After his victory at the battle of Hastings William moved along the south coast to Dover where extra fortifications were built in the existing castle at the top of the cliffs. From there he moved on to Canterbury. After the death of King Harold the archbishops of York and Canterbury, Ealdred and Stigand supported the plan to put Edgar the Atheling on the English throne but William moved too quickly for this to be done and Edgar was too young and inexperienced to take on the role. Canterbury submitted to William and he moved on to London. Instead of entering London from the south he moved around the west of the city crossing the Thames at Wallingford. Finally archbishop Stigand and the other Anglo-Saxon leaders submitted to William and after turning south at Little Berkhamsted William the Conqueror entered London.

William returned to Normandy taking as guests Edgar the Aetheling (the grandson of Edmund Ironside), Stigand (Archbishop of Canterbury, the Earls of Mercia and Northumbria and the brothers Edwin and Morcar. ^[1]

Edgar the Aetheling took refuge with Malcolm III in Scotland along with his sister Margaret. Malcolm and Margaret were married in the same year.

It is possible that William the Conqueror was planning to attack King Malcolm to prevent him protecting Edgar the Aetheling and to stop him advancing into the north of England. The treaty 'Peace of Abernethy' brought a solution to the situation where Malcolm agreed to become William's vassal and to expel Edgar. ^[1]

Edgar the Aetheling joined forces with King Malcolm in Scotland and King Philippe I of France in an attempt to take the English throne. A storm in the North Sea brought the endevour to an end and Edgar surrendered to William the Conqueror.

King William II took an army into Normandy and attacked the army of his elder brother Robert Curthose, the Duke. William claimed some of Robert's lands after the brothers agreed to peace. One term of the agreement was that Edgar the Atheling should be expelled from Normandy as his potential claim to the English throne was a threat to William.

William Rufus renewed the arrangement that his father had with Malcolm III, King of the Scots. This may have included letting Malcolm have some areas of northern England. Even so this did not prevent further attacks on England in the north by the Scots. The negotiation of the peace between England and Scotland was assisted by Edgar the Atheling.  ^[2]

Edgar, the son of Malcolm III of Scotland, and his second wife Margaret of Wessex became the king of Scotland after taking the Scottish throne from Donald Bane. Edgar was assisted by an English army supplied by William Rufus in return for swaring fealty to the Englsih King. The army was led by Edgar the Atheling, Edgar's uncle.

King Henry I attacked his brother Robert at the battle of Tinchebrai. This time with a much larger force Henry defeated and captured Robert along with William, the Count of Mortain. Henry locked Robert in Cardiff castle where he remained until he died in 1135. Also captured was Edgar the Atheling who had sided with Robert. Edgar was released as King Henry did not think he was a threat.

Edgar the Atheling died without a male heir, ending Alfred the Great's line of succession.