King Edmund III of England

Edward the Confessor was King of England from 1042 to 1066.
He married Edith. They had no children.
Suppose Edward and Edith have a son named Edmund. In 1066 he becomes King Edmund III of England. What happens then?
 

GarethC

Donor
Edmund's reputation for ruthlessness and base treachery (notably the 1086 murder of Robert of Normandy, and the drowning death of Olaf III of Norway in the Humber estuary that caused the collapse of the 1087 invasion which some sources suggest was again a plot by Edmund), caused Chaucer to give him a notable epithet as "a man given to dark thoughts and a serpent's tongue, yclept the Black Adder."
 
More info needed as I can think of a number of different scenarios.



Pious Ned being a father already sets in train a number of changes. Depending on when Edmund born there may be no ‘promise’ of the throne to William by Edward and thus no Norman conquest. Or if Edmunds birth after the throne ‘promise’ there is still a Norman invasion which may or may not be successful.

Again, as to when Edmund is born will have some kind of impact on Godwine and family eg. was it before or after the 1052 exile? Will Edmunds birth affect the accumulation of power by House Godwine?

Is Edmunds birth before or after the return of Edward the Exile?

Pious Ned having a son will also probably mean he won’t be so broken when Tostig exiled in October 1065 and therefore unlikely to sicken and die in January 1066.

Also no guarantee that Edmund would be acclaimed king in 1066 (or whenever Pious Ned dies).



But given that he becomes Edmund III in 1066 he will probably face challenges to his throne from both Norway and Denmark at some point. I imagine he will also have to break the power of House Godwine at some point setting in motion a most interesting civil war.
 
I can see Edmund marrying one of William's daughters, assuming the necessary dispensation could be procured. A Norman alliance and an influx of Normans fighting as mercenaries against the Welsh, Scottish and Norwegians might lead to a staggered Norman conquest.
 
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