Lives of Edward the Confessor

Lives of Edward the Confessor Synopsis

This volume in the Rolls Series, published in 1858, includes three of the most important sources for the life of Edward the Confessor. The Vita Ædwardi was written c.1067 and was used as a source by notable chroniclers such as William of Malmesbury and Ailred of Rievaulx. The author declares his purpose in honouring Queen Edith, and the Godwin family are given prominence alongside Edward. Ailred completed a life of Edward for the translation of his relics in 1163, and the Vita Beati is 'a sort of abridged versification', produced for Henry VI c.1440. The Anglo-Norman poem, La Estoire de Seint Aedward, now attributed to Matthew Paris, was written c.1245 and the editor (Henry Luard, 1825–91) includes a translation, glossary and descriptions of the numerous illustrations at the head of the manuscript. These three sources remain vital to our understanding of the final years of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom.