King Edgar

Male 959 - 8 July 975

Born, Wessex, England.

Died, Winchester, Hampshire, England.

Married to (Unknown) Aelfthryth Married to Elfrida Ealdorman. Father of King Ethelred and (Unknown) Aethelred. Son of (Unknown) Elgiva and (Unknown) Edmund.

The first King of a united England. He allowed his Danish subjects to retain Danish laws. Edgar promoted a monasticrevival and encouraged trade by reforming the currency. He improved defence by organizing coastal naval patrols and asystem for manning warships. Although he suceeded on 1st October959, he was not crowned until 973 because St Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury, disaproved of his way of life.ar is usually held to be the first ruler of a united English monarchy, though his uncle Athelstan has some claim to that position. He is remembered for his law codes. Edgar the Peacableed his brother as king of the English on Edwy's death in 959 - a death which probably prevented civil war breaking out between the two brothers. Edgar was a firm and capable ruler, whose power was acknowledged by other rulers in Britain, as well as Welsh and Scottish kings. Edgar's late coronation in 973 at Bath was the first to be recorded in some detail; his queen Aelfthryth was the first consort to be crowned queen of England. sociation with Archbishop Dunstan. New bishoprics were created, Benedictine monasteries were reformed and old monastic sites were re-endowed with royal grants, some of which were of land recovered from the Vikings. ge - issued laws which for the first time dealt with Northumbria (parts of which were in the Danelaw) as well as Wessex and Mercia. Edgar's coinage was uniform throughout the kingdom. A more united kingdom based on royal justice and order was emerging; the Monastic Agreement (c.970) praised Edgar as 'the glorious, by the grace of Christ illustrious king of the English and of the other peoples dwelling within the bounds of the island of Britain'. After his death on 8 July 975, Edgar was buried at Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset.e) until 973 (at Bath); with Dunstan he reformed monastic houses on Rule of St.Benedict; m. (1) Aethelflaed ("the white duck"), dau. of Earl Ormaer, & had Edward the Martyr; m. (2) Aelfthryth, dau. of Earl Ordgar, & had Aethelred II; also had daughter, Eadgyth (St.), Abbess of Barking, b. ca. 962, by Wulthryth, "an inmate of the convent at Wilton", who declined marriage. Edgar's reign "is often regarded as the highest point of effective power reached by the Old English monarchy...a time of peace for the greater part of England." He is fame is due "to his lavish patronage of the church, and to the encouragement which he gave to the great men, Dunstan, Ethelwold, and Oswald, who in his reign were reviving monastic life in England." {-Encycl.Brit.,'56,8:484.} Edgar reigned from October, 959 to 975. Edgar's reign is the setting of "The King's Henchman," a play by Edna St.Vincent Millay (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1927).sh subjects to retain Danish laws. Edgar promoted a monastic revival and encouraged trade by reforming the currency. He improved defence by organising coastal naval patrols and a system for manning warships. Although he suceeded on 1st October 959, he was not crowned until 973 because St Dunstan, the Archbishop of Canterbury, disaproved of his way of life.5] was spared Viking invasions, and he even began to employ Danish subjects. His policy was shaped by Dunstan, [Archbishop of Canterbury and former treasurer to Edgar's father, Edmund I] whose respected position helped Edgar's reputation amongst European rulers. New elements in monastic pageantry were introduced by him, his coronation at Bath emulating that of his kinsman, Otto the Great, as German emporer. Edgar's queen, Aelfthryth, was anointed at his When seven British, Scottish, and Welsh kings came to Chester to submit formally to Edgar, they purportedly rowed him on the River Dee. Though almost certainly apocryphal, the story reflects the dominancens from 957 who became king of the West Saxons, or Wessex, in 959 and is reckoned as king of all England from that year. He was efficient and tolerant of local customs, and his reign was peaceful. He was most important as a patron of the English monastic revival.he Mercians and Northumbrians in place of Eadwig, his brother, who was deposed. On Eadwig's death (1 Oct 959), Edgar succeeded to the West Saxon throne. His ecclesiastical policy was also that of the archbishop of Canterbury, St. Dunstan, who insisted on strict observance of the Benedictine Rule. The king supported Archbishop Oswald of York and Bishop Aethelwold of Winchester in founding abbeys. Edgar's laws were the first in England to prescribe penalties fro nonpayment of tithes and Peter's pence, the annual contribution made by Roman Catholics for support of the Holy See. [Encyclopaedia Britannica]er Lee Sheppard Jr, 5th Edition, 1999erick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr., 1999wn only after the abbey was founded during the 7th century (the exact date is not known). Many kings gave grants of land to the abbey and it soon grew very wealthy. Three Saxon kings Edmund I (died 946), Edgar (died 975) and Edmund Ironside (died 1016) were buried in the abbey. By the time of William the Conqueror the abbey was the wealthiest monastery in England and owned one eighth of the land in Somerset. The abbey also owned land in 4 other counties. The Naormans, naturally, appointed a Norman abbot. But he quarreled with the Saxon monks and the quarrel ended in bloodshed. About 1083 the monks barricaded themselves in the abbey church. Norman soldiers broke in and shot arrows from an upper storey of the church. The arrows killed 3 monks and wounded 18. In 1184 the abbey suffered a disasterous fire but it was rebuilt. The lady chapel was built at that time. It was consecrated in 1186. The great wealth of Galstonbury abbey made the bishop of Bath envious. He attemtpted to make himself the abbot. In 1199 he forced the monks to accept him as abbot. Any monks who