Parents: Æthelweard, king of East Anglia
Born: circa 841
House: East Anglia
Predecessor: Æthelweard
Reign: 855 – 869
Brief: Very little is known about Edmund, king of East Anglia, who was briefly mentioned in only the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and is associated with some coinage. Soon after his reign, East Anglia was decimated by Viking attacks, which destroyed most of the evidence of his existence. Although nothing is known of his reign, much is said about his death in 869. A large Danish army marched from Mercia into East Anglia and met Edmund in battle, where the king fell and the Danes conquered all of the land. The army was known as the "Great Heathen Army" and it continued to pillage England, passing into Wessex around 870 and then onto Northumbria. The leader, Ivar the Boneless, is said to have beheaded Edmund after he had been shot full of arrows. In 925, Æthelstan of Wessex opened a saint cult dedicated to Edmund and coins were minted in memorial of the king. These coins were widely used throughout England during the tenth century. In 1095, a large church was built for Edmund's relics and the site became one of the wealthiest pilgrimage sites in England. The shrine was destroyed during the English Reformation but a new site in Toulouse, France, opened up with some of the saved relics. While little is known about the historical king, Edmund lives on in Catholic circles as St. Edmund the Martyr.
Brief: Very little is known about Edmund, king of East Anglia, who was briefly mentioned in only the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and is associated with some coinage. Soon after his reign, East Anglia was decimated by Viking attacks, which destroyed most of the evidence of his existence. Although nothing is known of his reign, much is said about his death in 869. A large Danish army marched from Mercia into East Anglia and met Edmund in battle, where the king fell and the Danes conquered all of the land. The army was known as the "Great Heathen Army" and it continued to pillage England, passing into Wessex around 870 and then onto Northumbria. The leader, Ivar the Boneless, is said to have beheaded Edmund after he had been shot full of arrows. In 925, Æthelstan of Wessex opened a saint cult dedicated to Edmund and coins were minted in memorial of the king. These coins were widely used throughout England during the tenth century. In 1095, a large church was built for Edmund's relics and the site became one of the wealthiest pilgrimage sites in England. The shrine was destroyed during the English Reformation but a new site in Toulouse, France, opened up with some of the saved relics. While little is known about the historical king, Edmund lives on in Catholic circles as St. Edmund the Martyr.
Date of Death: 20 November 869
Successor: Oswald
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Successor: Oswald
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Albert II, margrave of Meissen (1314)
- Jean I, king of France (1316)
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