In 955, King Eadwig came to the West Saxon throne in a time of internal strife between delegates for the crown. Only fifteen at the time, his short-lived reign became synonymous with lechery, debouchery and ill-council. This paper will examine one of the stories that made this reputation: at his coronation feast, Eadwig left the celebrations in order to cavort with his consort, Ælfgifu (and, in some texts, her mother.)
