Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (13 page)
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Authors: Alison Weir
Tags: #Biography & Autobiography, #Royalty, #History, #General, #Historical, #Reference, #Genealogy & Heraldry, #Non Fiction
BOOK: Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy
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King Edward the Confessor
F
ATHER
:
Ethelred II
(
see here
).
ATHER
:
Ethelred II
(
see here).
M
OTHER
:
Emma of Normandy
(
see here
, under
Ethelred II
).
OTHER
:
Emma of Normandy
(
see here, under
Ethelred II
).
S
IBLINGS
: (
see here
, under
Ethelred II
).
IBLINGS
: (
see here, under
Ethelred II
).
KING EDWARD
Known as ‘the Confessor’, he was born around
c.
1003/4 (by 1005) at Islip, Oxon. When he succeeded his half-brother King Harthacanute, on 8 June, 1042, the crown of England reverted from the usurping Danish dynasty to the line of Cerdic once more, and for the last time. Edward was crowned on 3 April, 1043, at Winchester Cathedral.
c.
1003/4 (by 1005) at Islip, Oxon. When he succeeded his half-brother King Harthacanute, on 8 June, 1042, the crown of England reverted from the usurping Danish dynasty to the line of Cerdic once more, and for the last time. Edward was crowned on 3 April, 1043, at Winchester Cathedral.
King Edward married
, on 23 January, 1045 (although no record exists as to where):
, on 23 January, 1045 (although no record exists as to where):
Edith
She was the daughter of Godwine, Earl of Wessex, by his wife Gytha (
see here
, under Harold II), and she was born in
c
.1020. Edith was perhaps anointed and crowned on her wedding day, but details of the ceremony have not been recorded. Her marriage to Edward was purely platonic, the King being unwilling, for religious reasons, to consummate it, hence there were no children. Edith died on 18 December, 1075, either at the Palace of Westminster or at Winchester, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
see here, under Harold II), and she was born in
c
.1020. Edith was perhaps anointed and crowned on her wedding day, but details of the ceremony have not been recorded. Her marriage to Edward was purely platonic, the King being unwilling, for religious reasons, to consummate it, hence there were no children. Edith died on 18 December, 1075, either at the Palace of Westminster or at Winchester, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
KING EDWARD
He died on 4/5 January, 1066, at the Palace of Westminster, and was
buried in the new Westminster Abbey, built by his command and only recently consecrated.
buried in the new Westminster Abbey, built by his command and only recently consecrated.
He was succeeded by Harold, Earl of Wessex, his brother-in-law, to whom he left his throne, with the support of the Witan, there being no adult claimant to the crown of the line of Cerdic.
On 7 February, 1161, Edward the Confessor was canonised, thus becoming the only King of England to be made a saint.
Harold II
F
ATHER
:
Godwine
ATHER
:
Godwine
He was the son of Wulfnoth, Cyld of Sussex, and was born in
c
.987. He married firstly Thyra, daughter of King Sweyn, and secondly, in
c.
1019/20, Gytha (
M
OTHER
:
Gytha
OTHER
:
Gytha
She was the daughter of Thorgils Sprakalegg by Thyra, daughter of Harold Bluetooth, King of Denmark (and sister of King Sweyn); some authorities state that Thorgils was the son of Thyra, not her husband. Gytha was born in Denmark. She married Earl Godwine in
c.
1019/20. She died in exile, perhaps in Flanders, after June, 1069.
S
IBLINGS
:
IBLINGS
:
1
Edith
(
, under King Edward the Confessor).
2
Sweyn
He was born in
c.
1023, and was created Earl of Mercia in 1043. He died on 29 September, 1052, in exile, at Lycia, near Constantinople, in Byzantium.
Sweyn had the following
illegitimate issue
:
By Edgiva, Abbess of Leominster, a nun whom he abducted and with whom he contracted an uncanonical marriage:
1 Haakon (
b.
1046/7).
2 Tostig.
3
Tostig
He was born in
c.
1026, and was created Earl of Northumbria in
c
.1055. In that year, or later, he was also created Earl of Northampton and Nottingham. He was deprived of his earldoms on 3 October, 1065. He was killed on 25 September, 1066, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in Northumberland, fighting his brother Harold II in alliance with Harold Hardraada, King of Norway. Tostig was buried in York Minster.
Tostig married, in October, 1051 (although no record exists as to where):
Judith
Alternatively known as Fausta, she was the daughter of Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders, by Eleanor, daughter of Richard II, Duke of Normandy. After Tostig’s death, she married secondly Welf IV, Duke of Bavaria.
Issue of marriage:
(i)
Skule
He grew up, married, and had issue. No further details are recorded.
(ii)
Ketel
He grew up, married and had issue. No further details are recorded.
4
Gyrth
He was created Earl of East Anglia in 1057, and was killed on 14 October, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, Sussex.
5
Leofwine
He was created Earl of Kent, Surrey, Middlesex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire in
c
.1057, and was killed on 14 October, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, Sussex.
6
Wulfnoth
He died after 1087, either in Normandy, or at Salisbury, Wiltshire.
7
Alfgar
He is said to have been a monk at Rheims in France.
8
Edgiva
Nothing is known of her beyond her name.
9
Elgiva
She died in
c
.1066.
10
Gunhilda
She is said to have become a nun, either at St Omer in France, or at Bruges in Flanders. She died on 24 August, 1087, at Bruges, and was buried in Bruges Cathedral.
HAROLD II
Surnamed Godwineson, he was born in
c
.1020/22. He was created Earl of East Anglia in
c
.1045, and succeeded his father as Earl of Wessex on 15 April, 1053. He was created Earl of Hereford in 1058, and styled ‘Duke of the English’ from 1064. He succeeded Edward the Confessor as King of England on 6 January, 1066, having been chosen by the King as his successor with the support of the Witan. Harold II was crowned on 6 January, 1066, probably at St Paul’s Cathedral in London (some authorities state he was crowned at Westminster Abbey, but there is no evidence for this).
c
.1020/22. He was created Earl of East Anglia in
c
.1045, and succeeded his father as Earl of Wessex on 15 April, 1053. He was created Earl of Hereford in 1058, and styled ‘Duke of the English’ from 1064. He succeeded Edward the Confessor as King of England on 6 January, 1066, having been chosen by the King as his successor with the support of the Witan. Harold II was crowned on 6 January, 1066, probably at St Paul’s Cathedral in London (some authorities state he was crowned at Westminster Abbey, but there is no evidence for this).
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