Edgar the Atheling

Edgar the Atheling
King of England
In office October 15, 1066 – December 10, 1066
Preceded by	Harold Godwinson
Succeeded by	William the Conqueror
Born	c. 1052 Kingdom of Hungary
Died	after 1126 (aged c. 73)

Edgar the Atheling (c. 1051 – c. 1125) was the grandson of Ethelred the Unready through Edward “the Exile”, Ethelred’s son, who had fled to Hungary during the years of Danishrule. Edgar was proclaimed king by the English in London immediately after the English defeat at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

His claim was ignored by William the Conqueror until he became active in the revolts of 1069-70 when his followers were mercilessly crushed. From 1074 he was allowed into William’s court, where he played a minor role in local affairs of state. He played a part in the First Crusade. Whilst proclaimed king, he was never accepted as such, had little realistic hope of ever becoming king, and is considered unimportant, even in the annuls of his age.

Birth

His exact year of birth is unknown, it is most likely in the early 1050s.

References: “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle” trans. Anne Savage. “Oxford Companion to British History”