Edgar,
the son of Edward the Exile and grandson of
Edmond Ironside, was born in Hungary
in 1052. He was the king's great-nephew and was a descendant of the
Anglo-Saxon's most impressive king, Alfred
the Great.
For his first five years, Edward lived in exile with his family, but
returned to England in 1057. When Edward the
Confessor died in 1066, Edgar, the former king's great-nephew,
was the legitimate heir to the English throne. However, Edgar was
only 14 years old and some thought he was too young to become king.
After
the death of Harold
of Wessex
at
the Battle
of Hastings,
the Witan selected Edgar as the next king
of England. However, he was forced to submit to William
the Conqueror who
now had control of the country.
Edgar
lived in William's court until fleeing to Scotland in 1068. After
King Malcolm III signed the Treaty of Abernethy (1072) Edgar was forced
to seek protection from King Philip I in France. He eventually returned
to England where he received a pension of £1 a day.
In
1097 William
Rufus put
Edgar as head of an invasion of Scotland. Later he went on a crusade
to the Holy Land. Edgar Atheling died in 1125.
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