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Edward the Martyr

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Edward the Martyr was King of the English from 8 July 975 until he was killed in 978. He was the eldest son of King Edgar, and his accession was contested by supporters of his younger half-brother, the future Æthelred the Unready. Edward's principal backers were Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Æthelwine, Ealdorman of East Anglia, while Æthelred was supported by his mother Queen Ælfthryth and her ally Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester. Edward prevailed and became king, with Æthelred receiving substantial lands in compensation.

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