Edgar the Peacemaker (AD 943-975) - King
of the English AD 959-975
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King Edgar the Peacemaker (commonly translated as the Peaceable) was always more popular than his brother, Edwig, and was able to take over Mercia & Northumbria even before he became king. He had the first recorded coronation, at Bath Abbey, and the current ceremony is still based on his model. Edgar's reign was a time of relative peace and tranquility and he was recognised as over-king by Saxon, Danish and Welsh monarchs who rowed him down the River Dee to his Royal Court at Chester! Like his brother, Edgar had a ferocious sexual appetite and is said to have demanded sex with several courtiers' daughters, while kidnapping one lover and murdering the husband of another! Despite this, he was well known for his promotion of the Christian Church and, with his friends SS. Dunstan, Aethelwold & Oswald, he introduced many reforms and founded lots of new monasteries. He was thus revered as a saint after his death and was buried in a beautiful shrine in Glastonbury Abbey. He was the father of St. Edward the Martyr and Aethelred the Unready. His second wife was the wicked Queen Aelfthrith.
For more details of King Edgar's life, take a look at our Early British Kingdoms website.
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