House of Wessex
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Bearing in mind that I am NOT a historian, here is a little teaser to pass the time. We all know the texts from the Bible about bastard slips not taking root, and the sins of the fathers being visited on subsequent generations. Right, so what happens if we apply that literally to the throne…
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One of the most fascinating (and bloody) periods of English history is The Anarchy, when Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I (he who might well be found sometime soon in the ruins of Reading Abbey) fought her cousin Stephen of Blois (thought to be in Faversham Abbey) for the English throne. Battles raged across the…
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Edgar the Aetheling: Failure or Survivor?
“Perkin”, anniversaries, Battle of Hastings, Denmark, Edgar the Atheling, Edward the Exile, Edward V, exiles, Harold II, House of Wessex, Hungary, Malcolm III, Margaret of Wessex, Normandy, Normans, Norway, Richard of Shrewsbury, Scotland, St. Edward the Confessor, Stigand, Wallingford, Westminster Abbey, William I, Witangemot, youth
Originally posted on Giaconda's Blog: You could argue that Edgar was set up to fail from the start. As the last male heir of the ancient royal House of Cerdic of Wessex; Edgar had the bloodline but little else to support his claim to the English throne when his great uncle, Edward the Confessor,…
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I am going to start with a statement that too many historians prefer to ignore: England existed before 14 October 1066 and existed as a single kingdom for some of that time. So why do our monarchs’ regnal numbers ignore this? Edward the Confessor died at the beginning of that very year. Edward the Martyr…
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