History of the English line of succession Prince Louis of France as king. However, with John's death, his barons saw his young son as a safer option. John's eldest son became Henry III, and the French were driven away from the country. On Henry III's death, on 16 November 1272, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward I. On Edward I's death, on 7 July 1307, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward II. On the day of Edward II's abdication, 25 January 1327, the throne passed to his eldest son, Edward III. The succession to Edward III was governed according to his entail to
Edward the Confessor of Danish rule, and only Leofric was descended from a family which had served Æthelred. Siward was probably Danish, and although Godwin was English, he was one of Cnut's new men, married to Cnut's former sister-in-law. However, in his early years Edward restored the traditional strong monarchy, showing himself, in Frank Barlow's view, "a vigorous and ambitious man, a true son of the impetuous Æthelred and the formidable Emma." In 1043 Godwin's eldest son Sweyn was appointed to an earldom in the south-west midlands, and on 23 January 1045 Edward married Godwin's daughter Edith. Soon afterwards, her brother Harold and