Edmund son of Ethelred

Also known as: Edmund / Edmund Etheling / Edmund the etheling / Ironside / King Edmund / the etheling · Role: etheling; later king · First appears: A.D. 1015–1018

In 1015, Edmund Etheling seized and married Sigferth’s widow against King Ethelred’s will. He plundered the property of Sigferth and Morcar (A.D. 1015), and when Alderman Edric tried to betray him at a meeting, they parted without fighting.

In 1016, Edmund went to his father, King Ethelred, in London. After his father’s death, the peers and citizens there chose Edmund king. He fought King Knute’s forces at Pen near Gillingham and Sherston; at Sherston, Alderman Edric and Aylmer the darling supported the opposing army. At Assingdon, Alderman Edric began the flight and betrayed Edmund and the English people. Afterward, Edmund and King Knute made peace at Olney, becoming sworn brothers and confirming their friendship with oaths and pledges.

Edmund died on the feast of St. Andrew in 1016 and was buried at Gastonbury with his grandfather Edgar. A 1057 entry identifies Edward Etheling as his son.