Edward the Elder
Edward (c. 874 – 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons, succeeding his father Alfred the Great. His reign lasted from 899 until his death.
Biography
Life as ætheling
In the early-890s, nearly a whole generation since Alfred had crowned the Viking chieftain Guthrum as East Anglia's king and the Treaty of Wedmore's signing in 878, a new wave of Vikings from the European continent landed on the shores of Kent, with the goal to continue their invasion. Edward begged his father to grant him an army to repel the heathen invaders. Eventually acquiescing to his request, Alfred told Edward to warn his brother-in-law, Æthelred.[1]
Reign
From 893 to 896,[2] Edward and Æthelred successfully pushed back some of the Vikings. However, in 899 tragedy struck when his father passed away. Following his death, Edward was named king[1] and coronated the following year. By this time, he had already married his first wife Ecgwynn, and had fathered a son, Æthelstan, and a daughter.[2] Edward and Æthelstan would then go on to defeat the Danish princes of East Anglia, the five boroughs, and Jorvík.[1]
Legacy
After Edward's death, he was succeeded by Æthelstan.[2] Their eventual successor, King Edgar, would undo all their hard work trying to purge their lands of Danes due to his overly-peaceful reign allowing the Vikings to regroup.[1]
Appearances
- Echoes of History (voice only)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Echoes of History: Vikings – Episode 5: The Dawn of a New Era
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2
Edward the Elder on Wikipedia