Saint Edward the Confessor summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Edward.

Saint Edward the Confessor, (born c. 1003, Islip, Eng.—died Jan. 5, 1066, London; canonized 1161; feast day originally January 5, now October 13), King of England (1042–66). The son of Ethelred II, he was exiled to Normandy for 25 years (1016–41) while the Danes held England (see Canute the Great). For the first 11 years of his reign, the real master of England was Godwine, earl of Wessex. Edward outlawed Godwine in 1051 and appointed Normans to high positions in government, thus preparing the way for the Norman Conquest. Godwine continued his opposition, and his son Harold (see Harold II) dominated England after 1053, subjugating Wales in 1063. Edward named Harold as his successor on his deathbed, but the duke of Normandy (the future William I) invaded England to claim the crown earlier promised him. Though an ineffectual monarch, Edward was famous for his piety, which earned him the epithet “the Confessor.”

saint Summary

Saint, holy person, believed to have a special relationship to the sacred as well as moral perfection or exceptional teaching abilities. The phenomenon is widespread in the religions of the world, both ancient and contemporary. Various types of religious personages have been recognized as saints,

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not

England Summary

England, predominant constituent unit of the United Kingdom, occupying more than half of the island of Great Britain. Outside the British Isles, England is often erroneously considered synonymous with the island of Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) and even with the entire United