Edwy of England
\n
Edwy All-Fair (
941? -
October 1,
959) was a King of
England (
955-
959). The eldest son of King
Edmund, Edwy was chosen by the nobility to succeed his uncle
Edred as King. His short reign was marked by ongoing conflicts with his family, the thanes, and especially the
Church, under the leadership of Saint
Dunstan and
Archbishop Odo.
According to one legend, the feud with Dunstan began on the day of Edwy's consecration, when he failed to attend a meeting of nobles. When Dunstan eventually found the young monarch, he was cavorting with a noblewoman named Ethelgive and refused to return with the bishop. Infuriated by this, Dunstan dragged Edwy back and forced him to renounce the girl as a "strumpet." Later realizing that he had provoked the king, Dunstan fled to the apparent sanctuary of his cloister, but Edwy, incited by Ethelgive, followed him and plundered the monastery. Though Dunstan managed to escape, he refused to return to England until after Edwy's death.
Frustrated by the king's impositions and supported by Archbishop Odo, the thanes of
Mercia and
Northumbria switched their allegiance to Edwy's brother
Edgar in
957. Edwy was defeated in battle at
Gloucester, but rather than see the country descend into civil war, an agreement was reached among the nobles by which the kingdom would be divided along the
Thames, with Edwy keeping
Wessex and
Kent in the south and Edgar ruling in the north. In the few remaining years of his reign, Edwy ruled his realm more wisely and made significant gifts to the Church. He died, however, at the age of twenty, and was succeeded by his brother and rival, Edgar, who reunited the kingdom.
{| border=2 align="center"\n|-\n|width="30%" align="center"|Preceded by:
Edred\n|width="40%" align="center"|
King of England\n|width="30%" align="center"|Succeeded by:
Edgar\n|}
