He had close connections with Normandy

King Ethelred the Unready and Queen Emma, a descendant of the Duke of Normandy, were the parents of Edward. The family fled to Normandy when the Danes conquered England in 1013, where Edward spent 25 years. An interesting detail about Edward the Confessor is that many of his closest advisors when he became king were Normans.

Between 1016 and 1040, when Edward was exiled in Normandy, little is known about his lengthy absence. But in light of new studies, it is worthwhile to review the sparse evidence once more, in particular: the examination of the four Norman charters that mention Edward during this time, the most current book on the creation of early Normandy, the research on Norman abbots, and the study of English queens from the eleventh century.

In 1066 Edward the Confessor died childless leaving no direct heir. He had strong connections to Normandy where Duke William had ambitions for the English throne. In England, Edward had had a longstanding rivalry with the powerful Earl Godwin.