Edward the Martyr (AD
962-978) - King of the English AD 975-978
 |
 |
 |
 |
Edward the Martyr succeeded his father, King Edgar, at the age of only thirteen. During his short reign, he spent most of the time indulging in hunting and womanising. He was eventually murdered by his wicked step-mother, Queen Aelfthrith, so that her own son, Ethelred (the Unready) could inherit the English throne. He was killed at Corfe Castle after a hunting expedition, buried first at Wareham and then translated to Shaftesbury Abbey (all in Dorset) where he was elevated to sainthood. Along with Edmund of East Anglia and Edward the Confessor, he has always been considered one of the three true Patron Saints of England. His supposed bones were dug up last century and quickly became the subject of a major court battle when one of the joint-owners gave them away to the Russian Orthodox Church in Brookwood (Surrey)!
For more details of King Edward's life, take a look at our Early British Kingdoms website.
The pictures on this page are cropped examples of images in our high resolution photo library. Please e-mail us for details of these or similar image availability at our very reasonable reproduction rates. Location release may be required for some photos.
Click for Next Monarch