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| Depiction in Genealogical Roll of the Kings of England (c. 1300s) |
Birth name: Ēadwīġ Æþeling of Ƿestseaxna rīċe
Born: c. 940 - 941, Kingdom of England
Father: King Edmund I of the English 'The Magnificent'
Mother: Saint Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury
House: Wessex
Nationality: English
Religion: Catholicism
Claim: Child of Edmund I 'The Magnificent'
Reign: 23 November 955 - 01 October 959 (3 years)
Coronation: January 956
Predecessor: Eadred
Successor: Edgar I 'The Peaceful'
Died: 01 October 959 (aged 18-19), Kingdom of England
Cause: *Unknown*
Burial: New Minster
Motto: N/A
Spouse(s):
- Lady Ælfgifu of Mercia (m. ??? - 958)
Children:
- N/A
Appearance:
He was described as incredibly handsome, which resulted in his nickname 'All-Fair'.
Character:
Eadwig was largely described as reckless and impulsive, though it's likely that the extent of this has been greatly exaggerated by his enemies. He was also reported to be greedy and self-indulgent, including abandoning his own coronation celebration to indulge in his supposed ravenous sexual desires.
Eadwig also did not believe in offering power and land to the monasteries, however, he was reportedly quite generous in his donations to churches. In fact, Eadwig was overall a very generous person, frequently giving gifts to his friends and donating to the poor. However, this could also be due to him buying favour and support.
Biography:
Eadwig was born some time between the years 940 and 941, though the exact date of his birth is not known. He was the eldest of two sons born to King Edmund I of the English, and his first wife, Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury, who would unfortunately die not long after giving birth to his younger brother, Edgar. Not long after her death, his mother was venerated as a saint. After the death of his mother, it appears that Eadwig was predominantly brought up by Ælfric Cild, a Mercian nobleman.
During his childhood, Eadwig and his brother did not often visit the English court, but both him and his brother appeared to have been rather close as children, despite being brought up in different households.
Unfortunately, his father would also die while he was still very young in 946 after being attacked and murdered. Eadwig had technically been next in line for the throne, however, due to his young age, it was decided that his uncle would take the throne instead, with Eadwig recognised as his heir.
As he grew older, Eadwig would gradually begin to witness his uncle's charters.
In 955, Eadred died, meaning that Eadwig was now the new King of the English at the age of just 15. According to legend, during his coronation celebrations, Eadwig engaged in a ménage à trois with a noblewoman and her daughter, greatly offending the guests at the feast. An abbot and bishop went to confront the King and bring him back to the celebrations. When Eadwig refused to listen to them, the two men forced the crown back onto his head before dragging him away from the two women and back to the party.
The extent of truth to this story is not known for certain, and perhaps may have been propaganda created or embellished by Dunstan, Abbot of Glastonbury, due to his exile. The women involved may have been Eadred's own future wife, Ælfgifu, and her mother, Æthelgifu.
It is not known for sure exactly when Eadwig married Ælfgifu, but it likely took place some time after his coronation to strengthen his position as king and gain political allies. She may have been his third cousin once removed, which may have laid the groundwork for their future annulment in 958. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, they were too closely related to be married without a papal dispensation. The two of them were likely only married for a maximum of two years, and they never had any children together.
Upon Eadwig's succession as king, the English court was largely in chaos and ruled by factions due to the previous king's ill health. Both he and his younger brother, Edgar, began to assert their dominance. Eadwig began gifting lots of land to his friends and allies, which often alienated the Church. It's possible that Eadwig was trying to buy favours, especially in a kingdom that had been fractured and weakened during the later part of his predecessor's reign. Despite the favouritism, a lot of the noble positions Eadwig did appoint were often competent at their jobs, so it did not have a drastic effect on the kingdom.
In 957, it was agreed that the Kingdom of England would be divided between Eadwig and his brother and heir, Edgar. The kingdom would be divided along the river Thames, with Edgar ruling the north and Eadwig ruling the south. This does not appear to have been an unpopular move among the people of England, especially among the Anglo-Saxon population, where duel kingship was seen as normal. The division was a peaceful process, and Eadwig would remain the ultimate ruling power, still styling himself as the King of the English.
Despite relations between the brothers always remaining close and peaceful, they did disagree on a few issues, mainly the exile of Dunstan and the treatment of the grandmother, whose lands had been previously confiscated by Eadwig and reinstated by Edgar. These differences in opinions, however, would never result in any serious disagreements.
Not too much is known about Eadwig and his movements after the division of the kingdom. He largely falls into obscurity compared to his younger brother. He mainly continued to distribute land to his favourites, while continuing to snub the Church. However, he was a popular benefactor of Abingdon Abbey, and was celebrated by the monks there. Though he often did not grant the Church land, he did donate generously, and much of the reported hostility between Eadwig and the Church may have been exaggerated by Dunstan.
Eadwig, however, would not reign as king for long. He died very suddenly in 959 of unknown causes, aged just 19 years old.
Rule:
Eadwig's rule is not remembered fondly, perhaps largely due to the propaganda instigated by his enemy, Dunstan. He did not rule for long, and his reign oversaw the division of England between himself and his brother, though this did not appear to cause much tension.
His court was well known for its favouritism, but at least Eadwig's favourites whom he gifted lands and titles to were competent in their jobs, unlike many royal favourites both in the past and in the future to come.
It is difficult to know the true nature of his relationship with the Church, once again due to Dunstan, and though he may not have been devoted to granting them power, he did donate generously.
Eadwig was also unable to form a successful marriage alliance, nor produce an heir, which made way for the much more successful reign of his younger brother.
