Kindly Edward the Elder ruled England from 26th October 899 to 17th July 924.
He was the son of Alfred, King of Wessex, and Ealhswith who was the daughter of a Mercian nobleman, Æthelred Mucil (or Mucel).
He became King after the death of his father. He established his court at Winchester. King Edward the Elder was given the title of “Anglorum Saxonum Rex” or “king of the Anglo-Saxons” as he was the second king of the Anglo Saxons.
Kindly, Edward, the Elder ruled England from 26th October 899 to 17th July 924
King Edward was called the elder in order to distinguish him from the later King Edward the Martyr. This eponym “the Elder” was first employed in Wulfstan the Cantor’s most famous work i.e., Life of St Æthelwold in 996.
Edward was lucky enough to survive the infancy and was a second such child of King Alfred the Great and his wife Ealhswith. His exact birth date is unknown, but, according to an estimate he was born somewhere between 874 and 877.
He, along with his sister Ælfthryth was educated at court, whereas his other sister Æthelgifu was to be given to the Church. His eldest brother Æthelweard was taught Latin at a court school and it is believed that he also adopted religious life. During the last days of his reign, he was acknowledged as the “father and lord” by the Welsh, Scots, and the Norse.
King Edward captured many lands that were occupied by the Danes and extended the control of Wessex. Such areas included the whole of Mercia, Essex, and East Anglia. In 911 cities of London and Oxford along with surrounding areas of Middlesex and Oxfordshire were annexed.
King Edward had a very large family as he had around fourteen children from his three wives. His wives were Ecgwynn, Ælfflæd and Eadgifu. Edward’s first wife was Ecgwynn who he married in 893. They had a son Athelstan and a daughter.
Edward married Ælfflæd in 899. She was the daughter of Æthelhelm, the ealdorman of Wiltshire. Together they had seven children. In 919 Edward married Eadgifu and together they had four children. Most of Edward’s Children later went on to become prominent figures.
King Edward the Elder died on 17th July 924 at Farndon, Cheshire, England. His burial took place at New Minster, Winchester. He was succeeded by either Æthelstan and/or Ælfweard of Wessex.