 Edgar ruled as a strong and popular king for 16 years . In 975 was succeeded by his eldest son Edward ( II ) " the Martyr " . His accession was disputed by his stepmother , Ælfthryth , who wished her own son Æthelred to reign . Through the influence of Dunstan , Edward was chosen and crowned at Winchester . Edgar 's death had encouraged the reactionary nobles , and at once there was a determined attack upon the monks , the protagonists of reform . Throughout Mercia they were persecuted and deprived of their possessions . Their cause , however , was supported by Æthelwine , the ealdorman of East Anglia , and the realm was in serious danger of civil war . Three meetings of the Witan were held to settle these disputes , at <unk> , at Calne , and at Amesbury . At the second of them the floor of the hall where the Witan was sitting gave way , and all except Dunstan , who clung to a beam , fell into the room below , several men were killed . 