He was described as incredibly handsome, which resulted in his nickname 'All-Fair'.
Character:
Eadwig was largely described as reckless and impulsive, though it's likely that the extent of this has been greatly exaggerated by his enemies. He was also reported to be greedy and self-indulgent, including abandoning his own coronation celebration to indulge in his supposed ravenous sexual desires.
Eadwig also did not believe in offering power and land to the monasteries, however, he was reportedly quite generous in his donations to churches. In fact, Eadwig was overall a very generous person, frequently giving gifts to his friends and donating to the poor. However, this could also be due to him buying favour and support.
Biography:
Eadwig was born some time between the years 940 and 941, though the exact date of his birth is not known. He was the eldest of two sons born to King Edmund I of the English, and his first wife, Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury, who would unfortunately die not long after giving birth to his younger brother, Edgar. Not long after her death, his mother was venerated as a saint. After the death of his mother, it appears that Eadwig was predominantly brought up by Ælfric Cild, a Mercian nobleman.
During his childhood, Eadwig and his brother did not often visit the English court, but both him and his brother appeared to have been rather close as children, despite being brought up in different households.
Unfortunately, his father would also die while he was still very young in 946 after being attacked and murdered. Eadwig had technically been next in line for the throne, however, due to his young age, it was decided that his uncle would take the throne instead, with Eadwig recognised as his heir.
As he grew older, Eadwig would gradually begin to witness his uncle's charters.
In 955, Eadred died, meaning that Eadwig was now the new King of the English at the age of just 15. According to legend, during his coronation celebrations, Eadwig engaged in a ménage à trois with a noblewoman and her daughter, greatly offending the guests at the feast. An abbot and bishop went to confront the King and bring him back to the celebrations. When Eadwig refused to listen to them, the two men forced the crown back onto his head before dragging him away from the two women and back to the party.
The extent of truth to this story is not known for certain, and perhaps may have been propaganda created or embellished by Dunstan, Abbot of Glastonbury, due to his exile. The women involved may have been Eadred's own future wife, Ælfgifu, and her mother, Æthelgifu.
It is not known for sure exactly when Eadwig married Ælfgifu, but it likely took place some time after his coronation to strengthen his position as king and gain political allies. She may have been his third cousin once removed, which may have laid the groundwork for their future annulment in 958. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, they were too closely related to be married without a papal dispensation. The two of them were likely only married for a maximum of two years, and they never had any children together.
Upon Eadwig's succession as king, the English court was largely in chaos and ruled by factions due to the previous king's ill health. Both he and his younger brother, Edgar, began to assert their dominance. Eadwig began gifting lots of land to his friends and allies, which often alienated the Church. It's possible that Eadwig was trying to buy favours, especially in a kingdom that had been fractured and weakened during the later part of his predecessor's reign. Despite the favouritism, a lot of the noble positions Eadwig did appoint were often competent at their jobs, so it did not have a drastic effect on the kingdom.
In 957, it was agreed that the Kingdom of England would be divided between Eadwig and his brother and heir, Edgar. The kingdom would be divided along the river Thames, with Edgar ruling the north and Eadwig ruling the south. This does not appear to have been an unpopular move among the people of England, especially among the Anglo-Saxon population, where duel kingship was seen as normal. The division was a peaceful process, and Eadwig would remain the ultimate ruling power, still styling himself as the King of the English.
Despite relations between the brothers always remaining close and peaceful, they did disagree on a few issues, mainly the exile of Dunstan and the treatment of the grandmother, whose lands had been previously confiscated by Eadwig and reinstated by Edgar. These differences in opinions, however, would never result in any serious disagreements.
Not too much is known about Eadwig and his movements after the division of the kingdom. He largely falls into obscurity compared to his younger brother. He mainly continued to distribute land to his favourites, while continuing to snub the Church. However, he was a popular benefactor of Abingdon Abbey, and was celebrated by the monks there. Though he often did not grant the Church land, he did donate generously, and much of the reported hostility between Eadwig and the Church may have been exaggerated by Dunstan.
Eadwig, however, would not reign as king for long. He died very suddenly in 959 of unknown causes, aged just 19 years old.
Rule:
Eadwig's rule is not remembered fondly, perhaps largely due to the propaganda instigated by his enemy, Dunstan. He did not rule for long, and his reign oversaw the division of England between himself and his brother, though this did not appear to cause much tension.
His court was well known for its favouritism, but at least Eadwig's favourites whom he gifted lands and titles to were competent in their jobs, unlike many royal favourites both in the past and in the future to come.
It is difficult to know the true nature of his relationship with the Church, once again due to Dunstan, and though he may not have been devoted to granting them power, he did donate generously.
Eadwig was also unable to form a successful marriage alliance, nor produce an heir, which made way for the much more successful reign of his younger brother.
Trivia:
- According to legend, he was murdered in a plot carried out by noblemen.
Timeline of Reign:
956 | Conflict with Dunstan begins - Eadwig offends Dunstan at his coronation.
956 | Exile of Dunstan - Dunstan is exiled from England.
957 | Division of England - England is divided along the River Thames between Eadwig and Edgar.
Quotes:
N/A
Sources & Further Reading:
Biography of Eadwig (Edwy) — Archontology. (2025). Archontology.org. https://www.archontology.org/nations/uk/england/anglosaxon/eadwig.php
Brain, J. (2023). King Eadwig - Historic UK. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Eadwig/
Eadwig | Biography & Facts. (1998). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eadwig
Eadwig - MS Royal 14 B VI.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. (2022). Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eadwig_-_MS_Royal_14_B_VI.jpg
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