King Edmund Ironside Family Tree (990-1016)

 

 

 King Edmund Ironside Family Tree showing:

parents
siblings
partners 
children 

• Aelfgifu
  of York
  c963 – 1002King Aethelred
  the Unready
  966 – 1016
  • Aethelstan
    Aetheling
    985 – 1014
  • Edgar
    d. 1012
  • Eadred
    d. 1012
  • Eadwig
    d. 1017
  • Ecgberht
    d. 1005
  • Edgyth
    of Mercia
    995 – 1022
  • Aelfgifu
    of Northumbria
    997 – 1042
  • Wulfhilda
    998 – 1042
  • KING EDMUND
    II IRONSIDE
    990 – 1016Ealdgyth
    of East Anglia
    b c.992
    • Edward
      the Exile
      1016 – 1057
    • Edmund
      1017 – 1048

 

 

Short Biography

King Edmund II was born in 960 the second son of King Aethelred the Unready by his first wife Aelfgifu of York, his brother Aethelstan had been born in 985.

Throughout his life, England was plagued by repeated Viking attacks and Edmund earned the nickname Ironside for his bravery fighting the Danes. However, England was not strong enough to defeat the Vikings and King Aethelred had to make repeated Danegeld payments to make them go away.

Edmund’s mother died in 1002 and King Aethelred married Emma of Normandy the same year. On 13th November, the King ordered the massacre of all Danes in England hoping to minimise the risk of attack from within the country. The sister of Viking leader, Sweyn Forkbeard was one of those killed. Forkbeard increased the raids and attacks on England and by 1013 had conquered most of England.

Sweyn proclaimed himself King of England in December 1013 and Aethelred and his young family fled to Normandy. It is believed that Edmund Ironside and his brothers remained in England.

Sweyn Forkbeard died in February 1014. He nominated his son, Canute, to succeed but the majority of the nobility did not want Canute to rule and called for Aethelred to return as King. The country was unstable and there was still fighting between the English and the Danes. Canute invaded in order to claim the throne. Edmund’s elder brother Aethelstan died fighting the Danes in June 1014.

In 1015, Edmund Ironside married Ealdgyth, widow of a thegn that had been killed on Aethelred’s orders for supporting Canute. Edmund did not have his father’s permission to marry and the two became estranged. Edmund and Ealdgyth had two sons, Edward, who would become known as the Exile, was born in Spring 1016 and Edmund was born in 1017.

Aethelred the Unready died on 23rd April 1016 and Edmund became King. Shortly afterwards Edmund joined forces with Uhtred the Bold of Northumbria but Canute took Northumbria and murdered Uhtred. Edmund was pushed back and in October 1016 was defeated at the Battle of Assandun. He made an agreement to share the rule of England with Canute. On 30th November Edmund died and Canute seized the throne. Ealdgyth and her children fled to the continent.

 

First published 2017; updated and re-published Jul 26 2020  @ 2:15 pm – Updated – Feb 15, 2024 @ 5:19 pm