Edward the Confessor

Edward the Confessor (c. 1003 – 5 January 1066) ruled as king of the English from 1042, the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. After spending much of his youth in Norman exile, he succeeded his half-brother Harthacnut.

His later reign saw the rise of Earl Godwin's family. Edward rebuilt Westminster Abbey, and when he died childless in January 1066 Harold Godwinson took the throne, paving the way for the Norman Conquest. He was canonised in 1161.