Edmund, Eadred, Eadwig (+Edgar)

York

• Olaf Guthfrithsson recognised as king of York and the 5 boroughs
  • Edmund had to accept the same border as Edward I
    • Limited legacy of Æthelstan, setback for unification
• York:
  • Commercial interests - people of York were politically powerful
  • Powerful archbishops - Wulfstan backed Scandinavian rule several times
    • West Saxon rule in York only happened when a political vacuum was left by the death of a Scandinavian king
• 942: 5 boroughsregained after Olaf's death, Dublin and Yorrk taken over by other members of the Ivar dynasty
• 944: people of York overthrew Ivarians, Edmund took back power in Northumbria

Alba

• 945: alliance with Malcolm of Scots - ravaged Cumberland (area south of Solway?) and gave it to him in exhange for peace agreement (ASC)
  • Driving a wedge between ALba and Strathclyde, who had been allies?
  • Reversal of Æthelstan's policy towards Alba (Brunanburh)
  • Successful allegiance - Ulster Annals - fought together against the Vikings in 952
  • Malcolm opposed Scandinavian rule in York for next 12 years

Wales

• Had previously paid tribute to Wessex
• 942: Idwald rebelled against Eadmund --> benefited Hywel Dda, who achieved hegemony over most of Wales, and set up first recrded welsh laws
  • Still regarded as a sub king by the West Saxons
  • More conciliatory policy towards the Welsh & Alba - no longer threat of another Brunanburh
• 946: Edmund died
  • Very successful reign, only 24 when he died (18 when he became king)

• Stable succession
• 946: marched north and took Northumbria
• 948: Northumbrians accepted Eirik Bloodaxe (possibly the deposed king of Norway) as king instead
  • Eadred couldn't control internal politics of York
• Eadred ravaged the North
  • York expelled Eirk
  • Treaty renewed with Malcolm in Scotland
  • Olaf Cuaran set himself up as king in York
  • Malcolm ravaged Northumbria
  • Olaf replaced by Eirik
  • Alliance of Bernicians, Alban, men of Strathclyde fought Eirik
    • Value of Edmund's conciliatory policy towards the Celts - Scandinavians isolated by West Saxon diplomacy
• 945: Eirik expelled from York again and was assassinated while trying to leave
  • Eadred gained Northumbria - end of York's independence
  • York had been a hotbed of political intrigue - rival factions just burned themselves out? Unclear what happened

• Edmund and Eadred known as Rex Anglorum - no longer trying for Britain, more realistic aim of English kingdom
• 940s and 950s: alliterative charters by Cenwald, member of Eadred's court
• Describe Eadred as 'King of Anglo-Saxons, Northumbrians, pagans and Britons'
  • England still a conglomeration of groups united by West Saxons rule
  • But Wessex/Mercia divide seems to have disappeared, at least officially
• Eadred seriously ill towards end of life
  • Not really active in political life
  • Delegating power to others - Dunstan, Oswald, Æthelstan Ealdorman of East Anglia - whole of East Danelaw
• Dunstan B charters - Dunstan abbot of Glastenbury
  • Decentralisation of charter production
• Entrusted with Eadred's most precious goods, charters, etc.
• 953-5: fewer than 1/3 of charters have him on the witness list

• Hard to readjust to an active king when Eadwig came to power? Might explain the turmoil and division during his reign

• First to succeed to Northumbria as well as the rest of the kingdom
• Only in mid-teens when he came to the throne
• Author B's 'LIfe of St Dunstan', written c. 1000 = v. unflattering
  • "A youth indeed in age and endowed with little wisdom in government"
  • Trying to trash Eadwig's memory to big up Edgar?
• Reaction against Eadred's legacy:
  • Dunstan exiled
  • Eadgifu, Edmund's mother, deprived of property
  • Eadred's will not fully carreid out - buried at Winchester
• Huge number of charters produced - why?
  • Irresponsibly granting land? Had seized land from church or rival factions favoured by predecessors?
• 957: division of the kingdom - later portrayed as civil war, but probs wasn't
  • Two areas based on geographical divisions - amicable settlement based on problematic aspects of Eadwig's rule - had to provide for both brothers? Seemed to have worked well
  • Edgar = Northumbria; Eadwig = Wessex and South; Eadwif still rex Anglorum and controlled coinage in Mercia, while Eadgar produced no coinage at this point

• Political divorce of Eadwig and Ælfgifu in 958ish
  • Made reunification under Edgar more likely, as Edwig wouldn't have sons to succeed his only part of the kingdom
• Died 959
  • Only 20 when he died, so probably unexpected, probably not planning in the long term

Themes

• Dangers of factionalism among royal court
  • Precursor to Æthelred and weakened effectiveness
  • Major players emerging in the nobility
  • Æthelstan a half-king
• Check on royal power
  • Decision made to split kingdom rather than letting it descend into civil war
• Difficulties of pleasing everyone in the kingdom
• Power over landholding and charters
• Legal powers
  • 'Treachery' claim as excuse to exile Dunstan
• Division between Mercia and Wessex reemerging under Eadwig

• Unification - esp. York and relatively with Northumbria
• Relationship with Celtic groups - Welsh, Alba, Strathclyde - limitation of kingdom to England, not Britain