by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Æthelstan (reigned 924 – 939) is regarded by modern historians to be the first King of England although he used the style King of the English (Rex Anglorum in Latin). England was, at one time, a collection of seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms: East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex, and Wessex. These kingdoms were unified over the years into the Kingdom of England by Æthelstan’s grandfather Alfred the Great, King of Wessex and his successors. During this time period, the invading Danish contested this unification and at times, held the throne.

The House of Wessex, sometimes known as the Anglo-Saxon kings, first reigned from 802 – 1013. From 1013 – 1014, the House of Denmark reigned. The House of Wessex was restored 1014 – 1016. One last time, the House of Denmark reigned from 1016 -1042. The final reign of the House of Wessex began in 1042 and ended with the conquest of William, Duke of Normandy in 1066.

Regnal numbers were not used in identifying kings until after the Norman Conquest of 1066 so their use to identify Anglo-Saxon kings is anachronistic but it helps differentiate several kings.

• Unofficial Royalty: House of Wessex Index
• Wikipedia: House of Wessex

All photos are from Wikipedia unless otherwise noted.

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The Kingdom of Wessex, from which the House of Wessex was derived, was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of Great Britain and its seat of power was in Winchester so it makes sense that most burials were in the Old  Minster, the New Minster, and Winchester Cathedral, all in Winchester, now located in Hampshire, England.

• Unofficial Royalty: Winchester Cathedral, New Minster, Old Minster in Winchester, England

The Old Minster was the Anglo-Saxon cathedral for the Diocese of Wessex and then Winchester from 660 to 1093. It stood on a site north of and partially beneath its successor, Winchester Cathedral. In 901, the New Minster, a royal Benedictine abbey, was built next to the Old Minster. After the consecration of Winchester Cathedral in 1093, the Old Minster was demolished.  The remains of Kings of Wessex, Kings of England, and their consorts who had been buried in the Old Minster were exhumed and re-interred in Winchester Cathedral.

Before his death, Alfred the Great wanted to build a royal Benedictine abbey next to the Old Minster. His son and successor Edward the Elder built the New Minster following Alfred the Great’s wishes. It stood so close to the Old Minster that the voices of the two abbey choirs merged with chaotic results. The remains of Alfred the Great and his wife Ealhswith were transferred to the New Minster. Edward the Elder was buried there as was one of his sons, Ælfweard of Wessex.  The building of Winchester Cathedral required that the monks of New Minster move to Hyde Mead just outside the northern city walls, founding the Hyde Abbey. The royal remains buried at the New Minster were transferred to Hyde Abbey but they were lost when Hyde Abbey was dissolved and demolished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII.

The construction of Winchester Cathedral began in 1079 and the cathedral was consecrated in 1093. The royal mortuary chests said to contain the remains of kings and consorts of the House of Wessex, first buried in the Old Minster, were moved to Winchester Cathedral.  During the English Civil War, Winchester Cathedral was ransacked and the royal remains were scattered.  The remains were returned to the mortuary chests but were mixed up. In 2012, an examination of the remains in the chests began. The examination included DNA testing, reassembly of the skeletons, and analysis to determine the sex, age, and other characteristics of the remains. The six mortuary chests were found to hold the remains of at least 23 individuals, more than originally thought.

• • Official Website: Winchester Cathedral
  • BBC: Winchester Cathedral’s ‘royal bones’ chests analysed
  • BBC: ‘Queen’s bones’ found in Winchester Cathedral royal chests

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House of Wessex

• Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, King of the Anglo-Saxons (reigned 871 -899)
• Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons (reigned 899 – 924)
• Æthelstan, King of the English (reigned 924 – 939)
• Edmund I, King of the English (reigned 939 – 946, assassinated)
• Eadred, King of the English (reigned 946 – 955)
• Eadwig, King of the English (reigned 955 – 959)
• Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English (reigned 959 – 975)
• Saint Edward the Martyr, King of the English (975 – 978, assassinated)
• Æthelred II the Unready, King of the English (1st reign, 978 – 1013, 2nd reign, 1014 – 1016)
• Edmund Ironside, King of the English (reigned 1016)
• Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England (reigned 1042 – 1066)
• Harold II Godwinson, King of England (reigned 1066)

The biographical information below is from Unofficial Royalty articles.

