Edmund of East Anglia
(c. 840-Nov. 20, 870). Christian martyr and King of East Anglia. He became king at the age of fifteen. Edmund was subsequently defeated and captured by an army of invading Danes. The invaders offered to spare his life if he would share his kingdom with a Danish leader. As a Christian, Edmund refused to collaborate in this way with a pagan or compromise the faith. He was tortured, used as a target for the Danes' archery practice, and finally beheaded. A cult of the martyr developed immediately, and Edmund was declared a saint. He is commemorated in the Episcopal calendar of the church year on Nov. 20.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.