Was Edward weak or Successful

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Was Edward weak or Successful

AdvantagesGetting Started

  • In the Early years, he restored the traditionally strong monarchy, showing he was "a vigorous and ambitious man"
  • Edward sent Earl Godwin in to exile in 1051, displaying his ability to take decisive actions
  • Edward showed his power and authority by ignoring the requests of his earls to appoint a Saxon archbishop, instead appointing Robert of Jumieges
  • Edward displayed his military and tactical abilities by sending Siward to remove King Macbeth and replace him with Malcolm
  • England was a peaceful and Stable nation throughout all of Edwards reign
  • England was consistently stable in financial terms whilst Edward was a ruler
  • By appointing Harold as Sub-regulus however, Edward had a trained and tested military commander running the kingdom

Disadvantages

  • Overall he is considered a "weak and irresponsible king" by Barlow
  • Although wealthy because of his impressive properties and lands, these were spread around the country meaning that Edward had no powerbase
  • Edward was under the control of Godwin during the first half of his reign. Fleming stated that he believed "he cannot have been in control of his kingdom" as a result
  • Although he initially handled it well, Godwins return in 1052 and Edward's backing down show he had no backbone
  • By 1057, the only earldom that the Godwin brothers did not control was Mercia
  • Edward relied on the Normans for advice on running the kingdom due to the warm relations they had, isolating him from his English barons
  • Edward changed his mind on succession and multiple occasions, Seemingly approving of Harold, William and Aegdar throughout his reign
  • The dominance of the Godwin's in the south, which had more Royal lands, shows how squeezed Harold was
  • Harold became subregulus, a powerful position that further cemented Harold's effectvie takeover

Evaluation

Although Edward did do good with his reign, the level of mistakes he made, and the severity of them, effectively undermined his position, and contributed to the view that Edward was a bad king

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