England in the Middle Ages took power in 978 following the murder of his brother Edward, but England was then invaded by Sweyn Forkbeard, the son of a Danish king. Attempts to bribe Sweyn not to attack using danegeld payments failed, and he took the throne in 1013. Swein's son, Cnut, liquidated many of the older English families following his seizure of power in 1016. Æthelred's son, Edward the Confessor, had survived in exile in Normandy and returned to claim the throne in 1042. Edward was childless, and the succession again became a concern. England became dominated by the Godwin family, who had taken advantage
The Life of Edward II of England The Life of Edward II of England The Life of Edward II of England (German: ), also known as "Edward II", is an adaptation by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht of the 16th-century historical tragedy by Marlowe, "The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England, with the Tragical Fall of Proud Mortimer" (c.1592). The play is set in England between 1307 and 1326. A prefatory note to the play reads: Brecht wrote his adaptation in collaboration with Lion Feuchtwanger. It is written mostly in irregular free verse, with two songs (one of which is