King Edgar

Edgar the Peaceful (c. 943 – 8 July 975) was a king of England who ruled from 959 until his death in 975. He was the younger son of King Edmund I and his queen, Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury, and was born in Wessex, in what is now southern England.

Edgar's reign was marked by a period of stability and relative peace in England, hence his epithet "the Peaceful". During his reign, he continued the process of unification of the various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms that had been started by his predecessors, and established a strong central authority.

One of the most notable events of Edgar's reign was the coronation of his son, Edward, as co-ruler in 973, which marked the first time that an English king had done so. This set a precedent for the subsequent practice of primogeniture, in which the eldest son of a monarch inherits the throne upon the monarch's death.

Edgar was also a patron of the church, and was responsible for the establishment of a number of monasteries and churches throughout England. He was canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church in the 12th century, and his feast day is celebrated on 8th July.