King Edgar of England

Edgar, sometimes referred to as Eadgar, served as King of the English from 959 until his death. His rule commenced following the death of his brother, and he was the younger son of King Edmund I and Ælfgifu. Chroniclers of the time, primarily focused on church leaders, provide only a limited view of Edgar’s reign due to scant records of the period’s events. His reign was marked by political continuity with his predecessors, but he was also noted for significant religious changes, particularly his strong support for the English Benedictine Reform. This reform movement gained considerable influence during his time and was associated with a surge in literary and artistic expression, predominantly linked to Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester. Edgar’s administrative reforms included a standardized coinage system, and he also issued legislative codes aimed at improving law enforcement procedures.

Edgar’s England was a land recovering from over a century of Viking invasions, yet his reign experienced a lull in such attacks. Following his death, a dispute over the throne arose between his two surviving sons, Edward the Martyr and Æthelred the Unready, with Edward initially ascending to the throne with Archbishop Dunstan’s support. Edgar’s era was later depicted by chroniclers as a golden age of peace and order, particularly when contrasted with the troubled rule of Æthelred. Modern historians view Edgar’s reign as the zenith of Anglo-Saxon culture, though his political legacy remains a subject of debate, with some historians attributing the disorders that followed his death to the reaction against his authoritative rule.