Edward the Confessor

Reign: 1042 – 1066
Life: d. 1066

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 brother-in-law Harold Godwinson, who 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. His nickname reflects the traditional image of him as unworldly and pious.

During Edward the Confessor's reign, Henry III ruled Holy Roman Empire, Emperor Renzong of Song ruled China, and Anund Jacob ruled Sweden.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Edward the Confessor by Frank Barlow

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