Editing Eadwig (section)

=== Early reign 955–957 ===
Eadwig's predecessor Eadred suffered from ill health which became much worse in his last years, and he relied on key advisers, including his mother Eadgifu, Archbishop Oda, Abbot Dunstan of Glastonbury, [[Ælfsige]], whom he appointed Bishop of Winchester, and [[Æthelstan Half-King|Æthelstan, Ealdorman of East Anglia]], who was so powerful that he was known as the Half-King.{{sfn|Williams|2004b}} Most surviving charters of the last two years of Eadred's reign were produced at [[Glastonbury Abbey]], and almost all of these were not attested by the king, suggesting that Dunstan was authorised to issue charters in Eadred's name when he was too ill to carry out his duties.{{sfnm|1a1=Keynes|1y=1994|1pp=185–186|2a1=Keynes|2y=2002|2loc=table XXXIa (6 of 6)}} When Eadwig succeeded, the court was ruled by powerful factions.{{sfn|Snook|2015|pp=154–155}} He appears to have been determined to show his independence from the previous regime from the start:{{sfn|Keynes|2004}} the historian Ben Snook comments that "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}} However, in the view of Keynes, "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}}

Eadred was buried in the [[Old Minster, Winchester]] even though his will suggests that this location was not his choice.{{efn|Eadred made bequests to an unspecified location where "he wishes his body to rest", and then property to the Old Minster, implying that they were different places.{{sfnm|1a1=Keynes|1y=1994|1p=188 and n. 99|2a1=Whitelock|2y=1979|2p=555}} }} He probably wished to be buried at a reformed Benedictine monastery such as Glastonbury, but Eadwig may have wanted to ensure that his tomb would not become a focus for opponents such as Dunstan.{{sfn|Marafioti|2014|pp=69–71, 79}} The main beneficiary in Eadred's will was his mother Eadgifu, and Eadwig was not mentioned.{{sfn|Brooks|1992|p=14}} She does not appear to have received the bequest as she later complained that she had been "despoiled of all her property", on Eadwig's accession, perhaps because he resented her power.{{sfnm|1a1=Keynes|1y=1985|1pp=190–191|2a1=Harmer|2y=1914|2p=68|2ps=; [https://esawyer.lib.cam.ac.uk/charter/1211.html S 1211] }} Eadgifu had frequently attested charters in the reigns of her sons Edmund and Eadred, but she attested only one of Eadwig's, whereas Edgar was prominent at his brother's court between 955 and 957, attesting many of his charters.{{sfnm|1a1=Stafford|1y=2004b|2a1=Stafford|2y=1989|2p=48|3a1=Keynes|3y=2002|3p=13, table XXXI}} The position of Æthelstan Half-King was too strong for Eadwig to be able to remove him, but in 956 Eadwig appointed several new ealdormen covering parts of the area in Æthelstan's jurisdiction, including Æthelstan's eldest son [[Æthelwald, Ealdorman of East Anglia|Æthelwold]], perhaps presaging a rearrangement.{{sfn|Keynes|2004}}

Historians have often been critical of Eadwig, portraying him as irresponsible or incompetent, and the key 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 percent 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}} They were mainly in favour of laymen, and it is possible that some church land was being alienated, but only a few estates are known to have formerly been in religious ownership. Historians sometimes assume that he was giving away royal property in order to buy support, but again there is little evidence for this. He may have been selling privileges, allowing landholders to convert [[Bookland (law)|folkland]], which they already owned as hereditary family estates which owed food, rent and services to the crown, into [[Bookland (law)|bookland]] which was exempt from most obligations, thus making money but reducing the income of the crown in the long term. However, many of the estates had recently been the subject of royal charters, which means they must have already been bookland, and suggests that in some cases he may have been seizing estates and selling or giving them to his favourites.{{sfn|Keynes|2004}} [[Ann Williams (historian)|Ann Williams]] observes that the large number of charters may indicate that Eadwig had to buy support, but too little is known about the background to be sure.{{sfn|Williams|1999|p=87}} The wealth of the crown was so great that the grants do not seem to have significantly depleted its resources.{{sfn|Naismith|2021|p=262}}

Some of the hostility towards Eadwig was probably due to his promotion of his friends, especially Ælfhere, 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, Ælfheah, his 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|2a1=Williams|2y=2004c}} Other ealdormen appointed in the first year of Eadwig's reign were [[Æthelstan Rota]] in Mercia and Æthelstan Half-King's son Æthelwold in East Anglia, while [[Byrhtnoth]], the future hero of the [[Battle of Maldon]], became ealdorman of Essex.{{sfnm|1a1=Keynes|1y=2008a|1pp=30–31|2a1=Abels|2y=2004}} These were sound appointments of men from established families and Edgar kept them when he came to power, but the rivalries between the families of Ælfhere and Æthelstan Half-King's son [[Æthelwine, Ealdorman of East Anglia|Æthelwine]] were to destabilise the country and broke into open hostilities after Edgar's death.{{sfnm|1a1=Stenton|1y=1971|1pp=364–365|2a1=Stafford|2y=1989|2p=50|3a1=Hart|3y=2005}}

The titles given to kings Edmund and Eadred in charters varied, with the most common being "king of the English". In Eadwig's charters issued before the division of the kingdom in 957, he was variously styled king of "the Anglo-Saxons", "the English", "Albion" and "the whole of Britain".{{sfn|Keynes|2008a|pp=6–7}} Oda's attestations during Edmund's and Eadred's reigns had been longer and more boastful than those of the king, but these were cut down during Eadwig's time, no longer allowing him to overshadow his royal master.{{sfn|Snook|2015|pp=155–156}}