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Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, King of the Anglo-Saxons (reigned 871 – October 26, 899)

• Unofficial Royalty: Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, King of the Anglo-Saxons

Born circa 847 – 849, probably at a royal palace in Wantage, now in Oxfordshire, England, he was the son of Æthelwulf, King of Wessex and his first wife Osburga. In 868, Alfred married Ealhswith, daughter of a Mercian nobleman, Æthelred Mucel, Ealdorman of the Gaini and his wife Eadburh. Alfred and Ealhswith had five known children including his successor Edward the Elder.

Because Alfred’s brother King Æthelred I left two young sons who were deemed too young to succeed to the throne, Alfred became King of Wessex in 871. During his reign, Alfred had to deal with Danish invaders. After Alfred’s army defeated the Danish army in 878, the Danes agreed to withdraw from Wessex and settle in East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumberland in land ceded to them called the Danelaw.

Alfred died on October 26, 899 at around the age of 50 from unknown causes. He was initially buried in the Old Minster in Winchester, England but four years later, Alfred’s remains were moved to the New Minster, a royal Benedictine abbey founded in 901 in Winchester. In 1109, King Henry I ordered the New Minster to be moved to Hyde Mead and so Hyde Abbey was built just outside the walls of Winchester. When the new church of Hyde Abbey was consecrated in 1110, the remains of Alfred, his wife Ealhswith, and his son Edward the Elder were interred before the Hyde Abbey high altar. In 1539, during the reign of King Henry VIII, Hyde Abbey was dissolved and demolished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

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Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons (reigned 26 October 26, 899 – July 17, 924)

• Unofficial Royalty: Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons

Born circa 874, probably at the royal palace in Wantage, now in Oxfordshire, England, Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons was the son of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, King of the Anglo-Saxons and his wife Ealhswith, daughter of a Mercian nobleman. Edward married three times and had about fourteen children. He was the father to three kings: Æthelstan, Edmund I, and Eadred. The power of the King of the Anglo-Saxons was greatly increased during Edward’s reign. By 922, Edward was the overlord of all of Britain except for York, Orkney, and the Western Isles.

Edward the Elder died at the royal estate of Farndon-on-Dee in Mercia on July 17, 924. He was initially buried in the New Minster, Winchester. In 1109, the New Minster was moved outside the city walls to become Hyde Abbey, and the following year, the remains of Edward and his parents were moved to the new abbey church which was destroyed in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the reign of King Henry VIII. Edward’s third wife and widow Eadgifu survived him by 44 years and died in the reign of her grandson King Edgar in 968.

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Æthelstan, King of the English (reigned July 17, 924 – October 27, 939

• Unofficial Royalty: Æthelstan, King of the English

Æthelstan, born around 894, was the eldest son of Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons, and the only son of Ecgwynn, the first of Edward’s three wives. When Edward the Elder died on July 24, 924, the Mercians immediately proclaimed Æthelstan as their king but deliberations still continued in Wessex. Æthelstan was not to be recognized as king in Wessex until a year after his father’s death. In 927, when Welsh and Scots kings and princes accepted Æthelstan as their overlord, Æthelstan became the first king and overlord of all Britain and was styled King of the English.

Æthelstan died in Gloucester on October 27, 939 at around the age of 45. Instead of being buried in the traditional House of Wessex burial sites in Winchester, Æthelstan chose Malmesbury Abbey in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England as his burial site and was buried under the high altar. According to the 12th-century chronicler William of Malmesbury, Æthelstan was devoted to the abbey and the memory of its seventh-century abbot Saint Aldhelm. William of Malmesbury also wrote that Æthelstan’s body was disinterred in the 11th century and reburied in the abbot’s garden (now Abbey House Gardens) to avoid desecration by the Normans. Æthelstan is commemorated by a 15th-century empty tomb in the north aisle of Malmesbury Abbey.  Because he was never married, Æthelstan was succeeded by his half-brother Edmund I, King of the English.

