{"id":1123,"date":"2017-11-09T15:28:21","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T15:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/?page_id=1123"},"modified":"2026-06-21T10:39:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T10:39:22","slug":"edward-the-confessor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/british-history\/medieval-england-c1066-1485\/the-normans\/edward-the-confessor\/","title":{"rendered":"Edward the Confessor"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Edward the Confessor<\/h2>\n<p>As the year 1066 began, England&#8217;s King, Edward the Confessor, was an old and sick man. He had been King since 1042. No one expected him to live much longer. The King of England was usually the son or another close relation of the previous king. But even if a King was succeeded by his son, it was the custom for a new king to be approved by the Kings council. Edward the Confessor had no children and no surviving brothers or sisters. When Edward the Confessor died on the 5th January 1066, there were four people who might become king.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[table id=12 \/]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Edward the Confessor As the year 1066 began, England&#8217;s King, Edward the Confessor, was an old and sick man. He had been King since 1042. No one expected him to live much longer. The King of England was usually the son or another close relation of the previous king. 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