Edward the Confessor Harthacnut, but a diploma issued by Harthacnut in 1042 describes him as the king's brother. Following Harthacnut's death on 8 June 1042, Godwin, the most powerful of the English earls, supported Edward, who succeeded to the throne. The "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" describes the popularity he enjoyed at his accession – "before he [Harthacnut] was buried, all the people chose Edward as king in London." Edward was crowned at the cathedral of Winchester, the royal seat of the West Saxons, on 3 April 1043. Edward complained that his mother had "done less for him than he wanted before he became king, and
Basil the Confessor Basil the Confessor Basil the Confessor (died 750) was an Eastern Orthodox saint who lived in the 8th century and was tortured by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine V. Basil was a monk who has elected Bishop of Parium. In February 754 Emperor Constantine V convened a synod at Hieria to condemn the veneration of icons. Basil refused to sign the orders for their destruction. With his pupil Procopius, Basil was imprisoned. Both languished in prison until the death of the emperor in 741, when they were released. Basil died in 750 and is venerated February 28 (New Style; March 13