20 August 2008

Miscellaneous Musing #8

King Edward I of England (1272-1307) was preceded on the Throne by Edward the Elder (899-925), Edward the Martyr (975-978), and Edward the Confessor (1042-1066). Why, therefore, was he called "Edward the First?" It's true that he was the first King of that name since the Norman Conquest, but why should that matter?