Edmund Ætheling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Edmund |
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| Born | c. 1015–17 England |
| Died | c. 1046–1053 Old Buda, Hungary |
| Spouse | Hedwig of Hungary |
| House | Wessex |
| Father | Edmund Ironside |
| Mother | Ealdgyth |
Edmund Ætheling was an English prince who lived a long time ago, around the years 1015 to 1054. He was part of the royal House of Wessex, which was the ruling family of England. Edmund was the son of Edmund Ironside, who was King of England for a short time in 1016.
His father, King Edmund Ironside, fought against the Danish Vikings led by Cnut the Great. After a big battle, they agreed to share England. But then, King Edmund Ironside died, and Cnut became the king of all England. To make sure no one would challenge his rule, Cnut sent Edmund and his younger brother, Edward the Exile, away from England. They were just babies then.
Cnut wanted the princes to be killed, but they were saved! They were sent to the safe Kingdom of Hungary and looked after by King Stephen I. Later, they had to move again to Kievan Rus' (which is now Ukraine and Russia) in 1028. There, they grew up under the care of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. In 1046, Edmund and Edward went back to Hungary to help Andrew of Hungary become king. Edmund got married to a Hungarian princess but sadly died soon after, before 1054.
Edmund's Early Life
Edmund was born in England, probably between 1015 and 1017. His mother was most likely Ealdgyth, who was King Edmund Ironside's wife. It's possible that Edmund and his brother Edward were twins, or that Edmund was born after his father died. Back then, it was common for sons born after their father's death to be given their father's name.
Life in Exile
After his father died, Edmund and Edward lost their right to become King of England. King Cnut married their stepmother, Emma of Normandy. Even though they were very young, Edmund and Edward were still called "Ætheling". This was an old English word for royal princes who could become king.
King Cnut was worried about the princes. He wanted them gone so his own rule would be safe. He sent them to his half-brother, Olof Skötkonung, the King of Sweden. Cnut wanted them to be killed there. But King Olof was a friend of Edmund's grandfather. Instead of harming them, he sent the princes to the Kingdom of Hungary. He knew they would be safer there, far from Cnut's power.
The Hungarian royal court was led by King Stephen I. He was the first Christian ruler of Hungary. King Stephen and his wife, Gisela, made a happy home for the exiled English princes.
However, in 1028, Edmund and Edward had to leave Hungary. King Cnut had sent people to try and kill them again! The princes found a new safe place at the court of Yaroslav the Wise, who was a powerful prince in Kiev. Kiev was a big city in a land called Kievan Rus'.
When they arrived in Kiev, Edmund and Edward were about twelve years old. They stayed with Yaroslav for many years. The princes were Roman Catholics, and the people in Kiev were Eastern Orthodox Christians. This was a bit different for them. Yaroslav used the princes' presence to help his relationships with other countries in Europe.
Later, people in England thought about bringing Edmund and Edward back to be king. But it didn't happen right away. By 1043, Edmund was in his late twenties. His brother Edward became more important in plans about the English crown.
In 1046, a Hungarian prince named Andrew of Hungary returned to his homeland. He had also been living in exile with Yaroslav. Andrew wanted to become king of Hungary during a time of trouble called the Vata pagan uprising. Edmund and Edward probably fought with Andrew's army. They might have even been there when he was crowned king.
Marriage and Death
A writer from that time, Ailred of Rievaulx, wrote that Edmund married the daughter of a Hungarian king. We don't know her name, but some think she might have been called Hedwig. She could have been a princess from the large Árpád dynasty family.
Edmund died not long after his marriage. This might have happened during Andrew of Hungary's military campaign in 1046. We know for sure he was dead by 1054. That year, only his brother Edward was called back to England by their uncle, King Edward the Confessor. The king wanted Edward to be his heir.
Sadly, Edward also died soon after arriving in London. Later, Edward's son, Edgar the Ætheling, was briefly named king in 1066. But he had to give up his rights to William the Conqueror. When Edgar died around 1126, the male line of the House of Wessex royal family ended. Edmund was buried in Hungary, but no one knows the exact spot of his grave today.
