the Martyr.

Born around the year 962, King Edward The Martyr was the one and only son of the previous King Edgar The Peaceful and his first wife Lady Aethelfled. Whilst he was the first son, he was not the originally acknowledged heir to the throne as his father was known to have had remarried twice and was now settled with his new Queen Elfthryth with whom he had another son, Lord Aethelred The Unready. As the half-brother to Edward The Martyr and with a mother whom was now the Queen, Lord Aethelred was a valid contender to the English throne. After King Edgar The Peaceful’s death, a family dispute over power would emerge, which lead to an unimaginable turn of events which even today has been shrouded in its mystery.

The saga had began in the year 975 when King Edgar The Peaceful sadly died, which left Edward, just thirteen years old at the time, as the heir (the aethling) to the throne. However, his legitimacy had been called into question and was disputed by the people who had supported his younger brother to take up the role of king instead. Lord Aethelred was indisputably also a legitimate heir to the English throne; however he was only six or seven years old when his father had evidently passed away, making his older brother, Edward, the more likely choice. Nevertheless, as both sons were quite young, their bids for power had been strongly led by court factions and in the case of Lord Aethelred, his mother, who was keen to see her son as rightful heir.

The King's Rise which led to his Demise

In due course, Lord Edward was chosen to be the next King of England and was crowned with the help of the Archbishop Lord Dunstan of Canterbury who had represented Lord Edward’s strong clerical support base which had also included Lord Oswald of Worcester, who had served as the Archbishop of York.

Lord Edward was chosen as king however, not much is known about his character and thus his ability to lead a country. At the time the differing accounts from the important figures painted a conflicting picture of the young King of England.

According to Father Byrthferth who was a priest and monk based at Ramsey Abbey, he had quite a bad temper which had affected those who had worked with him and created an atmosphere of such fear. This account however is refuted by Lord Osbern of Canterbury who was a Benedictine monk and who commented on King Edward The Martyr’s character in some more favourable terms, noting that the men who, had been around him had held him in such high regard. These two varying accounts of the king's character only contributed to the mystery and intrigue of the king and his rather short reign.

Edward's ascension to the throne had taken place amidst a power struggle, and his reign did nothing to allay the fears of treachery, violence nor disorder. During his three years as king, the so-called anti-monastic reaction had taken place, which had involved members of the royal court partaking their opportunity to reclaim power which was lost during King Edgar The Peaceful’s reign. King Edgar The Peaceful had decided to increase the land ownership and power of the church, and thus angering the secular landowners in the process. The nobility found King Edward The Martyr’s weak reign as the king. the perfect time to seize full control, which lead to the attacks on monasteries and the property belonging to the Church.

The secular landowners had increased their attacks, especially in the north, which had been compounded by some further political issues pertaining to the opposition to the southern rule. Some of the highest ranking nobles such as, Aelfhere and Aethelwine found themselves embroiled in such conflict, with Aelfhere whom was portrayed as one of the main leaders of the anti-monastic movement. This dispute had been escalating and civil war looked highly likely. King Edward The Martyr’s leadership had not been strong enough to deal with the current events, even with the assistance of the powerful Archbishop Lord Dunstan, and the seizure of the monastic estates had continued. All in all, King Edward The Martyr’s time in power was marred by much crisis.

In March of 978, King Edward The Martyr would make his life-ending decision, which was to visit his half-brother Lord Aethelred at Corfe Castle. King Edward The Martyr arrived in the evening, accompanied by only a small group of trusted men who had been met at the gates of the castle by Lady Elfthryth’s retainers. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles this had been quite as usual; having alerted the members of the household to know of his impending arrival, Edward would have been expecting a warm welcome and accompaniment into the castle. Unfortunately this didn't happen. The events that followed his arrival have become enveloped in secrecy, mired by clandestine reports and cryptic accounts.

The assassination of the king had taken place at the gates of the castle as King Edward The Martyr was waiting to be allowed entry to the castle, perhaps being offered a beverage of mead whilst he waited. It was at this point in time that the dark deed had been committed; King Edward The Martyr was still mounted on his horse when he was brutally stabbed, causing him to dye on his horse which had subsequently bolted into the darkness of the night, dragging the king's body along the ground behind. Nobody really knows how these events had been played out: what is clear to us however, is that an act of murder and treachery upon the king was committed that night which had caused enormous repercussions for the throne, for the kingdom and Christianity in the many years to come.

After The King's Death

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has become the main source for this time-period and in particular for this event, with the Peterborough Chronicle manuscript describing the sad events on the 18th March thus:
“Men murdered him, but God exalted him. In life he was an earthly king; after death he is now a heavenly saint”.

King Edward’s murder was said to be on the orders of his stepmother who intended to put her own son, Lord Aethelred, on the throne. Although unproven, Lady Elfthryth and her factions, including Lord Aethelred’s main advisors appear the most likely perpetrators of the assassination as Lord Athelred was far too young to have orchestrated such an event.

Another key figure possibly implicated in King Edward’s demise was Lord Aelfhere, one of the main conspirators in the anti-monastic movement. Some have taken his involvement in King Edward’s reburial as a display of penance for the murder. With that being said, the responsibility for King Edward The Martyr’s death remains a source of intrigue, with power, politics and wealth at play.

Initially King Edward's body was placed in a grave near Wareham without any of the pomp or ceremony expected of a royal burial. One year later, King Edward's body was disinterred and taken to Shaftesbury Abbey to receive a proper ceremony and in the year 1001 placed in a prominent position in the abbey, as by this point he had been considered a saint.

King Edward would become known as Edward the Martyr, a representation of an innocent victim slain for power and for prestige, his martyrdom status was secured by his rather untimely death. His status as a saint however, was induced by the miracles that were said to have occurred at the king's tomb.

King Edward's remains were said to have been miraculously intact, which was a sign of his sainthood; his veneration followed and to this day King Edward the Martyr’s feast day is celebrated on the 18th March, the day of his mortal demise.

During the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the bones had been removed from their resting place and hidden. In the year 1931, bones were discovered in the ruins of the abbey and they are said to be Edward The Martyr’s. Today they reside in the Orthodox Church of St Edward the Martyr in Brookwood, Surrey.

King Edward's martyrdom as a good Christian at the hands of others who were considered ‘irreligious’ has allowed his sainthood to be glorified and celebrated since the year 1001. To this present day, many from the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and the Eastern Orthodox Church recognise and celebrate King Edward The Martyr.