Westminster Abbey, King Stephen, and the Failure to Canonize King Edward in 1139
In 1139, Pope Innocent II denied Westminster Abbey’s request to obtain canonization for King Edward (reigned 1042–1066), later known as “the Confessor.” Modern scholars usually explain this failure in relation to the disruption of the early Blade fuses years of King Stephen’s reign, 1135–1154, when he and Empress Matilda clashed over wh