Edith the Fair facts for kids

Edith the Fair (born around 1025, died around 1086) was a very wealthy woman in England just before the Norman Conquest. She is also known as Edith Swanneck. Many historians believe she was the first wife of King Harold Godwinson.

Her nickname "Swanneck" comes from an old English phrase, swann hnesce, which means "Gentle Swan." Sometimes people confuse her with another woman named Ealdgyth, who became queen during Harold's time.

Edith's Family and Marriage

Edith and Harold had several children together. Their daughters included Gunhild of Wessex and Gytha of Wessex. Gytha later traveled to Denmark with her grandmother in 1068. She was called a "princess" and married Vladimir II Monomakh, a powerful leader in Kiev (modern-day Ukraine).

A historian named Bill Flint believes that Edith and Harold were truly married. He suggests they followed a custom called more danico, which was a Danish way of getting married. This was a common type of marriage in northern Europe at the time.

Flint points to gifts given at the time of their union as proof. For example, Edith received Walsingham Manor. This made her the "lady of the manor" in 1061. This year is important because it's when the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was founded.

Even though Harold later married Ealdgyth, the daughter of Earl Ælfgar, many historians see that marriage as a political move. It helped Harold gain support in Mercia and Wales. His marriage to Edith, though different, was widely accepted by many people.

The Walsingham Story

Some people believe Edith was the person who had a special vision at Walsingham. This vision led to the founding of the famous shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. This idea comes from the belief that the shrine was founded in 1061, when Edith was the lady of the manor there.

Historian Bill Flint supports this idea. He argues that an old poem, the Pynson Ballad, which mentions the 1061 date, is reliable. He also notes that Edith was sometimes called "Rychold," meaning "fair and rich," which fits with the story.

If this is true, it means Edith was a Christian queen and Harold's true wife. She was also known to be friends with Wulfstan of Worcester, a respected religious figure.

After the Battle of Hastings

There's a famous story about Edith after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. After the battle, it was very hard to find King Harold's body among all the fallen soldiers. According to the legend, Edith was the one who was able to identify Harold's body.

Because Edith identified him, Harold was given a proper Christian burial by the monks at Waltham Abbey. This sad but important moment is even told in a poem by Heinrich Heine called "The Battlefield of Hastings."

Sources

• A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World, 3500 BC - 1603 AD by Simon Schama, BBC/Miramax, 2000 ISBN: 0-7868-6675-6
• Edith the Fair, Bill Flint, 2015, Gracewing Press ISBN: 978-0-85244-870-0
• The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 06: Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English in Twenty Volumes by Kuno Francke
• Great Tales from English History: The Truth About King Arthur, Lady Godiva, Richard the Lionheart, and More by Robert Lacey, 2004 ISBN: 0-316-10910-X
• House of Godwine: The History of Dynasty by Emma Mason, 2004 ISBN: 1-85285-389-1
• Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 176–2, 176A-4, 177-1
• 'Who Was Eddeva?' by J.R. Boyle, F.S.A.; Transactions of East Riding Antiquarian Society, Volume 4 (1896); pages 11–22

See also

In Spanish: Edith la Hermosa para niños