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Edmund I, King of the English (reigned October 27, 939 – May 26, 946, assassinated)

• Unofficial Royalty: Edmund I, King of the English

Edmund I, King of the English was born in 921, the son of Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons and his third wife Eadgifu of Kent. He succeeded his unmarried half-brother Æthelstan in 939 and was the first Anglo-Saxon monarch, whose dominion extended over the whole of England at the time of his accession. Edmund married Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury around 940. They had two sons, both kings: Eadwig, King of England and Edgar the Peaceful, King of England.

On May 26, 946, Edmund was celebrating the feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury at a royal hunting lodge. During the feast, Edmund recognized Leofa, a thief he had exiled several years earlier. He asked his steward to arrest Leofa but a fight erupted. Edmund intervened, was stabbed, and died at the age of 24. Recent research indicates that Edmund may have been the victim of political assassination and suggests that the characterization of Edmund’s killer as a thief was fabricated by later chroniclers to counter rumors that the king was the victim of a political assassination.

Edmund was buried at Glastonbury Abbey in Glastonbury, Somerset, England but his tomb was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII. Because Edmund’s two sons were very young, he was succeeded by his brother Eadred.

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Eadred, King of the English (reigned May 26, 946 – November 23, 955)

• Unofficial Royalty: Eadred, King of the English

Born in 923, Eadred, King of the English was the son of Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons and his third wife Eadgifu of Kent. He succeeded his murdered elder brother Edmund because Edmund’s sons were too young. Eadred suffered from ill-health all his life. He had symptoms similar to the symptoms Alfred the Great, his grandfather also had. Eadred’s ill health is often given as the reason he never married.

Towards the end of his life, Eadred’s health deteriorated drastically. He had physical difficulties eating and suffered from some kind of physical disability, possibly paralysis. Eadred died at the age of 32 on November 23, 955 in Frome in Somerset, and was buried in the Old Minster at Winchester. Sometime between 1093 – 1158, his remains were moved to Winchester Cathedral which was completed and consecrated in 1093.

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Eadwig, King of the English (reigned November 23, 955 – October 1, 959

• Unofficial Royalty: Eadwig, King of the English

Born about 940, Eadwig, sometimes called Edwy, was a teenaged King of the English for less than four years. He was the elder of the two sons of Edmund I, King of the English and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury. The young king almost immediately began arguing with his uncle Eadred’s advisors, particularly with Dunstan, a future Archbishop of Canterbury and saint, who was then Abbot of Glastonbury. Eadwig married his third cousin Ælfgifu, a marriage that was forbidden on the grounds of consanguinity. This infuriated Dunstan who was temporarily exiled by Eadwig.

In 957, the Mercians and Northumbrians revolted and chose Eadwig’s brother Edgar as king of the country north of the River Thames. The south of England, however, remained loyal to Eadwig. The next year, Oda, Archbishop of Canterbury annulled Eadwig’s marriage for consanguinity, a decision that was likely more political than religious.

On October 1, 959, in Gloucester, Eadwig died at around the age of nineteen in what some consider suspicious, but certainly unknown, circumstances. He was buried in the New Minster in Winchester but nothing is known about the later fate of his remains. As Eadwig did not have children, his brother Edgar succeeded him and reunified England.

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Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English (reigned October 1, 959 – July 8, 975)

• Unofficial Royalty: Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English

The reign of Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English brought a period of peace unknown in recent memory. His coronation service written by St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury has formed the basis for the coronation services for English and British monarchs ever since. Born around 943, Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English was the younger son of the two sons Edmund I, King of the English and Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury.

