Edmund the Elder
Born in 921
Died in 946
Edmund (The Elder) was born in 921 into the House Of Wessex, his father was Edward (The Elder) and his mother was Edgiva of Kent. Edmund's half brother Athelstan died in October 939, he was the first king of England. Edmund ascended to the throne aged eighteen years of age, and reigned as King of Wessex and Mercia, violent and turbulent times followed with many battles and skirmishes, King Olaf of Dublin had seized York, Edmund fought to regain control, although this was to take a further three years before victory was gained and Edmund finally defeated Olaf, when Northumberland was once more included into the Kingdom of Wessex.
Edmund had banished Leofa, a thief from his kingdom, who was to return later and brutally murder him whilst he was in Pucklechurch in Gloucestershire in May 946,aged just 24 years of age, he was later buried in Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset. He had a previous near death encounter whilst out hunting in 943, and his horse had stopped a whisker away from the edge of Cheddar Gorge, this had affected him strongly believing that he had been saved by God, he invested in the church rebuilding many monasteries that had been ransacked by the Vikings. He was succeeded by his brother Edred who reigned from 946 until 955, Edmund's sons then ascended to the throne, Edwy King of Wessex and later Kent, until 959, his brother Edgar became king of Mercia and Northumbria until his brother's death when in 959 he ruled as king of England until his demise in 975.
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