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Edith the Fair
11th-century consort of King Harold Godwinson / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edith the Fair (Old English: Ealdgȳð Swann hnesce, "Edyth the Gentle Swan"; born c. 1025, died c. 1086), also known as Edith Swanneck,[note 1] was one of the wealthiest magnates in England on the eve of the Norman conquest, and may also have been the first wife of King Harold Godwinson.[1] "Swanneck" (or Swan-Neck) comes from the folk etymology which made her in Old English as swann hnecca, "swan neck", which was actually most likely a corrupted form of swann hnesce, "Gentle Swan" .[2] She is sometimes confused with Ealdgyth, daughter of Earl Ælfgar of Mercia, who was queen during Harold's reign.
Quick Facts Born, Died ...
Edith the Fair | |
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![]() Edith discovering King Harold's corpse after the Battle of Hastings (Horace Vernet) | |
Born | c. 1025 |
Died | c. 1086 (age about 61) |
Spouse | Harold Godwinson |
Issue | Godwin Edmund Magnus Gunhild Gytha Ulf |
Father | Thorkell the Tall |
Mother | a daughter of Ethelred the Unready? |
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