King Edward was known as a king who never laughed. During a court session on Whitsunday Edward is supposed to have broken into uncontrollable laughter during mass. When asked why he was laughing, he explained that he’d had a vision of the King of Denmark drowning on a voyage to invade and conquer England. When they sent messengers to Denmark to investigate, they found that the story was true and the king had indeed died. The image shows the moment where the king fell from his ship. This particular miracle is known to be untrue as King Svein of Denmark did not die until after Edward himself.
Tasks
- The King of Denmark is shown in full armour. What does this suggest about his relationship with England?
- In reality, the king described in the ‘miracle’ died many years after Edward the Confessor. What does this myth show about the threat of invasion during Edward’s reign?