Anonymous, The Life of King Edward who rests at Westminster

Steve Flanders (Queen's University Belfast)

Ed. by Hugh Magennis, Queen's University Belfast
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.01: English Writing and Culture: Old English, 500-1066.
Vol. editors: Richard William Dance (University of Cambridge), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast)

Domains

Political Science

Dates

First circulation or publication 1066 - 1100

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Biography (literary)
Essays/ Lectures (any)
Historical
Non-fictional prose

Resources

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The

Life of King Edward

is an eleventh-century historiographical work written in elaborate rhyming Latin prose interspersed with long passages in verse. Although the title suggests that it was intended as a biography of England's penultimate Anglo-Saxon king, its underlying objective lay in promoting the interests of the Godwin family in the period immediately after the death of King Edward the Confessor in January 1066. The

Life

was commissioned by Edward's queen, Edith, the daughter of Earl Godwin. It is divided into two parts. The first, a history, comprises separate episodes connected by verse. It depicts two families – those of Cnut and Godwin – destined to be united in greatness through the union of Edward and Edith. The second part is a hagiography devoted to King Edward but…

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680 words

Citation: Flanders, Steve. "The Life of King Edward who rests at Westminster". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 July 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16915, accessed 21 November 2024.]