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Author Topic: Edward the Martyr  (Read 1453 times)

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Offline Callimachus

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Edward the Martyr
« on: June 02, 2017, 07:06:10 pm »
Its not often we see medieval coins as a Coin of the Day.
So I'll post a fairly recent addition to my gallery:

Edward the Martyr penny, 975-978.

Obverse: +EADǷEARD REX ANGLO  /  Diademed bust of Edward.
Reverse: +ǷACER M-O STAMFO.  /  small cross.

Moneyer: Wacer.
Mint: Stamford.

1.36 gm.,  20 mm.                         
North #763; Seaby #1142.

Offline Mat

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Re: Edward the Martyr
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2017, 07:58:55 pm »
Nice to see a medieval coin as COTD, that one is nice, congrats. +++
MY GALLERY

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Offline peterpil19

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Re: Edward the Martyr
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2017, 08:59:22 pm »
Very nice coin +++
I don't know anything about medieval coins but yours looks superior to those I see commonly offered for sale.

Peter

Offline gallienus1

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Re: Edward the Martyr
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2017, 05:51:29 am »
What a wonderful early medieval Anglo Saxon coin! Such a rarity, as well as historically interesting.

Edgar was probably in his teens when he succeeded his father. He had such a short reign, having been murdered in mysterious circumstances in 978, that you would expect his impact on history to be minimal. But it was not. He is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. Christians all through the Middle Ages looked to him as a role model and avidly read the highly dubious later medieval accounts of his life and untimely death.

I have a few thoughts of why this might be. He must have been very popular with his subjects. Consider the account of his death in the Peterborough version of the Anglo Saxon Chronicle-

"No worse deed for the English race was done than this was, since they first sought out the land of Britain. Men murdered him, but God exalted him. In life he was an earthly king; after death he is now a heavenly saint. His earthly relatives would not avenge him, but his Heavenly Father has much avenged him."


He also seems to have been capable of taking good advice. His short reign saw a much needed improvement in the uniformity of the currency with the moneyers in the 60 or more mints all striking coins with the same design. The economy apparently improved as well, with currency changing hands with great efficiency. The evidence for that is that about 66% of single coin finds of Edgar’s silver pennies that are found are outside the area of their mint.

It could be postulated that he helped keep Anglo Saxon society strong, perhaps one of the reasons it survived the Norman Conquest to re-emerge centuries later as the core of English culture which was in turn central to the creation of Great Britain- and ultimately the British Empire.  As an Australian my nation would not exist without a British Empire.

That might seem a very long bow, but without the early Anglo Saxon kings would anything like the modern world as we know it exist? How many kings could we subtract before the culture would be too weak to survive the terrible aftermath of the Norman invasion?

Granted there is Alfred the Great, we could hardly expect future English success without him.

But could we have done without the short reign of the young Edgar?  

Perhaps not.

A book I can strongly recommend on the Anglo Saxon period is The Anglo-Saxons edited by James Campbell with contributions by Eric John and Patrick Wormald. My much loved copy is a Book Club Associates edition printed in 1982, which contains illustrated sections on the coinage of the different Saxon kings.

Best Regards,
Steve

 

Offline Molinari

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Re: Edward the Martyr
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2017, 06:37:59 am »
That is a great coin.  One day I'd like to have one similar.

Offline orfew

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Re: Edward the Martyr
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2017, 09:49:34 am »
Excellent coin. I would love to have one like that.

Online quadrans

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Re: Edward the Martyr
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2017, 10:41:50 am »
Great coin Callimachus  +++

Congratulation.

Q.

P.s.

Again a great comments by Steve, thank you.. :) ;) +++

Q.
All the Best :), Joe
My Gallery

Offline gordian_guy

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Re: Edward the Martyr
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2017, 11:45:50 am »


Terrific coin Callimachus. I concur with Mat, nice to see this coin in the coin of the day.

c.rhodes

Offline Callimachus

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Re: Edward the Martyr
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2017, 12:27:37 pm »
Thank you all for your comments on this coin. The extended comments of gallienus1 are quite interesting.

At this time, kings were seen as God’s representatives on earth.  Killing a king was therefore a very serious crime.  And whoever killed Edward went unpunished.  

Edward was also more or less a child when he was murdered. The middle ages may have been a violent age, but the killing of children was seen as especially terrible. (This was true also of the two children of Edward IV who disappeared into the Tower of London, and presumably were murdered by their uncle, Richard III).

Perhaps these factors were partially responsible for Edward almost immediately being seen as a martyr and a saint. Popular opinion counted for a lot in these matters. The Viking invasions during the following reign of Aethelred II were popularly seen as God's punishment on England for the murder of Edward.

The same thing happened with Edward II. He may have been a weak king and not a very good one, but his murder was popularly seen as being beyond the pale. He too was immediately seen as a saint, and pilgrims to his tomb in Gloucester made possible the building of the beautiful cathedral in that city.

My gallery of British coins:
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=4762

 

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