King Eadwig Family Tree (941-959)

 

 King Eadwig Family Tree showing:

parents
siblings
partner 

• King
  Edmund I
  921 – 946 Aelfgifu of
  Shaftesbury
  d. 944
  • KING EADWIG
    941 – 959 Aelfgifu
    d. 959
  • King Edgar
    943 – 975

 

 

Short Biography

Early Years

King Eadwig was born in 941 the eldest son of King Edmund I and Aelfgifu of Shaftesbury. He was given the nickname Eadwig the Fair due to his good looks. Eadwig’s brother Edgar was born in 943.

In 946, Eadwig’s father, was murdered by Leofa a thief who had been exiled. Eadwig, aged 5 years, was considered too young to take the throne so his uncle Eadred became King of England.

Eadwig and his brother Edgar were cared for by the Nobleman Aethelstan and his wife and were educated by Aethelwald, the Abbot of Abingdon.

King Eadwig of England

On 23rd November 955, King Eadred died and Eadwig succeeded as King. However, he did not behave like a king and upset the nobles and church elders. He upset the influential abbot, Dunstan, when he disappeared during his coronation feast only to be found in a compromising position with a young lady, Aelfgifu, and her mother.

Soon afterwards, King Eadwig married Aelfgifu but the marriage was dissolved three years later on the grounds of consanguinity.

King Eadwig set about removing those noblemen he disliked and the abbot Dunstan was exiled, or removed himself to Flanders. The lords of Mercia and Northumbria refused to accept Eadwig as King and acknowledged Eadwig’s brother Edgar as their ruler. King Eadwig died on 1st October 959 and was succeeded by his brother Edgar.

 

First published 2017; updated and republished Apr 14 2022 @ 6:46 pm – Updated – Sep 16, 2022 @ 10:54 am