Edward

Edward, a favourite name held by several Saxon and later English princes. The principal Saxon bearers of the name are Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, Edward the Martyr, slain by his step-mother Elfrida, and Edward the Confessor, who reigned 1041-1066, who owes his importance not so much to his own merit as to the facts that in him the Saxon line was restored after the Danish interregnum, through him the dynasty was again changed, and his reign rested in Saxon memories as an ideal period to be regretted and to be if possible restored. He was the brother of Edmund Ironside (q.v.), and was brought up in exile in Normandy, a fact which had far-reaching results. His marriage with Earl Godwin's daughter made him the slave of a powerful servant, and he often chafed under the yoke. Jealousy of the Godwins and a knowledge of the weakness of Edgar Atheling led him to coquette with the idea of making William of Normandy his heir, a step which, we are given to understand, he lived to repent. His alleged sanctity of life made him a favourite of the Church, and his codification of laws and good administration of justice endeared him to the people.