Edward took part in the events upon which Shakespeare, five hundred
years later, founded his famous tragedy of "Macbeth."
There lived in Scotland during his reign an ambitious nobleman
named Macbeth, who invited Duncan, the King of Scotland, to his
castle and murdered him. He tried to make it appear that the murder
had been committed by Duncan's attendants and he caused the king's
son and heir, Prince Malcolm, to flee from the land. He then made
himself king of Scotland.
Malcolm hastened to England and appealed to King Edward for help.
When the king was told the number of soldiers Malcolm would probably
need he gave orders for double that number to march into Scotland.
Malcolm with this support attacked Macbeth, and after several
well-fought battles drove the usurper from Scotland and took possession
of the throne.
Edward did a great deal during his reign to aid the cause of
Christianity. He rebuilt the ancient Westminster Abbey in London
and erected churches and monasteries in different parts of England.
Edward was long supposed to have made many just laws, and years after
his death the English people, when suffering from bad government,
would exclaim, "Oh, for the good laws and customs of Edward the
Confessor!" What he really did was to have the old laws faithfully
carried out.
He died in 1066 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.