Edgar’s marriage history is uncertain. He had relationships with three women but only the third was considered as his “lawful wife:

(1) Æthelflæd was the mother of Edgar’s eldest child Edward the Martyr, King of the English.
(2) Saint Wulfthryth was a noblewoman who may have been abducted from Wilton Abbey by Edgar. She gave birth to a daughter Edith around 963. Bride-abduction was a traditional part of Anglo-Saxon society but whether Edgar took Wulfthryth by force is not known. She did stay with Edgar for at least a year. It is uncertain whether Edgar married Wulfthryth.
(3) Ælfthryth was the first wife of a king known to have been crowned and anointed as Queen of the Kingdom of England. She had two sons including Æthelred II the Unready, King of the English.

Edgar died on July 8, 975 in Winchester, England, aged 31-32, and was buried at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, England. In 1052, Edgar’s remains were moved within Glastonbury Abbey to a new shrine near the high altar. The shrine was lost when the abbey was left in ruins during the sixteenth century.

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Saint Edward the Martyr, King of the English (July 8, 975 – March 18, 978 assassinated)

• • Unofficial Royalty: Saint Edward the Martyr, King of the English
  • Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Saint Edward the Martyr, King of England

Edward the Martyr was the eldest son of Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English. He was born around 962 to Æthelflæd. The teenage Edward was famous for temper tantrums and insulting influential people due to his lack of diplomatic behavior. During Edward’s short reign, his kingdom was plagued with famine and violent attacks on monasteries by nobles who wanted to reclaim the land that King Edgar had given to the monks.

On March 18, 978, Edward arrived at a hunting lodge probably near the mound on which the ruins of Corfe Castle now stand. Aelfthryth, his stepmother, had invited Edward there and she arranged for him to be welcomed with a cup of wine. As Edward drank the wine, he was stabbed in the back while still mounted on his horse. He fell off, but his foot caught in the stirrup and he was dragged to his death. Although Edward’s ten-year-old half-brother Æthelred was not personally suspected of participation in the plot, the specter of his half-brother’s murder hung over him for the rest of his life.

Edward was first buried at St. Mary’s Church in Wareham, Dorset, England. People were soon saying miracles occurred at his burial place and he was declared a saint and a martyr. In 981, Edward’s remains were moved to Shaftesbury Abbey. In 1539, Edward’s remains were hidden to avoid desecration during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII. In 1931, some remains were recovered during an archaeological excavation of Shaftesbury Abbey. At the time, it was stated that the remains were those of a young man of about 20 who had injuries that corresponded to a person being dragged backward over the pommel of a saddle and having their leg twisted in a stirrup and so it was assumed the remains were Edward. An examination of the remains in 1970 disputed the 1931 findings. Nevertheless, the remains were donated to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, which interred them as King Edward the Martyr in a shrine at St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Church in Woking, Surrey, England.

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Æthelred II the Unready, King of the English (1st reign, March 18, 978 – 1013, 2nd reign, 1014 – April 23, 1016)

• Unofficial Royalty: Æthelred II the Unready, King of the English

Æthelred was born circa 966 – 968 to King Edgar the Peaceful and Ælfthryth. His nickname in Old English was unræd which means “no counsel” and describes the poor quality of advice which Æthelred received throughout his reign. Æthelred first married Ælfgifu of York, who may have died in childbirth. The couple had ten known children including Edmund Ironside, King of the English. After his first wife’s death, Æthelred married Emma of Normandy, the daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy.  Emma’s brother, Richard II, Duke of Normandy, was the grandfather of William II, Duke of Normandy, later King William I (the Conqueror) of England. Æthelred and Emma had three children including Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England.

During much of Æthelred’s reign, he had to deal with Danish invasions. Æthelred and his council bought the Danes off with 22,000 pounds of gold and silver, instituting the policy of regular protection money called Danegeld to the Danes. However, fearing the Danes would attack English settlements, Æthelred ordered all the Danish men who were in England to be killed. This is called the St. Brice’s Day Massacre because it occurred on November 13, 1002, the feast day of St. Brice, fifth-century Bishop of Tours.

