Edgar reigned as king of England from 957/9 to 975 and is chiefly remembered for his active role in the monastic reform movement of the late tenth century. This association with the re-emergence of Benedictine monasticism across England led to his reign being presented by ecclesiastical (and often monastic) writers as a golden age of Anglo-Saxon history. Correspondingly, the brief reign of his elder brother and rival for authority, Eadwig, has been denigrated (a process which has been exacerbated by the fact that St Dunstan left the royal court and entered exile during Eadwig's brief reign). Thus, in the majority of the sources, the two reigns have been presented in a simple fashion, as polarised models of good and bad kingship, as seen from an ecclesiastical viewpoint.
Edgar
1190 words
Citation: Bolton, Timothy. "Reign of King Edgar of England". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 August 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1409, accessed 24 November 2024.]