refused were tortured until they changed their minds. (It is said that one died as a result of torture). This rather unchristian behaviour only ended in 1217 when the abbey handed over some of its estates to the bishop.nt county of Somerset in the 7th Century. Their King was Ine of Wessex, who was widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the Abbey. He was a local man who boosted the status and income of the Abbey, and it is said that he put up a stone church, the base of which forms the west end of the nave. y, St. Dunstan, who became the Archbishop of Canterbury in 960.he disruption caused by the foreign invasion and subsequent conquest of England by the Normans. rothers who failed to toe the new party line, skilled Norman craftspeople contributed much to the Abbey by adding magnificent buildings, built to the east of the older church and away from the ancient cemetery, to the existing Saxon church. ay Book was commissioned to provide records and a census of life in England, Glastonbury Abbey was the richest monastery in the country.he ancient treasures were destroyed.al monks needed to find a new place to worship. There is evidence that the 12th century nave was renovated and used for this purpose for almost 30 years, until some of the work was completed on the new church. The monks reconsecrated the Great Church and began services there on Christmas Day, 1213, most likely before it was entirely completed. in (behind Westminster Abbey), the Abbot of Glastonbury lived in considerable splendour and wielded tremendous power. The main surviving example of this power and wealth is to be found in the Abbey kitchen - part of the magnificent Abbot's house begun by John de Breynton (1334-42).ns have disclosed a special apartment at the south end of the Abbot's house, erected for a visit from the English King, Henry VII.er 800 monasteries, nunneries and friaries in Britain. By 1541, there were none. More than 10,000 monks and nuns had been dispersed and the buildings had been seized by the Crown to be sold off or leased to new lay occupiers. Glastonbury Abbey was one of principal victims of this action by the King, during the social and religious upheaval known as the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 71f9b9xileeom 959 to 975. It is recorded that Edgar, while keeping his court at Chester, was rowed down the River Dee, the oars manned by eight kings of neighboring tributary states. The story, though probably untrue, sets forth his power not only over his own immediate subjects, but over the whole island. He had a well-trained army and a strong navy and his title shows that at least he lived on good terms with his neighbors. He married (1) Aethelflaed, and (2) Elfrida (Aelfthryth) of Devon, daughter of Ordgar, Earl of Devonshire, and widow of Ethelwold.), younger son of King Eadmund I. In 957, during the rule of his brother, King Edwy (940?-59), Eadgar was chosen by the Mercians and Northumbrians to be their sovereign. One of his first acts was to recall the monastic reformer St. Dunstan, whom Edwy had exiled; Eadgar subsequently made Dunstan bishop of Worcester and London and archbishop of Canterbury. In 959 Eadgar succeeded to the entire English Kingdom. His reign was notable for the establishment of national consolidation, reformation of the clergy, improvement of the judiciary system, and formation of a fleet to defend the coast against the Scandinavian Vikings. Merged General Note: Eadgar, called The Peaceful (944-75), Saxon king of the English (959-75), younger son of King Eadmund I. In 957, during the rule of his brother, King Edwy (940?-59), Eadgar was chosen by the Mercians and Northumbrians to be their sovereign. One of his first acts was to recall the monastic reformer St. Dunstan, whom Edwy had exiled; Eadgar subsequently made Dunstan bishop of Worcester and London and archbishop of Canterbury. In 959 Eadgar succeeded to the entire English Kingdom. His reign washe clergy, improvement of the judiciary system, and formation of a fleet to defend the coast against the Scandinavian Vikings.and from 959 to 975.@@NI2331@@GEDCOM provided by Carolyn Proffitt Winch GEDCOM provided by Carolyn Proffitt Winch !REIGNED: King of England (959 - 975).), Saxon king of the English (959-75), younger son of King Eadmund I. In 957, during the rule of his brother, King Edwy (940?-59), Eadgar was chosen by the Mercians and Northumbrians to be their sovereign. One of his first acts was to recall the monastic reformer St. Dunstan, whom Edwy had exiled; Eadgar subsequently made Dunstan bishop of Worcester and London and archbishop of Canterbury. In 959 Eadgar succeeded to the entire English Kingdom. Histion of the clergy, improvement of the judiciary system, and formation of a fleet to defend the coast against the Scandinavian Vikings. Merged General Note: Eadgar, called The Peaceful (944-75), Saxon king of the English (959-75), younger son of King Eadmund I. In 957, during the rule of his brother, King Edwy (940?-59), Eadgar was chosen by the Mercians and Northumbrians to be their sovereign. One of his first acts was to recall the monastic reformer St. Dunstan, whom Edwy had exiled; Eadgar subsequently made Dunstan bishop of Worcester and London and archbishop of Canterbury. In 959 Eadgar succeeded to the entire English Kingdom. His reign was notable for the establishment of national consolidation, reformation of the clergy, improvement of the judiciary system, and formation of a fleet to defend the coast against the Scandinavian Vikings.rld Family Treenf.edu/faculty/rbradl/ancestor/index.htm#sm)99 by Linda Joyce NeelyOV 1997re responsible for Magna Carta. GEDCOM imported 7 NOV 1999 by Linda Joyce NeelyAY 1995AR 1998everal encyclopedia computer programs including Encyclopedia Britannica 97.999 by Linda Joyce NeelyOV 1996ed 21 AUG 1995da Joyce NeelyAY 1996he Demarest (Des Marets) line with his lineage to Charlemagne.EC 1993ce NeelyAR 1995AN 1999nda Neelyitt

Sources

1. Mason, Taylor P..ged - provided by LifeTimes Research

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