Edgar the Ætheling

Edgar the Ætheling, 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.