Editing Edward the Confessor (section)

==Succession==
Starting as early as [[William of Malmesbury]] in the early 12th century, historians have puzzled over Edward's intentions for the succession. One school of thought supports the Norman case that Edward always intended [[William the Conqueror]] to be his heir, accepting the medieval claim that Edward had already decided to be celibate before he married, but most historians believe that he hoped to have an heir by Edith at least until his quarrel with Godwin in 1051. William the Conqueror's grandfather, Duke [[Richard II, Duke of Normandy|Richard II]], was the brother of Edward the Confessor's mother, [[Emma of Normandy]], so the two men were first cousins once removed, and there was a blood tie between them. William may have visited Edward during Godwin's exile, and he is thought to have promised William the succession at this time, but historians disagree on how seriously he meant the promise, and whether he later changed his mind.{{efn|Historians' views are discussed in {{harvnb|Baxter|2009|pp=77–118}}, which this section is based on.}}

Edmund Ironside's son, [[Edward the Exile]], had the best claim to be considered Edward's heir. He had been taken as a young child to [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]], and in 1054 [[Ealdred (archbishop of York)|Bishop Ealdred of Worcester]] visited the [[Holy Roman Emperor]], [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry III]] to secure his return, probably with a view to becoming Edward's heir. The exile returned to England in 1057 with his family but died almost immediately.{{sfn|Baxter|2009|pp=96–98}} His son [[Edgar Ætheling|Edgar]], who was then about six years old, was brought up at the English court. He was given the designation [[Ætheling]], meaning throne-worthy, which may mean that Edward considered making him his heir, and he was briefly declared king after Harold's death in 1066.{{sfn|Hooper|2004}} However, Edgar was absent from witness lists of Edward's diplomas, and there is no evidence in the [[Domesday Book]] that he was a substantial landowner, which suggests that he was marginalised at the end of Edward's reign.{{sfn|Baxter|2009|pp=98–103}}

After the mid-1050s, Edward seems to have withdrawn from affairs as he became increasingly dependent on the Godwins, and he may have become reconciled to the idea that one of them would succeed him. The Normans claimed that Edward sent Harold to Normandy in about 1064 to confirm the promise of the succession to William. The strongest evidence comes from a Norman apologist, [[William of Poitiers]]. According to his account, shortly before the Battle of Hastings, Harold sent William an envoy who admitted that Edward had promised the throne to William but argued that this was overridden by his deathbed promise to Harold. In reply, William did not dispute the deathbed promise but argued that Edward's prior promise to him took precedence.{{sfn|Baxter|2009|pp=103–114}} In [[Stephen Baxter (historian)|Stephen Baxter]]'s view, Edward's "handling of the succession issue was dangerously indecisive, and contributed to one of the greatest catastrophes to which the English have ever succumbed."{{sfn|Baxter|2009|p=118}}