The Danes retaliated and within a few years, all England came under Danish rule. Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark was acknowledged as King of England. Æthelred fled to the Isle of Wight and then to Normandy. Sweyn died in 1014, and the Danes in England swore their allegiance to Sweyn’s son Cnut the Great of Denmark. Æthelred launched an attack against Cnut and his allies, but Cnut’s army had not completed its preparations and he decided to withdraw from England without a fight. Æthelred returned to England and reigned until his death in London on April 23, 1016. He was buried in Old St Paul’s Cathedral in London, but his tomb was destroyed along with the cathedral in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Æthelred’s name is on a modern inscribed stone, set up on a wall in the crypt of the new St. Paul’s Cathedral, which replaces all the memorials known to have been lost in the Great Fire.

Emma of Normandy, Queen of the English, Queen of Denmark

• Unofficial Royalty: Emma of Normandy, Queen of the English, Queen of Denmark

Emma of Normandy was queen consort of two Kings of England and mother of two Kings of England. Born in Normandy around 985, she was the eldest daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy, and his second wife Gunnora de Crêpon. Shortly after the death of his first wife, Æthelred II, King of the English sent an emissary to Normandy to ask for Emma’s hand in marriage. Emma and Æthelred had three children including Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England.

In 1013, Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark and Norway launched an invasion with the goal of also becoming King of England. As Sweyn’s forces approached southern England, Emma and her children were first sent to the Isle of Wight for safety and then sent to Normandy. By the end of 1013, English resistance had collapsed and Sweyn had conquered the country, became King of England, and forced Æthelred into exile in Normandy. When Sweyn died, his son Cnut the Great of Denmark decided his troops were not ready for battle and retreated to Denmark. Æthelred was then restored as King of England. However, his second reign was short-lived as Æthelred died two years later.

After fighting several battles for the throne of England, Æthelred’s son from his first marriage Edmund II (Ironside) and Sweyn Forkbeard’s son Cnut agreed to divide the Kingdom of England with Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest. However, Edmund died on November 30, 1016, leaving two young sons. Cnut became the king of all England and exiled the remaining members of Edmund’s family.

In 1017, Cnut thought it would be expedient to marry Æthelred’s widow and sent for Emma. It is unclear whether Emma married Cnut by force or if she chose to accept Cnut’s proposal but she returned to England and married Cnut. Her children by Æthelred remained in exile in Normandy. Emma and Cnut had two children including Harthacnut, King of Denmark and England.

Emma and Cnut’s marriage had begun as a loveless, political strategy but Emma’s importance in the affairs of the kingdom grew. Chroniclers often mentioned that Emma was alongside her husband as if they were inseparable. It was often necessary for Cnut to be absent from England and Emma assumed a form of regency during those periods. Cnut died in 1035 and was succeeded in England by Harold Harefoot, his son from his first marriage to Ælfgifu of Northampton, and in Denmark by Harthacnut, his son from his second marriage to Emma. When Harold Harefoot, King of England died in 1040, Harthacnut, King of Denmark also became King of England. Harthacnut lived only two more years and upon his death in 1042, Emma’s surviving son Edward the Confessor from the marriage to Æthelred became King of England. Emma was present at Edward’s coronation on Easter, April 3, 1043, at the Old Minster in Winchester.

Emma died on March 6, 1052, at St. Mary’s Abbey in Winchester, England, aged 66-67. She was buried at the Old Minster in Winchester beside her second husband Cnut and their son Harthacnut. When the Old Minster was demolished in 1093, Emma’s remains were moved to Winchester Cathedral. They were among the remains in the labeled mortuary chests that rest on top of the choir screen. During the English Civil War, Winchester Cathedral was ransacked and the remains were scattered.  The remains were returned to the mortuary chests but were mixed up. In 2012, an examination of the remains in the chests began. The examination included DNA testing, reassembly of the skeletons, and analysis to determine the sex, age, and other characteristics of the remains. In May 2019, it was announced that Emma’s remains were found in several chests.

