King Edmund (Ironside) of England II

• General Notes
  • Edmund II, called Ironside (981?-1016), Saxon king of the English (1016), son of King Ethelred the Unready. When Ethelred died, Edmund was chosen king by the people of London, but Canute II, king of Denmark, who was leading an invasion of England, secured the support of the council (witenagemot) at Southampton and of Edric (flourished 1001-17), Ethelred's son-in-law. Edmund met the Danes in battle, winning several engagements and relieving Canute's siege of London. He was defeated at Assandun (now Ashington), however, through the treachery of Edric, who had pretended to desert Canute. A truce was arranged between Canute and Edmund; Edmund was permitted to rule the south of England until his death later in the year, when it reverted to Canute.
    
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    Edmund II
    Rank: 17th
    Ruled: April 23, 1016-November 30, 1016
    Predecessor: Ethelred II
    Date of Birth: 989
    Place of Birth: Wessex, England
    Wife: Edith
    Buried: Glastonbury Abbey
    Date of Death: November 30, 1016
    Parents: Ethelred II and Elgiva
    
    King Edmund II of England (nicknamed Ironside for his military prowess - born in about 990 AD), was the son of King Ethelred II.
    
    He was elected king of England by the population of London on his father's death in 1016, but his rival, Canute the Great, enjoyed greater support throughout the country.
    
    He was eventually defeated by the Danes, and was allowed by Canute to keep the kingdom of Wessex, on the understanding that whichever of them survived the other would become ruler of the whole of England.
    
    Shortly after making this agreement, Edmund II died, on November 30, 1016, and was buried at Glastonbury. Some say he was stabbed in the bowels while going to the privy.