King & Saint: The Life of Edward the Confessor

The first major biography of Edward the Confessor for almost 40 years, written by a critically acclaimed historian, presents a very different interpretation of Edward's personality—not the holy simpleton, rather a wily and devious king of England. Born when England was besieged by blood thirsty Vikings, the future King of England was forced into exile in Normandy to escape the Danish invasion. Often portrayed as holy simpleton, Edward was in fact a wily and devious King. To most Kings a childless marriage would have been an Achilles heel to their reign, but Edward turned this to his advantage. He cunningly played off his potential rivals and successors to his advantage using the prize of the throne as leverage. Edward's posthumous reputation grew as stories were spread by the monks of his magnificent foundation, Westminster Abbey. The childless King was transformed through the monks' vision into a chaste, pious, and holy man. Miracles were attributed to him and he was credited with the King's Touch—the ability to cure illnesses by touch alone. In 1161 he was canonized as Saint Edward the Confessor and is the patron saint of the Royal Family.