The death of Edgar the Peaceful,

[English page]

 History Uk.

· 

History Uk

 

On this day 8th July 975 The death of Edgar the Peaceful, English king at Winchester, the ancient capital of Wessex, Hampshire, at the age of 33 and he is buried at Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset.

Edgar the Peaceful or the Peaceable, was King of England from 959 to 975. He was the great-great grandson of Alfred the Great and younger son of King Edmund I and his Queen, Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury.

King Edgar died on 8 July, 975, and was buried at Glastonbury Abbey. His reign saw a number of religious and legal initiatives and a period of relative stability that would not be seen again for several years. Although by no means the most famous king of England, he is regarded to be the first true ruler of a consolidated English nation in a 'golden age' of Anglo-Saxon culture. A change of tone in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is apparent following Edgar's death:

"Edward, (the Martyr) Edgar's son, succeeded to the kingdom; and then soon, in the same year, during harvest, appeared 'cometa' the star; and then came in the following year a very great famine, and very manifold commotions among the English people." Rather surprisingly, King Edgar was later canonised, becoming St Edgar. His feast day is on 8 July.

Illustration of a contemporary portrayal of King Edgar in the New Minster Charter, courtesy of Wikipedia, Scanned from the book The National Portrait Gallery History of the Kings and Queens of England by David Williamson, ISBN 1855142287.

•Here's a couple of good articles about Edgar the Peaceful:

http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/saxon_12.htm

http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A2982387