King Edward III 'The Confessor' (1003/5-1066) and Queen Edith of Wessex

[Blog Real]

Edward the Confessor (c. 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 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 was defeated and killed in the same year by the Normans under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. Edward's young great-nephew Edgar the Ætheling of the House of Wessex was proclaimed king after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 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 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.

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor

https://www.royal.uk/edward-iii-confessor-r-1042-1066

King of the English:
Reign: 8 June 1042 – 5 January 1066
Coronation: 3 April 1043, Winchester Cathedral
Predecessor: Harthacnut
Successor: Harold II
Born: c. 1003–1005
Islip, Oxfordshire, England
Died: 5 January 1066 (aged 60–63) London, England
Burial: Westminster Abbey, London
Spouse: Edith of Wessex
House: Wessex
Father: Æthelred the Unready
Mother: Emma of Normandy

A sealed writ of Edward the Confessor
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Edward_the_Confessor_sealed_writ.jpg

Edith of Wessex (c. 1025 – 18 December 1075) was Queen of England from her marriage to Edward the Confessor in 1045 until Edward died in 1066. Unlike most English queens in the 10th and 11th centuries, she was crowned. The principal source on her life is a work she herself commissioned, the Vita Ædwardi Regis or the Life of King Edward who rests at Westminster, which is inevitably biased.

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_of_Wessex

Queen consort of England:
Tenure: 23 January 1045 – 5 January 1066
Born: c. 1025
Died: 18 December 1075
Burial: Westminster Abbey, England
Spouse: Edward the Confessor
House: Godwin
Father: Godwin, Earl of Wessex
Mother: Gytha Thorkelsdóttir

 

[CyrilVladisla]

When Edward was in Normany before 1043, "he even signed charters as King of England and received support from a number of people who gave his royal entitlement their personal backing."
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Edward-The-Confessor

 

[An Ard Ri]

The original St Edward's Crown used at the Coronations was part of the Coronation regalia that Edward himself used and survived the Reformation until Oliver Cromwell destroyed the Regalia in 1649.

His magnificent tomb too was despoiled in 1540 but restored by Mary I in 1556 and damaged again during the Civil War and restored again by the Victorians.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Queen Edith became a trusted advisor witnessing charters for King Edward.