Edward the Confessor

by Tom Licence

Book 6 in the English Monarchs series.

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Tom Licence offers a modern reassessment of Edward the Confessor, challenging the image of a weak king manipulated by stronger men. He follows Edward from exile to a comparatively stable reign and argues that his personal authority, piety and careful use of royal symbolism helped secure peace after decades of dynastic upheaval.

The biography re-examines Edward’s dealings with the Godwins, his marriage to Edith and the competing claims surrounding the succession. By questioning the legitimacy narratives later advanced by Harold and William, Licence shows how Edward’s death became the starting point for the conquest of 1066 and for centuries of argument about England’s rightful ruler.