Editing Edmund Ironside (section)

== King of England ==
Æthelred died on 23 April 1016, and the citizens and councillors in London chose Edmund as king and probably crowned him, while the rest of the [[Witenagemot|Witan]], meeting at [[Southampton]], elected Cnut.{{sfn|Phillips|1911}} Edmund then mounted a last-ditch effort to revive the defence of England. While the Danes laid siege to [[London]], Edmund headed for [[Wessex]], where the people submitted to him and he gathered an army. He fought inconclusive battles against the Danes and their English supporters at [[Penselwood]] in [[Somerset]] and [[Battle of Sherston|Sherston]] in [[Wiltshire]]. He then raised the siege of London, which had been successfully resisted by the citizens,{{sfn|Phillips|1911}} and defeated the Danes near [[Battle of Brentford (1016)|Brentford]]. They renewed the siege while Edmund went to Wessex to raise further troops, returning to again relieve London, defeat the Danes at [[Otford]], and pursue Cnut into Kent. Eadric Streona now went over to Edmund, but at the decisive [[Battle of Assandun]] on 18 October, Eadric and his men fled and Cnut decisively defeated Edmund. There may have been one further battle in the [[Forest of Dean]], after which the two kings, persuaded by the Witan, negotiated a peace dividing the country between them. Edmund received [[Wessex]] and London while Cnut took Mercia and Northumbria.{{sfn|Lawson|2004}}