After the death of King Edgar, powerful court factions struggled for power by hiding behind his two sons, twelve-year-old Edward and his younger step-brother Ethelred.
Edward became King of England in 975, aged twelve. His stepmother Ælfthryth at once sidelined him, and sought to rule through her own boy Ethelred, barely eight. Edward’s party supported the revival of England’s monasteries whereas Ælfthryth campaigned to dissolve them, and in 978 his principles cost Edward his life. Roger of Wendover (?-1236) accused Ælfthryth of the murder, but there was a twist in the tale.