dward 'The Martyr' became King of England in July 975 after the death of his father Edgar. A crisis followed the death of the old king as both Edward and his half brother Ethelred had a claim to the throne and were supported by opposing parties. Edward was supported by the monastic party led by Aethelwine and Aethelred was supported by the anti-monastic party led by Ealdorman Aelfhere of Mercia. The Ealdorman wanted to curtail the powers of the monasteries. Edward was murdered near the site of Corfe Castle on the 18th of March 978 while visiting his step-mother Elfrida (or Elfthyrth ?). He was stabbed in the back by an assassin. His step-mother wanted Edward removed so that her own son Aethelred could become king. After being dumped in a well, Edward's body was removed and buried in a church in Shaftsbury where it was said that miracles occurred at the site of the tomb. The blind regaining their sight was one example. Elfrida atoned for her crime and founded two convents. She retired to the convent at Andover and remained there until she died.Biography
Biography
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EDWARD (The Martyr, King of the English 975-978)
| Born | 962 | Born At | |
| Died | 18 March 978 | Buried At | Wareham, later Shaftesbury |
| Father | Edgar (I, King of the English 959-975) | Mother | Ethelflead |
| Succeeded | Edgar (I, King of the English 959-975) | Preceded | Aethelred (II The Unready, King of the English 978-1013, 1014-1016) |
| Royal House | Wessex |
| Born | 962 / |
| Died | 18 March 978 / Wareham, later Shaftesbury |
dward 'The Martyr' became King of England in July 975 after the death of his father Edgar. A crisis followed the death of the old king as both Edward and his half brother Ethelred had a claim to the throne and were supported by opposing parties. Edward was supported by the monastic party led by Aethelwine and Aethelred was supported by the anti-monastic party led by Ealdorman Aelfhere of Mercia. The Ealdorman wanted to curtail the powers of the monasteries. Edward was murdered near the site of Corfe Castle on the 18th of March 978 while visiting his step-mother Elfrida (or Elfthyrth ?). He was stabbed in the back by an assassin. His step-mother wanted Edward removed so that her own son Aethelred could become king. After being dumped in a well, Edward's body was removed and buried in a church in Shaftsbury where it was said that miracles occurred at the site of the tomb. The blind regaining their sight was one example. Elfrida atoned for her crime and founded two convents. She retired to the convent at Andover and remained there until she died.Siblings (incl. half-siblings)
Family Tree Details
EDWARD (The Martyr, King of the English 975-978) (b.962 - m.978)
EDWARD (The Martyr, King of the English 975-978) (b.962 - m.978)
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Timeline
975(Age: 13yrs)
Edward, the eldest son of Edgar, became the king of the English at the age of fourteen when his father died. Dunstan became his guardian.
978(Age: 16yrs)
Corfe Castle was built on a steep hill in a gap in a long line of chalk hills, created by two streams eroding the rock on either side. The name Corfe derives from the Old English ceorfan, meaning 'a cutting', referring to the gap. The construction of the medieval castle means that little is known about previous activity on the hill. We know from contemporary writing that Anglo-Saxon nobility treated it as a residence, such as Queen Aelfthryth, wife of Edgar, and there are postholes belonging to a Saxon hall on the site. This hall may be where the boy-king Edward the Martyr was assassinated in 978; contemporaries tell us that he went to the castle at Corfe to visit Aelfthryth and his brother.
Aethelred became king after the assassination of his elder brother Edward the Martyr.
Edward, the King of the English was assassinated under orders from his step-mother, who wanted her son Aethelred to become king. His body was buried at Warham.
979
The body of Edward the Martyr may have been moved and reinterred at Shaftesbury.
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