Unknown artist
Richard II of England with his patron saints; King Edmund the Martyr, King Edward the Confessor, St John the Baptist
Wilton diptych; left-hand panel, c. 1395Tempera on oak panel
Height: 36.8 cm (14.4 in); Width: 26.7 cm (10.5 in)
This small, portable altarpiece is one of a handful of English panel paintings to have survived from the Middle Ages. Made for Richard II, King of England from 1377 to 1399, in the last five years of his life, it combines religious and secular imagery to embody his personal conception of kingship.
A confessor is a saint who suffers for his faith but is one step short of martyrdom. Edward suffered for his faith by resisting the temptations of the world. He lived off the income of his own lands and reached out to the poor.
Edward the Confessor was born in Islip, near Oxford, probably in 1005. He was the son of King Ethelred the Unready and his Norman queen, Emma.
Unknown artist
The family spent several years in exile in Normandy
Western Illuminated Manuscripts
The family spent several years in exile in Normandy after the Danish invasion of 1013. Ethelred was briefly reinstated as king but after his death in 1016, the Danes once again seized the crown.
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King Cnut the great by the sea
I have no further description, at this time
England was ruled by Canute until his death in 1035 when Edward tried to capture the crown himself but failed.
Later, Edward vowed that he would make a pilgrimage to St Peter's in Rome if he managed to return safely to his kingdom.
Unknown artist
Coronation of Edward the Confessor
(13th century English illustrated manuscript)
I have no further description, at this time
In 1042, his dream became reality when he succeeded Canute's son on the throne. But Edward found it impossible to leave his subjects to make the pilgrimage to Rome.
The Pope released him from his vow on the condition he founded a monastery and dedicated it to St Peter. In accordance with the Pope's wishes, Edward built a new cathedral in Norman style to replace the Saxon church at Westminster. The cathedral became known as Westminster Abbey.
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King Edward challenges Earl Godwin
Illuminated manuscript
I have no further description, at this time
The National Archives, UK Government Web Archive
Before Edward returned to England from Normandy, his brother Alfred travelled to England and was captured. Earl Godwin took Alfred to Harold Harefoot who tortured him but Alfred died from his wounds. Edward never forgave Earl Godwin for this betrayal and years later, after his own ascension to the throne, during a banquet at Windsor accused Earl Godwin of his brother’s murder. The Earl denied the murder, claiming that if he were guilty the morsel of bread he was eating would be his last. Legend tells that the Earl then choked on his bread, and died. This scene shows Godwin of the far right of the frame, preparing to eat his bread. More on this work
Edward the Confessor was an enigmatic figure who was believed to have the power to heal. He began the royal custom of touching ill people to cure them. The tradition continued for nearly 700 years until the reign of Queen Anne.
Unknown artist
Edgitha, Wife of Edward the Confessor
I have no further description, at this time
Edgitha (Ealdgyth; Edith of Wessex; c. 1025 - 1075) was the wife of (Saint) Edward the Confessor (c. 1042-1066) and the sister of King Harold II, who died at Hastings in 1066.
Edward also made a promise of chastity. He continued to remain celibate even after his marriage to the daughter of one of his closest advisors. He had no children and the throne passed to his brother-in-law, Harold, who was quickly overthrown by William the Conqueror.
Unknown artist
King Edward the Confessor and Harold Godwinson at Winchester, between circa 1051 and circa 1100
Bayeux tapestry
Edward's supporters insisted he was a deeply religious, patient and peaceful ruler who resisted war and revoked unjust taxes.
But his critics claimed the opposite. They maintained Edward was a weak and violent man and that his canonisation a century after his death was a political move.
Many legends sprang up about Edward the Confessor both during his lifetime and after his death. One that has stood the test of time happened towards the end of his life.
Unknown artist
King Edward gives a ring to St John the Evangelist in disguise
Illuminated manuscript
I have no further description, at this time
The National Archives, UK Government Web Archive
Legend has it that Edward was riding to a ceremony at a chapel dedicated to St John the Evangelist in Essex when a beggar asked for alms. Edward had no money with him so he took off his ring and handed it to the poor man instead.
A few years later two English pilgrims were travelling through the Holy Land and became stranded. They were helped by an old man who told them he was St John the Evangelist.
He was carrying the ring Edward had given to the beggar some years previously. He asked the pilgrims to return it to the king telling him that in six months he would meet St John in heaven.
Unknown artist
The body of Edward the Confessor is carried to Westminster Abbey, a detail from the Bayeux Tapestry, c. 1082
Bayeux tapestry
Unknown artist
St Edward the Martyr, King of England
Icon
I have no further description, at this time
Edward the Confessor died on January 5 1066. He was made a saint in 1161 and his body was translated to a shrine at Westminster Abbey in 1163.
In the centuries that followed many sick people came to kneel at the shrine and ask to be healed. Richard II prayed there too, asking for strength before the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
Today Edward the Confessor is the only major English saint whose body is still in its shrine. More on Edward the Confessor
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