Edward lived from 1003 to 1066. He was the son of Ethelred the Unready and Emma, daughter of Duke Richard I of Normandy. He was educated in Normandy, and on the death of his half-brother Hardicanute, in 1042, was acclaimed King of England.

He owed the throne largely to the support of Earl Godwin, whose daughter, Edith, he married later in 1045. Although his reign was outwardly peaceful, internally it was marked by struggles between Earl Godwin and his Saxon (English) supporters on one side and the Norman (French) advisers and barons on the other. This latter group included Robert of Jumieges, Archbishop of Canterbury.

At King Edward's death, the disputed succession plunged England into hostilities. These troubles eventually led to the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066.

Edward himself was mainly occupied with religious matters, and is known especially for the construction of Westminster Abbey (St. Peter's Abbey at Westminster), which was consecrated in late 1065. His reputation for piety continued after his death and he was canonized in 1161. In the ancient Calendar, his Feast Day was October 13.