Edward’s story
Does this make Edward a good or bad king?
Explain your reasons why.
Edward married in 1045. His wife, Edith, was the
daughter of Godwin, the most important Earlin
England. They had no children as Edward promised
God he wouldn’t as he was a very pious king. This
meant that after Edward died, nobody knew who
would be king.
When Edward was king there were no wars with
Scotland or Wales. Also, lots of people had things to
sell and people had money to buy things.
In 1051, some of Normans were killed in a fight in
Dover (a town in England.) Edward still had friends in
Normandy and he wanted the people of Dover
punished for this. Edward ordered Earl Godwin to do
this. Godwin refused and raised an army against the
king instead. Two other important earls remained
loyal to Edward, which made Godwin agree to leave
England as he couldn’t win.
Between 1051 and 1052, Edward increased the
number of Normans advisors (people who help him
make decisions). This angered the English advisors. In
1052, Earl Godwin returned to England with an army.
Edward was unable to raise an army to fight Godwin
as nobody was willing to support the king. Edward was
forced to send his Norman advisors back to France.
Between 1052 and 1066, Edward put all of his energy
into the building of Westminster Abbey in London
rather than focusing on the country. The English
advisors still had lots of power
and Edward didn’t want to fight them again.
When Edward was old, he did not have the energy to
control his army, Instead, Harold (the son of Godwin)
commanded the king’s army and gained a reputation
as a skilled leader.