Edmund the Magnificient was the son of Edward the Elder and his third wife Eadgifu of Kent and a grandson of Alfred the Great and Eahlswith.
Edmund came to the throne after his half-brother, Athelstan, died in 939. His reign would be known for constant warfare.
Early Life
- Edmund was the son of Edward the Elder, grandson of Alfred the Great, great-grandson of King Aethelwulf, and great-great-grandson of King Egbert.
- When he was born, his father was already aging and was considered middle-aged.
- His father died when he was a toddler, and his brother, Athelstan, came to the throne.
- During his brother's reign, he participated in the Battle of Brunanburh in 937.
- Two years later, in 939, his older brother Athelstan died, and Edmund took over the throne.
Reign and Conflict
- His brother had stabilized and unified most of England under his reign, but he did not completely eliminate the threat. When Edmund came to the throne, he had to deal with the invasion of King Olaf III Guthfrithson.
- Edmund the Magnificient encountered him at Leicester, but Olaf escaped, and peace was brokered by Oda of Canterbury and Wulfstan I of York.
- After King Olaf's death, Edmund reconquered the Midlands.
- In 943, he became the godfather of King Olaf of York
- In 944, Edmund reconquered Northumbria, and Olaf of York lost his throne and left for Dublin, Ireland.
- Olaf became the king of Dublin as Amlaíb Cuarán and continued to be allied to his godfather.
- In 945, Edmund conquered Strathclyde but ceded the territory to King Malcolm I of Scotland in exchange for a treaty of mutual military support.
- This treaty secured the borders and created peaceful relationships with Scotland.
- Later in his reign, Edmund aided his nephew Louis IV of France, who was captured by his enemies in 945 and was held captive by Hugh the Great, Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris.
Later Years and Death
- On May 26, 946, Edmund was attending the St Augustine's Day Mass in Pucklechurch. He was murdered by an exiled thief named Leofa.
- Leofa was killed instantly by the witnesses.
- Some historians suggest that his death was a political assassination, regardless it was a violent death.
- Edmund was buried at Glastonbury Abby
- Eadred, his brother, assumed the throne in 955.
- Edmund's sons would eventually take the throne after their uncle's death.