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Edmund Ironside, King of the English (reigned April 23, 1016 – November 30, 1016)

• Unofficial Royalty: Edmund Ironside, King of the English

Born around 990, Edmund was the son of Æthelred II (the Unready), King of the English and his first wife Ælfgifu of York. Edmund was not expected to become king as he had two elder brothers but they both predeceased their father. Edmund’s two sons via his marriage with Ealdgyth.

Edmund succeeded his father upon his death but had to fight Cnut the Great of Denmark to keep the Kingdom of England. He earned the added name “Ironside” because of his bravery in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut the Great. The war between Edmund and Cnut ended in a decisive victory for Cnut at the Battle of Assandun on October 18, 1016. Because Edmund’s reputation as a warrior was great, Cnut agreed to divide England, with Edmund taking Wessex and Cnut the rest of the country beyond the River Thames. However, Edmund died on November 30, 1016, and Cnut the Great became King of England. Edmund was buried near his grandfather Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, England but the abbey was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII.

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Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England (reigned June 8, 1042 – January 5, 1066)

• Unofficial Royalty: Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England

Born between 1003 and 1005 in Islip, Oxfordshire, England, Edward the Confessor was the son of Æthelred II (the Unready), King of the English and his second wife Emma of Normandy. Throughout his childhood, Edward’s father was dealing with Danish invasions. In 1013, Edward and his brother Alfred were sent to Normandy for their safety. While they were in Normandy, their father died, their half-brother Edmund Ironside had to fight Cnut the Great of Denmark to keep the Kingdom of England. An agreement to share England was arranged between Cnut and Edmund Ironside but Edmund soon died. Cnut became King of England and married Edward’s mother Emma of Normandy.

Cnut died in 1035 and was succeeded in England by Harold Harefoot, his son from his first marriage, and in Denmark by Harthacnut, his son from his second marriage to Emma and therefore, Edward’s half-brother. In 1036, Edward and his brother Alfred returned to England from their exile in Normandy to visit their mother. As they made their way to London, they were betrayed. Alfred was blinded with a hot iron to his eyes and died soon afterward. Edward escaped the attack and returned to Normandy. It is unclear exactly who was behind the attack on Alfred.

When Harold Harefoot died in 1040, Edward’s half-brother Harthacnut, King of Denmark also became King of England. Harthacnut lived only two more years and upon his death in 1042, Edward became King of England. Upon his accession, Edward realized that his kingdom was divided between Saxons, Danes, and Norse with powerful earls from all three factions. To Edward’s credit, he succeeded in governing his kingdom despite those issues. On January 23, 1045, Edward married Edith of Wessex, daughter of the powerful Godwin, Earl of Wessex, however, the marriage was childless.

By far, Edward’s greatest achievement was the foundation of Westminster Abbey which he built to atone for the breaking of a vow to make a pilgrimage to Rome. In 1042, he began rebuilding St. Peter’s Abbey to provide himself with a royal burial church, the first Westminster Abbey. It is possible that Edward had a series of strokes in 1065. He was too ill to attend the dedication of his greatest achievement, Westminster Abbey, on December 28, 1065. Edward the Confessor died several days later, on January 5, 1066. Before Edward died he briefly regained consciousness and named Harold Godwinson as his heir. The Witan, an assembly of the ruling class, met the next day and selected Harold Godwinson to succeed Edward as King Harold I

Edward was buried before the high altar in his new Westminster Abbey. In 1245, the construction of the second and present church was begun by King Henry III who selected the site for his burial. King Henry III oversaw a grand ceremony on October 13, 1269, to rebury Edward the Confessor in a magnificent new shrine, personally helping to carry the body to its new resting place.

Embed from Getty Images
Shrine of Edward the Confessor

Each October 13 – 20, Westminster Abbey observes Edwardtide which celebrates the life of Saint Edward the Confessor. On October 13, National Pilgrimage Day, everyone is welcome, without a ticket, “to visit the Abbey with other pilgrims and experience its beauty and space in an atmosphere characterised by prayer. Everyone will be able to pray at the Shrine of St Edward – the only shrine in this country that still contains the body of the saint.” On October 13, 2018, this writer had the experience of attending the National Pilgrimage Day. The Chapel of Edward the Confessor is usually not open to tourists and it was awe-inspiring to see the shrine surrounded by the tombs of kings and queens. In the photo above of the shrine, notice the three openings at the bottom of the shrine. These are openings where pilgrims enter to kneel to pray. Imagine all the people over the centuries who have knelt there.

