(King of the English) Edgar II Ætheling WESSEX #63652
ABT 1052 - ABT 1125
TITLE King of the English-
BIRTH ABT 1052, Kingdom of Hungary
DEATH ABT 1125
Historical Notes
Edgar Ætheling was the last male member of the royal house of Cerdic of Wessex. He was elected King of England by the Witan in 1066 but never crowned.
Edgar was probably born in Hungary, where his father Edward the Exile, son of King Edmund Ironside, had found refuge after Edmund's death and the conquest of England by the Danish king Cnut in 1016. Edgar's mother was Agatha, who was described as a relative of the Holy Roman Emperor or a descendant of Saint Stephen of Hungary, but her exact identity is unknown. He was his parents' only son but had two sisters, Margaret and Cristina.
In 1057, Edward the Exile arrived in England with his family but died almost immediately. Edgar, a child, was left as the only surviving male member of the royal dynasty apart from the king, his great-uncle Edward the Confessor. Edgar was brought up by the Confessor's wife, Edith, and he is recorded in the New Minster Liber Vitae as clito, the Latin for ætheling, a royal prince eligible for the throne. In the view of the historian Tom Licence, Edward chose Edgar as his heir, but this is questioned by other historians, who argue that Edward does not appear to have taken any steps to support his candidacy.
Edgar was probably born in Hungary, where his father Edward the Exile, son of King Edmund Ironside, had found refuge after Edmund's death and the conquest of England by the Danish king Cnut in 1016. Edgar's mother was Agatha, who was described as a relative of the Holy Roman Emperor or a descendant of Saint Stephen of Hungary, but her exact identity is unknown. He was his parents' only son but had two sisters, Margaret and Cristina.
In 1057, Edward the Exile arrived in England with his family but died almost immediately. Edgar, a child, was left as the only surviving male member of the royal dynasty apart from the king, his great-uncle Edward the Confessor. Edgar was brought up by the Confessor's wife, Edith, and he is recorded in the New Minster Liber Vitae as clito, the Latin for ætheling, a royal prince eligible for the throne. In the view of the historian Tom Licence, Edward chose Edgar as his heir, but this is questioned by other historians, who argue that Edward does not appear to have taken any steps to support his candidacy.