Edward the Confessor: The Sainted King

by David A. Woodman

Edward the Confessor, one of the last kings of Anglo-Saxon England, is in part a figure of myths created in the later medieval period. David Woodman traces the course of his 24-year-long reign through the lens of contemporary sources, from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the Vita Ædwardi Regis to the Bayeux Tapestry, to uncover the fraught and complex politics of his life. Edward was a shrewd politician who, having endured a long period of exile from England in his youth, ascended the throne in 1042 and came to control a highly sophisticated administration. Such was his power in the mid-eleventh century that the late Anglo-Saxon coinage from his reign is the only example in western Europe of a royal monopoly across such a large area. What we know as 'England' had only relatively recently come into being and Woodman constructs a portrait of an age by untangling the truth from the saintly legend and shows how the events of Edward's reign led, through many twists and turns, to the Norman Conquest.

Genres: History, Biography, Medieval History, Medieval, Nonfiction, British Literature, Royalty

129 pages, Hardcover

First published November 26, 2020

Reviews

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging short biography of Edward the Confessor, the second last Anglo-Saxon king, which focuses on his complicated relationship with the Godwin family and therefore also serves as history of his brother-in-law King Harold II's rise to power and brief reign before the Norman Conquest. Woodman notes that many aspects of Edward's life and reign, including his appearance and personality, remain elusive but concludes that he was a political pragmatist who attempted to balance the competing demands of his Norman cousins and Godwin in-laws. There is a brief description of the original Westminster Abbey, commissioned by Edward, and I would have been interested to read more about the Abbey's architecture and construction.

[Paging Snidget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in a very straightforward manner but very interesting. Takes the time to discuss the veracity of sources according to their bias. The final chapter discussing his beatification is particularly fascinating.

[Paul Godwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a reader, Edward the Confessor is a marked improvement on the three preceding volumes in the Penguin Monarchs series, Athelstan, Ethelred the Unready and Cnut. Part of this is simply the gift of better surviving source material, but it is also due to the far richer web of relationships that shaped Edward’s life an reign. He teases out the influence of Edward’s formidable mother and her ties to the Danish kings of England , and explores Edward’s connection with William Duke of Normandy and his later link to Harold Godwinsson through marriage. These strands give Woodman far more to work with than his predecessor had in the Ethelred volume, and the resulting narrative is stronger and more engaging.

Woodman, a fellow of Robinson College at the University of Cambridge, brings a welcome lightness of touch to what could easily feel like dry material. The story moves with purpose in a way that was not consistently present in the earlier books, suggesting that the series grows naturally stronger once the documentary record expands. I am working my way through the collection and fully expect that, with increasing quantities of source material, the reads and the lessons will become more thorough and more enjoyable. Overall I am giving this one four stars. The entire series remains a magnificently ambitious project, managing to compress lives and sift through hagiography, historiography, social and economic detail and political history into roughly one hundred pages per volume.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breve pero muy correcto. Buen manejo de las fuentes y seriedad en la investigación y en la presentación de hipótesis, sin dejarse llevar por especulaciones ni por la tentación de novelar. Presenta un relato coherente y claro, lo que es de agradecer al tratarse de una época particularmente confusa. Muy interesante el último capítulo sobre las peripecias de la canonización de Eduardo. Se agradecería un poco más de detalle en algunos puntos, así como un seguimiento de determinados personajes y acontecimientos posteriores al fallecimiento de Eduardo: pienso en los acontecimientos de 1066 o en una breve nota que indicara qué fue de los descendientes de Edmund Ironside, pero entiendo que es exigir demasiado y que ello excede al objetivo de la colección de biografías breves a la que pertenece este volumen.

[Aman Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

While overly-academic in its tone (which, admittingly, leans toward my preference), David Woodman has created a wonderful primer for biography of Edward the Confessor and the world he lived in.

The book reflects academic skepticism and open-endedness, never fully asserting a position on Edward's character or that of his contemporaries. However, it allows readers to form their own opinions about him and the people around him based on the biases of the reader.

Definitely recommended to anyone interested in medieval history and the monarchs of Britain.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once more, the Penguin Monarchs series delivers a very brief but highly informed and informative bio of its subject. Once again, this is not a comprehensive study of the reign, but rather a set of conclusions about the king that are drawn from deep study of the primary and secondary sources. It challenged some of my assumptions about Edward as a king and as a human being and helped me to understand Edward's later importance to the Plantagenet kings, particularly Henry II and Henry III.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief biography of the penultimate Anglo-Saxon king of England, whose death in January 1066 put into motion that year's October conquering of England by William, Duke of Normandy (who was subsequently crowned King William I). David Woodman does an excellent job of drawing together the paucity of material on Edward and weighing it's historical value.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this slim read oddly compelling. I guess because there are so few resources about this ruler that there's no "extra" to slow the pacing down. I look forward to reading more from this series.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

heavy going at times - this series never fails to surprise!