Editing Edgar, King of England (section)

== Edgar in Eadwig's early reign, 955 to 957 ==
Eadwig became king on Eadred's death on 23 November 955.{{sfn|Keynes|2004}} Historians have often been critical of Eadwig, portraying him as irresponsible or incompetent, and one piece of evidence cited for this view is the exceptional number of charters he issued in 956.{{sfnm|1a1=Keynes|1y=1999|1pp=476–477|2a1=Lewis|2y=2008|2p=106}} His sixty-odd gifts of land in that year make up around five per cent of all genuine Anglo-Saxon charters, and no other ruler in Europe is known to have matched that yearly total before the twelfth century.{{sfn|Wickham|2009|p=19}} The historian Ann Williams observes that the many charters may indicate that Eadwig had to buy support, but too little is known about the background to be certain.{{sfn|Williams|1999|p=87}}

When Eadwig succeeded, the court was ruled by powerful factions,{{sfn|Snook|2015|pp=154–155}} and he appears to have been determined to show his independence of action from the start.{{sfn|Keynes|2004}} In the view of the historian Ben Snook, "Eadwig, unlike his brother Edgar, was clearly his own man. Immediately on coming to power, he acted to put a stop to all this."{{sfn|Snook|2015|p=155}} [[Simon Keynes]] argues that "whether Eadwig and Edgar were able to assert their own independence of action, or remained at the mercy of established interests at court, is unclear".{{sfn|Keynes|2008a|p=30}} Eadwig quarrelled with some of his uncle's leading counsellors, especially Dunstan, whom he exiled abroad.{{sfn|Keynes|2004}} Eadgifu had frequently attested charters in the reigns of her sons Edmund and Eadred, but she only attested one of Eadwig's,{{sfnm|1a1=Stafford|1y=2004a|2a1=Keynes|2y=2002|2loc=13, table XXXIb}} and she later alleged that she had been "despoiled of all her property" during his reign.{{sfnm|1a1=Molyneaux|1y=2015|1pp=70–71|2a1=Harmer|2y=1914|2pp=66–68|3a1=Charter S 1211}} On the other hand, Edgar was prominent at his brother's court between 955 and 957, attesting many of his charters, in one of which he is shown as {{lang|la|regulus}} (underking).{{sfnm|1a1=Stafford|1y=1989|1p=48|2a1=Yorke|2y=1988b|2p=78|3a1=Howlett|3y=2011|3p=2730|4a1=Charter S 633}}

Some of the hostility towards Eadwig was probably due to his promotion of his friends, especially [[Ælfhere, Ealdorman of Mercia]], at the expense of the old guard, such as Dunstan.{{sfn|Williams|1999|p=92}} Ælfhere and his brothers were acknowledged by several kings as relatives, but the nature of the relationship is unknown. They were close to Eadwig and he made the eldest brother, Ælfheah, his {{lang|la|discifer}} ([[seneschal]]). Ælfheah and his wife Ælfswith, who was also acknowledged by Eadwig as a relative, benefited from his generosity. Ælfhere, who was to become the pre-eminent lay magnate until his death in 983, was appointed an ealdorman in Mercia in 956.{{sfnm|1a1=Williams|1y=1982|1p=148 and n. 29|2a1=Williams|2y=2004c}} Other ealdormen appointed were [[Æthelstan Rota]] in Mercia in late 955 and [[Byrhtnoth]], the future hero of the [[Battle of Maldon]], who became ealdorman of Essex in 956.{{sfnm|1a1=Keynes|1y=2008a|1pp=30–31|2a1=Abels|2y=2004}} Eadwig appointed [[Æthelwald, Ealdorman of East Anglia|Æthelwold]], the eldest son of Æthelstan Half-King, as an ealdorman in East Anglia.{{sfn|Keynes|2004}} These were sound appointments of men from established families and Edgar kept them when he came to power. [[Frank Stenton]], in his volume in the [[Oxford History of England]], ''Anglo-Saxon England'' (described by Keynes as "magisterial and massively authoritative"{{sfn|Keynes|2003a|p=xxi}}), comments that "it can at least be said for King Eadwig that he agreed to the promotion of good servants".{{sfnm|1a1=Stenton|1y=1971|1pp=364–365|2a1=Keynes|2y=2008a|2p=30}}