Edward The Elder

 Most people have heard of Alfred The Great and Alfred’s grandson, Aethelstan, was the famous victor at Brunanburh, one of the most consequential battles in English history. However, sandwiched in between the reigns of these two kings was a man who has often been overlooked, a king of great capability whose own rule would help lay the foundations for the successes of the reigns of his sons, Aethelstan, Edmund I and Eadred. This king is known to history as Edward The Elder, the son and successor of Alfred The Great.

Edward’s father loved learning and promoted education far and wide with the belief that an educated population, and not just the rich, would stand the country in good stead. Accordingly, Alfred ensured that his children, both sons and daughters, were taught both well and extensively. Alfred’s chronicler, Asser, who knew the king personally, describes the education of Edward and his siblings. Of the education of Aethelweard, Edward’s youngest sibling, Asser wrote “Æthelward, the youngest, by the divine counsel and by the admirable foresight of the king, was entrusted to the schools of literary training, where, with the children of almost all the nobility of the country, and many also who were not noble, he was under the diligent care of the teachers. Books in both languages, namely, Latin and Saxon, were diligently read in the school. They also learned to write; so that before they were of an age to practise human arts, namely, hunting and other pursuits which befit noblemen, they became studious and clever in the liberal arts.”

Edward was not as fond of learning as his father but the education that Alfred was providing for Edward was certainly standing him in good stead. Edward was described as being humble, affable and gentle towards all whilst remaining fully obedient to his father, not always the case in those days. Asser goes on to write this of Edward and his siblings

” Nor, among the other pursuits which appertain to this life and are fit for noble youths, are they suffered to pass their time idly and unprofitably without liberal training; for they have carefully learned the Psalms and Saxon books, especially Saxon poems, and are in the habit of making frequent use of books.”

But in the age of the Viking wars, there would be much more to do for Edward than simply reading books. Alfred had fought, with considerable success, to repel Viking onslaughts but the king knew he couldn’t go on forever. Dogged throughout his adult life by Crohn’s disease, Alfred had to ensure that Edward was prepared for the challenges that would come for him when it was his turn to be king. This meant trusting Edward to not only join him on his campaigns but also help to lead them. By the early 890s, Edward was in his mid to late teens and at the Battle of Farnham, he demonstrated that, already, he was prepared for kingship.

The Vikings had launched yet another campaign of raiding and plundering and were returning to Essex with the spoils they had seized when they were intercepted by one half of the Wessex royal army. Alfred had split his forces into two and it was the half led by Edward who intercepted the raiders at Farnham. Edward and his men charged at the enemy and drove them into flight, retaking the riches that had been stolen. Edward was not content with that and went in pursuit of the Vikings but soon found his army dwindling in numbers as many of the men had served their time. For the young Edward, this would have been frustrating but his bravery and obvious leadership skills must surely have pleased his father.

In around 894, Edward’s wife, Ecgwynn, gave birth to a son. He was named Aethelstan and would grow to be another extraordinary king. Shortly before his death in 899, Alfred presented his little grandson with a new sword and belt, remarking how he recognised greatness in the boy. These may sound like the words of a doting grandfather but I think they are less of a reflection of what Alfred saw in Aethelstan’s potential and, instead, it was more a commentary of Alfred’s faith in Aethelstan’s father. Alfred knew as well as anyone that life in this age could be fleeting and there was no guarantee that Aethelstan would ever become king but Alfred knew that, in Edward, the young boy had the perfect role model. Edward would be a brilliant king, brave, energetic, daring and a brilliant administrator. The kingdom that Edward would leave for Aethelstan on his own death in 924 would be far more extensive than the one he inherited from Alfred. Alfred’s greatest legacy was how he had reared his children, in particular Edward and Aethelflaed, the girl who had married the ruler of Mercia and who would do so much to help the House of Wessex unite what we now call England. After 28 long years of reigning, filled with ill health and war, Alfred The Great died. Although there was still much to be done for Edward and his successors, Alfred was surely at peace with himself when he died. However, a figure from Alfred’s past would cause Edward problems in the early years of his reign.

This came in the shape of his cousin, Aethelwold. Aethelwold was the son of Aethelred I who was Alfred’s brother. Aethelred died in 871 when Aethelwold and his own sibling were very small children. In this age of Viking raids, the common sense approach was taken that it simply would not do to have a little boy as king. In the centuries to come, young children and even babies would become monarchs and often this led to nothing but trouble. The situation demanded that a fully grown man take the crown. Alfred, who’d learnt much from campaigning alongside Aethelred, was in his 20s and obviously a much more suitable candidate to be king. But, 3 decades on, Aethelwold was now a fully grown man. It is a question to ponder whether Alfred foresaw this situation arising. Either way, the real problem that Edward had was that Aethelwold’s claim was perfectly legitimate. His father had been higher up the succession then Alfred therefore that made Aethelwold’s claim technically a stronger one then Edward’s.

