English Monarch, House of Wessex. Born the only son of King Eadgar the Peacemaker and his first wife, Ethelflaeda Eneda, his accession to the throne on his father's death in 975 was opposed by his stepmother, Queen Ælfrida, who preferred her own son to inherit, and the antimonastic nobility. Edward was, however, supported by the Witan assembly, largely under the influence of Saint Dunstan and Ealdorman Aethelwin of East Anglia, and was crowned King. After a reign of three years, the king was hunting near Corfe Castle, his stepmother's residence. Edward arrived alone at the castle in order to greet his kin and request refreshment. Reportedly, Ælfrida offered Edward a drink, and had him stabbed by one of her agents while he drank. Some versions of the murder allege the queen herself killed Edward. His body was secretly buried. Immediately following the murder, tales of miracles were connected to the king's remains; pillars of light, as well as the healing of the blind and lame among them. The king's body was found, disinterred, and re-entombed at Shaftesbury Abbey with royal honors in February 981. Stories of miraculous occurrences and healings continued to be connected to the king's tomb, and as a result, Edward was canonized in 1001. Shaftesbury was destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries and the king's tomb lost. In 1931 archaeological excavation of the ruins lead to the discovery of a lead casket containing the bones of a young man, carbon dated to the period of Edward the Martyr. The remains, thought to be those of the murdered king, now rest in a chapel at Brookwood Cemetery under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church.
English Monarch, House of Wessex. Born the only son of King Eadgar the Peacemaker and his first wife, Ethelflaeda Eneda, his accession to the throne on his father's death in 975 was opposed by his stepmother, Queen Ælfrida, who preferred her own son to inherit, and the antimonastic nobility. Edward was, however, supported by the Witan assembly, largely under the influence of Saint Dunstan and Ealdorman Aethelwin of East Anglia, and was crowned King. After a reign of three years, the king was hunting near Corfe Castle, his stepmother's residence. Edward arrived alone at the castle in order to greet his kin and request refreshment. Reportedly, Ælfrida offered Edward a drink, and had him stabbed by one of her agents while he drank. Some versions of the murder allege the queen herself killed Edward. His body was secretly buried. Immediately following the murder, tales of miracles were connected to the king's remains; pillars of light, as well as the healing of the blind and lame among them. The king's body was found, disinterred, and re-entombed at Shaftesbury Abbey with royal honors in February 981. Stories of miraculous occurrences and healings continued to be connected to the king's tomb, and as a result, Edward was canonized in 1001. Shaftesbury was destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries and the king's tomb lost. In 1931 archaeological excavation of the ruins lead to the discovery of a lead casket containing the bones of a young man, carbon dated to the period of Edward the Martyr. The remains, thought to be those of the murdered king, now rest in a chapel at Brookwood Cemetery under the auspices of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Bio by: Iola
Gravesite Details
Initially quickly buried in the St. Edward the Martyr Roman Catholic Church, Shatters Hill, Wareham, Dorset. Re-buried the following year in Shaftesbury Abbey.
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