ST. EDWARD THE MARTYR, KING OF ENGLAND AND RIGHTEOUS VICTIM (MARCH 18)

St. Edward, King and Martyr, Rightful King of Anglo-Saxon England 

By Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West) 

In the year of our Lord 962, Edward was born, the son of King Edgar the Peaceful and Queen Æthelflæd. Though deprived of his mother’s care at a young age, Edward was nurtured in the virtues of Christian piety and royal duty, inheriting from his father not only the crown but also a heart inclined toward the fear of God. Upon the death of King Edgar in AD 975, Edward ascended the throne while still a youth, facing the bitter strife of court factions and the jealous intrigues of those who coveted power. 

Though young, Edward’s zeal for righteousness and justice was evident to his people. He took up his father’s legacy of defending the Church, strengthening the monastic revival initiated by Saints Dunstan and Æthelwold. Yet his reign was brief, for ambition and treachery conspired against him. His stepmother, Queen Ælfthryth, schemed to secure the throne for her own son, Ethelred. 

On March 18, AD 978, while visiting his stepbrother at Corfe Castle, Edward was treacherously slain by his own attendants at the queen’s behest. As the young king dismounted to greet his stepmother, he was stabbed in the back and left to die. His body was hastily concealed and unceremoniously buried, but a heavenly light shone over his grave, revealing his sanctity to the faithful. 

Saint Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, proclaimed him a martyr, not merely for his unjust death but for his righteous life, which provoked the malice of the wicked. His relics, uncovered through miraculous signs, were translated to Shaftesbury Abbey, where numerous healings and wonders bore witness to his sanctity. Though his rule was cut short, his pure heart and steadfast faith were crowned with martyrdom, and he has remained an intercessor for the English people ever since. 

The holy relics of St. Edward the Martyr were originally enshrined at Shaftesbury Abbey, where they became a place of pilgrimage and veneration. After the Norman Conquest and the subsequent dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, the relics were hidden to preserve them from desecration. In the late 20th century, they were miraculously rediscovered and eventually translated to the Orthodox Monastery of St. Edward the Martyr in Brookwood, Surrey, England. There, they are venerated by the faithful, and the monastery continues to honor the legacy of this holy and righteous king, who bore witness to Christ through his steadfast faith and royal martyrdom.

Let us honor Saint Edward the Martyr, who bore witness to the justice of God and endured the betrayal of those closest to him, for the sake of the Kingdom of Christ. 

COLLECT 

O Almighty God, who didst call Thy servant Edward from the throne of an earthly kingdom to the glory of Thy heavenly realm, and didst make him a righteous king and a faithful martyr: Grant, we beseech Thee, that as he bore witness to Thy justice and truth on earth, so we may ever be mindful of our duty to serve Thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. 

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