First, a little dramatis personae and chronology. Edmund Ironside, heroic son of Æthelraed ‘Unraed’, who died in 1016, left two very young sons – possibly twins – who fell into the hands of Cnut. Cnut despatched the boys to his half-brother King Olaf of Sweden, perhaps intending them to be put to death, perhaps hoping they would simply disappear. Olaf’s daughter had married Jaroslav the Great, duke of Novgorod and prince of Kiev, and the boys probably grew up at his court, to which the Christian claimant to the throne of Hungary, Andrew, came as refugee and suppliant in the late 1030s or early 1040s.

The two young English royals, Edmund and Edward, accompanied Andrew to Hungary, evidently serving in his army; Edmund must soon have died, about the year 1046, that Andrew was elected king of Hungary. (It is worth noting that Andrew’s sons were named Solomon and David.) The Christian court of Hungary was in fairly close touch with the emperors in Germany, Saxons and Salians, although relations were not always friendly. The German royal court was well-informed about England, and took an interest in the House of Wessex, whose most obvious legitimate heir, if Edward the Confessor had no children, was Edward, the Hungarian exile.

Even before Andrew was recognised as king of Hungary it seems that a wife had been found for Edward within the larger German royal family. This was Agatha, daughter of Liudolf, count of Brunswick, granddaughter of Gisela of Swabia whose third (and last) husband was the Emperor Conrad II (d.1039). Gisela herself survived until February 1043. Agatha was thus a first cousin (of the half blood) of the Emperor Henry III (1039–56). There could not be better evidence of how seriously the German monarchy viewed theWest Saxon royal dynasty. Edward and Agatha had three children, all apparently born in Hungary: Margaret in the later 1040s, Christina and Edgar a few years later. Their father brought his wife and children to England in 1057, but died within the year.

So much for the actors who set the scene. I now jump forward nine years. The Confessor has died, Harold of Wessex has been chosen king, the claims of Edgar the Atheling have been passed over, presumably because of age and because he lacked what we now have to call a ‘proven track record’.