Edith of Wessex, Queen of England

• Unofficial Royalty: Edith of Wessex, Queen of England

The daughter of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir, Edith of Wessex was born around 1025. Her father was one of the most powerful earls in England under Cnut the Great, Harold I Harefoot, Harthacnut, and his son-in-law Edward the Confessor. Her mother was the daughter of the Danish chieftain Thorkel Sprakling. Edith of Wessex married Edward the Confessor, King of England. The marriage was childless and Edward, who was about twenty years older than Edith, treated her with great respect and endowed her with valuable property all over England. With Edith becoming Queen of England, her father and brothers gained even more power.

In 1051, Godwin and his sons fell out of favor with Edward and fled England. Edith was sent to a nunnery, possibly because she was childless and Edward hoped to divorce her. Godwin and his family returned to England in 1052 with armed forces, gaining the support of the navy, townspeople, and peasants, forcing Edward to restore his earldom. Edith was reinstated as queen and in later years, she became one of Edward’s inner group of advisers.

Following the death of Edith’s husband Edward the Confessor in January 1066, her brother Harold Godwinson was selected by the Witan to succeed Edward as King Harold II. When William II, Duke of Normandy heard that Harold Godwinson had been crowned King of England, he began preparations for an invasion of England. The army of William II, Duke of Normandy army met the army of King Harold of England about six miles northwest of Hastings, England on October 14, 1066. Harold lost his crown and his life. Besides losing her brother Harold at the Battle of Hastings, Edith also lost her brothers Gyrth and Leofwine. The new King William I of England treated Edith with great respect and although she lost some of her dower lands, she remained an important landowner after the Norman conquest.

Edith died at St. Mary’s Abbey in Winchester, England on December 18, 1075, apparently caused by a disease that she had suffered from for some time, at around the age of 50. Her funeral was arranged by King William I. Originally buried with her husband Edward the Confessor at the original Westminster Abbey he had built, Edith was reburied on the left side of the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor in present Westminster Abbey built during the reign of King Henry III.

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Harold II Godwinson, King of England (reigned January 5, 1066 – October 14, 1066)

• Unofficial Royalty: Harold II Godwinson, King of England

Born around 1022, Harold II Godwinson, King of England was the second son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir. His sister Edith of Wessex was the wife of his predecessor Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England. Edith the Fair, also known as Edith Swansneck, was Harold’s companion for more than twenty years. Their relationship was more danico, Latin for “in the Danish manner”, similar to handfasting. Although the relationship was not recognized by the Catholic Church, Harold and Edith’s six children were not considered illegitimate.

After the death of his brother-in-law Edward the Confessor, the Witan selected Harold Godwinson to succeed Edward as King Harold II. Harold made a marriage recognized by the Catholic Church to Ealdgyth of Mercia, the widow of a defeated enemy, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn of Gwynedd, King of Wales, and daughter of Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia. Harold and Ealdgyth had one son who was born after Harold’s death.

When William II, Duke of Normandy heard that Harold Godwinson had been crowned King of England, he began preparations for an invasion of England. The army of William II, Duke of Normandy army met the army of King Harold of England about six miles northwest of Hastings, England on October 14, 1066. Harold’s death, probably near the end of the battle, led to the retreat and defeat of most of his army.

Exactly what happened to Harold’s body is unknown. The strongest claim for Harold’s burial place is the Abbey Church of Waltham Holy Cross in the town of Waltham Abbey, Essex, England. Harold had rebuilt, refounded, and richly endowed the church, which was rededicated in 1060. The church was left in ruins during the Dissolution of the Monasteries which occurred in the reign of King Henry VIII and was restored in subsequent centuries. The reputed site of King Harold II’s grave now lies in the churchyard.

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