Editing Edgar Ætheling (section)

== First Crusade ==
According to Orderic, Edgar was the commander of an English fleet which operated off the coast of the [[Syria (region)|region of Syria]] in support of the [[First Crusade]], whose crews eventually burned their dilapidated ships and joined the advance by land to [[Jerusalem]].<ref>Orderic, vol. 5, pp. 270–73</ref>{{primary source inline|date=January 2016}} This is doubtful, for this fleet is known to have arrived off the [[Geography of Syria|Syrian coast]] by March 1098; since Edgar invaded [[Scotland]] late in 1097, he could not have made the voyage in the time available. It may be though that he travelled overland to the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] and joined the fleet en route; this is the view taken by Runciman.<ref>Runciman, ''History of the Crusades'' 1968 (1951) Vol 1, pp. 227–228 note, and p. 255)</ref> [[William of Malmesbury]] recorded that Edgar made a pilgrimage to [[Jerusalem]] in 1102, and it may be that Orderic's report is the product of confusion, conflating the expedition of the English fleet with Edgar's later journey. Some modern historians have suggested that at some point during these years Edgar served in the [[Varangian Guard]] of the [[Byzantine Empire]], a unit which was at that time composed primarily of English emigrants, but this is unsupported by evidence. William of Malmesbury stated that on his way back from Jerusalem, Edgar was given rich gifts by both the Byzantine and the [[German Emperor|German emperors]], each of whom offered him an honoured place at court, but that he insisted on returning home instead.<ref>William of Malmesbury, ''A History of the Norman Kings (1066–1125), with the Historia Novella or history of his own times (1126–1142)'', tr. John Sharp (London 1854), pp. 237–238</ref>{{primary source inline|date=January 2016}}