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On October 26th, 899, Alfred the Great died. He left behind his wife, Eahlswitha, as well as his grown children. I imagine that the loss of Alfred was probably quite difficult on all of them. It’s always hard to lose a family member. But for Edward… the designated heir… what must that have been like? I mean, look at it from Edward’s perspective.
Edward was probably somewhere in his 20s at this point, was an AEtheling, and was the designated heir to the throne. His whole life had been in preparation for this moment. All the tasks and responsibilities handed down to him, all the charters and meetings with ealdormen, all the military appointments and time in the field. All of it was building up to /this/.
