Edward the Confessor & Westminster Abbey (0)

Edward the Confessor (1003-1066)
Edward was the oldest son of Ethelred II (Ethelred the Unready http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethelred_the_Unready ) and Emma of Normandy ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_of_Normandy ). He wast he penultimate Anglo- Saxon king of England .
The family was exiled in Normandy after the Danish invasion of 1013 so Edward spent the first part of his life in Normandy. He grew up in deep religious views and gained the nickname ’’Confessor’’. As Edward was seperated from his family and grew up in a strange land , it is said that his childhood wasn’t a happy one.
After Ethelred’s death in 1016 the Danes again took control of England. The throne of England passed to Canute the Great. The new king married Emma of Normandy and the couple had a son, Hardicanute. Edward lived in exile until 1041. At the death of Canute in 1035 , Edward led an abortive attempt to capture the crown for himself . He was recalled, for some reason, to the court of Hardicanute.
Edward was crowned at the cathedral of Winchester, the royal seat of the West Saxons on 3 April 1043. According to those who compiled the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the first thing Edward did, despite his religious views, was to deprive his mother of all of her estates and reduce her to relative poverty. It is said that Edward blamed her for his miserable and lonely childhood.
For the first eleven years of Edward's reign the real ruler of England was Godwin , Earl of Wessex . In 1045 , he married Godwin's only daughter, Edith . Godwin was the most important nobleman in England. They had no children as Edward had taken a vow of celibacy. Even this marriage couldn’t prevent a breach between Godwin and Edward in 1049.
A number on Normans were killed in a scrap in Dover and Kent in 1051. Edward still had influential friends in Normandy and he wanted the people of Dover punhised for this. Edward asked Earl Godwin to be the punisher. After saying no to king he raised an army against Edward instead. The other two senior noblemen, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria , remained loyal to Edward. Later Edward outlawed Godwin and his family in Flanders.
Between 1051 and 1052 , Edward increased the number of Normans who advised him at court. Edward’s continued favouritism caused problems with his nobles. In 1052 Godwin and his sons returned to England with an army. The army was commanded by his two sons – Harold and Tostig. Godwin's lands were returned to him and many of Edward's Norman favourites were exiled. In 1053 Godwin died. His title was taken by Harold who became known as Harold of Wessex. He was the most powerful nobleman in England.
It was Harold who subjugated Wales in 1063 and negotiated with the rebellious Northumbrians in 1065. Thereof, shortly before his death, Edward named Harold as his successor even though he may already have promised the crown to a distant cousin, William – Duke of Normandy.
Edward's greatest achievement was the construction of a new cathedral, where virtually all English monarchs from William the Conqueror onward would be crowned. It was determined that the minster should not be built in London, and so a place was found to the west of the city (hence " Westminster "). The new church was consecrated at Christmas, 1065, but Edward could not attend due to illness .
Some say, probably correctly, that Edward was a weak , but violent man and that his reputation for saintliness was overstated, possibly a sham perpetrated by the monks of Westminster in the twelfth century . Others seem to think that he was deeply religious man and a patient and peaceable ruler.
Having warded off political threats, England during the last 15 years of Edward's reign was peaceful and prosperous with a growing population. He died at the age of 64 and was buried in the Abbery he had constructed at Westminster. Edward was canonized in 1161 by Pope Alexander III. His feast day is October 13.
He died on 4 January 1066 and was buried in the Abbey he had constructed at Westminster.
Find the meaning of these words in estonian:
Achievement -
Penultimate -
Influential -
Threat -
Prosperous -
Breach –
To oulaw –
A vow of celibacy -
To deprive –
To consecrate –
To canonize –
Feast -
Additional reading :
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/golden291.ht m (The Life of Saint Edward the Confessor, The Golden Legend)
Sources :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_the_Confessor
http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon20.html
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/MEDedward.ht m
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/edward_the_confessor.ht m
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/edward_confessor.shtml
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/images/london/westminster-abbey/isaac-newton-tomb-paradox.jpg (third picture )
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=97433&rendTypeId=4 (second picture)
Westminster Abbey
Around 1045-1065, Edward the Confessor built a church for the Benedictine monks in the Norman form of Romanesque. He intended it to be his burial place. The Westminster Abbey is located near the Houses of Parliament. It is more a historical site than a religious site. Since 1066, every royal coronation , with the exception of Edward V and Eward VIII has taken place in Westminster Abbey.
The abbey also serves as the burial ground for numerous politicians, sovereigns and artists . It is also a final resting place of seventeen monarchs.The abbey is stuffed with graves, statues and monuments. Many coffins even stand upright due to the lack of space. In total approximately 3300 people are buried in the Church and cloisters. Some of the most famous are Charles Darwin , Sir Isaac Newton and David Livingstone.
The history of the abbey starts in 1050, when King Edward The Confessor decided to build an abbey. Only a small part of this original Norman monastery , consecrated in 1065, survived. The only representation of this original building is shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.
Most of the present building dates from 1245 to 1272 when Henry III decided to rebuild the abbey in the gothic style. Large parts were later added: the Chapel of Henry VII was added between 1503 and 1512, while the two West Front Towers date from 1745. The North entrance which was completed in the 19th century, is the youngest part of the abbey.
1) The Nave
2) The Cloyster
3) Chapter House
4) Henry VII Chapel
The most fascinating part is the fourth one – Henry VII Chapel aka Lady Chapel. It is built during the years 1503-1512. It has a magnificient vault and it is one of the most outstanding chapels of its time. It features a large stained glass window , the Battle of Britain memorial window. The window, which dates from 1947, commemorates fighter pilots and crew who died during the Battle of Britain in 1940.
The Abbey's formal title is The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster. The popular title ‘Westminster Abbey' continues to be used, even though there have been no monks here since the 16th century.
The Dean of Westminster must give his permission for all burials and monuments in the Church. Ashes only are permitted. People who have served the Abbey in an official capacity , such as a Dean, a Canon, Organist or Surveyor of the Fabric may be buried there.
The ‘Westminster chimes’ are of the bells in the clocktower of the Houses of Parliament (or Palace of Westminster). The chimes are set out to music by Handel.
Money to maintain the fabric and deal with the day-to-day running of Westminster Abbey is raised from entry fees, donations and investments. The Abbey receives about one million paying visitors per year and derives about 80 per cent of its funds in this way. The Abbey receives no funds from the State or from the Church of England.
Answer the questions below :

Who decided to build the Westminster of Abbey?

What is Lady Chapel?

By whose music are the ’Westminster chimes’ set out?

How may monarchs are buried in the Westminster of Abbey?

What is the Abbey’s formal title?

Who can be buried nowadays in the Abbey?
Sources:
www.westminster-abbey.org
http://www.aviewoncities.com/london/westminsterabbey.ht m
http://www.westminster.org.uk/study/theabbey.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Abbey
http://www.tripwolf.com/en/guide/show/243989/England/London/Westminster-Abbey