was made a Saint towards the end of the 9th century and died in 869 AD. An Anglo-Saxon prose writer AElfric (955-1025 AD) in his “Lives of the Saints” and a Benedictine Monk Abbo of Fleury (945-1004 AD) in his “The Passion of St Edmund” tell us that Edmund was an able and diligent king looking after his subjects with honesty and kindness at the same time dealing fairly but strongly with wrong doers.
SAINT EDMUND
KING AND MARTYR
under the leadership of a Dane either called
Have you ever wondered, as I have, why St
were a fearsome force going about the country
George, a foreigner who probably never even visited our shores, became the Patron Saint of England?
Hinguar by AElfric, or Ivar by Abbo. The Vikings ravaging the land, torturing and killing men, women and children. Hinguar then turned his attention to attack East Anglia.
Apparently St George was declared a saint in AD 494 by Pope Gelasius but it was not until 1350 that he became the patron saint of England. However, it was reported that in the 12th century King Richard the Lionheart called on the help of St George before going to war during the Crusades. King Edward III, who was the reigning monarch in England at that time, chose St George as the country’s patron saint as he was admired by many for his bravery in the face of terrible suffering. Not to be forgotten, there is of course, also the legend that a knight named Sir George saved a princess by slaying a dragon. So St. George became a symbol of courage in the face of adversity, as well as embodying the English ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry. But did you know that before St George, England had another Patron Saint – Edmund, King of Norfolk 855 AD and Suffolk 856 AD -
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In 865 AD the Danish Vikings invaded England
It was here that Hinguar sent a message to Edmund offering to spare him if Edmund would share his wealth with him and bow in allegiance to him. Throughout his reign as king of Norfolk and Suffolk, Edmund had won over the hearts of his subjects by his care of the poor and by his steady suppression of wrong doing.
Even
though he was being threatened with certain death, Edmund was not prepared to give up on his people or his faith in God. But Edmund did not just decline Hinguar’s offer - in fact he said he would submit, but only if Hinguar first agreed to acknowledge the supremacy of God. This response obviously did not please the Viking leader, who went ahead, sought out and captured Edmund. It is recorded that when Edmund stood before Hinguar, Edmund threw down his weapons thus imitating Christ’s example. You may remember that when Christ
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