However, the line of succession was nothing like as rigid as it would become after the Norman Conquest and Edward would keep hold of the throne. And it was a good job he did too. Aethelwold, during his revolt to try and oust Edward, didn’t exactly show the best judgement. First, he kidnapped a woman who had sworn to become a nun and effectively held her hostage before turning to the Vikings for support as he struggled to gain support from other quarters. Aethelwold’s revolt was clearly a dangerous one for Edward but Aethelwold was killed in battle in 902.

With his cousin out of the way, Edward could concentrate on other matters.

Throughout his reign, Edward would show he could use both diplomatic and military methods to secure peace for his kingdom. In 906, Edward made peace with the Vikings which the ASC describes as being done through necessity which would suggest there had been a definite increase in harassment of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms at that time and it was no surprise that the peace didn’t last. Edward sent a combined army of men from Wessex and Mercia northwards and battered the Vikings at Tettenhall, causing the invaders significant damage, killing a number of their leaders. It was a seismic victory and helped subdue the enemies of the north.

Not long after this battle, Edward’s brother in law, Aethelred of Mercia died. Edward’s son, Aethelstan, had been sent to the court of Aethelred and Aethelflaed where they kept a close eye on his upbringing and evidently done a good job. Aethelred’s passing meant that his remarkable wife, Aethelflaed, Edward’s sister, now became “the Lady of the Mercians” and this remarkable woman would play a huge role in the coming years until her own death in 918. Following Aethelred’s passing, Edward took under his control London, which had been recaptured from the Vikings and given to Aethelred by Alfred, and Oxford. In the coming months and years, Edward built defensive strongholds across the south including at Hertford and Witham in 912. In 915, he strengthened Buckinghamshire and, in the following year, Maldon. William of Malmesbury says this of Edward’s work;” He devised a mode of frustrating the incursions of the Danes, for he repaired many ancient cities, or built new ones, in places calculated for his purpose and filled them with a military force to protect its inhabitants and repel the enemy. Nor was his design unsuccessful.” Building and repairing defensive fortifications may look like a common sense step to take in days such as these, and indeed it was, but everything Edward done was meticulous in its planning

All the while, Edward’s sister proved to be no less tireless in protecting her people. Aethelflaed built forts at Tamworth, Warwick and Stafford. In 916, Aethelflaed’s army stormed into Wales, destroying a castle there and taking hostage the wife of a Welsh king. She captured towns and cities across the Midlands including Derby and Leicester. Some of this had been accomplished by Aethelflaed’s guile, others through more forceful measures. Aethelflaed died in 918. On his sister’s passing, Edward rode to Tamworth where loyalty was sworn to him immediately and the Welsh kings also came into line. With Aethelflaed’s death, Edward had become considerably more powerful as Mercia came under his control but he would surely have recognised the brilliance of his sister and must surely have been sorrowful at her death.

Over the next two years, Edward’s eyes remained firmly fixated on the north. In 919, he positioned himself in Manchester and the following he was in the Peak District, building forts as he went. In 920, Edward’s position as the dominant man in the British Isles was confirmed as King Constantine II of Scotland and the men of Northumbria, English and Dane alike, all paid homage to him. As Aethelstan would find out and put right, this was not guaranteed to last but Edward had certainly exceeded the power of his father and it was becoming clear that he would not leave merely the throne of Wessex for his son but, in reality, the kingdom of England.

Edward died in 924. What is telling of the nature of Edward is the fact he died only a few days after subduing a rebellion at Chester. This was testament to the will of the man. Boundless energy, relentless against his enemies and a fierce determination to protect his subjects. He, with the help of Aethelflaed, expanded his power beyond measure and his son would follow in his footsteps. Edward had the good fortune to be born into one of the most brilliant families in English history and, my goodness, did he live up to and enhance that family’s reputation. It was during his reign that England began to emerge as a fledgling nation. Of course, there was still work to be done but Edward’s sons, Aethelstan, Edmund and Eadred were all very capable successors.

There is only one final point to mull over. Why has this extraordinary man been so overlooked? If you mention the name Edward The Elder to almost anyone ,the chances are, all you’ll get is a blank stare gazing back at you. Really, this is a travesty. There is a case to be made that Edward is the greatest king in English history. And, yes, he is an ENGLISH king. In fact, he is, essentially, the founder of the English monarchy.