A rediscovered royal seal reveals how Edward the Confessor drew on Byzantine and European influences to shape early English rule.
A rare royal seal from the 11th century, once used by Edward the Confessor, has resurfaced after vanishing for more than 40 years.
Edward, who ruled England from 1042 to 1066 and was later canonized as a saint, is often remembered as the last Anglo-Saxon king before the Norman Conquest and for overseeing the construction of Westminster Abbey.
The object, known as the ‘Saint-Denis seal,’ had been housed in Paris’s Archives Nationales for nearly two centuries before it disappeared in the 1980s, leaving historians with no clear explanation and little hope of recovery.
As the best-preserved example among the three known seals used by Edward, its loss caused significant concern among historians worldwide.
It has now been revealed that the wax object was located by a curator and a PhD student who were examining a section of the Paris archive that houses detached and damaged seals.
This rediscovery, made in 2021, is being reported publicly for the first time in a new academic study co-authored by Dr. Guilhem Dorandeu, who found the seal, and Professor Levi Roach of the University of Exeter.
Rediscovery restores a lost historical artifact
In their paper, published in Early Medieval England and its Neighbours, the historians explain that the seal, along with the document it authenticated, provides evidence that the final Anglo-Saxon King of England deliberately incorporated Byzantine and broader European influences into his rule.
Dr. Dorandeu said: “Pendant seals were two-sided wax impressions that were attached to a document by a cord or ribbon, which hung below it. Historically, these were used by monarchs to authenticate and approve important state papers.
“Edward’s seal is, therefore, a precious historical monument, and its recovery offered us a great opportunity to study it closely and consider what it says about the ambitions and influences swirling around the King and his advisors.”
Dr. Dorandeu had been given permission to work in the detached seals (Sceaux détachés) collection at the Archives Nationales by curator Clément Blanc. While examining numerous artifacts in this section, he and Blanc identified the long-missing Saint-Denis seal. They then reached out to experts in the field, including Professor Roach.
“It was a genuine ‘wow’ moment,” said Professor Roach, of Exeter’s Department of Archaeology and History. “This is our most important seal from pre-Conquest England, not least because it is the only intact one we have, and so the only one that offers us the chance to study its iconography and decipher its place in the diplomatic affairs of the country. Having it back is, in and of itself, important, but it was also an opportunity to reopen questions that have lain dormant for four decades.”
Seal design reveals wider influences
Examining the seal’s design, the researchers point to the inscription ‘Anglorum basileus’, with the term basileus being associated with the Byzantine emperor. They suggest this wording is either a direct reference to Byzantine models of authority or a reinterpretation of them within an English context. The depiction of a sword on one side of the seal also echoes imagery seen on Byzantine coins that portray rulers holding swords, including those of Constantine the Great.
“You might think that it’s self-evident that a sword should be a royal attribute,” said Dr. Dorandeu. “But at this point in English history, it’s almost not been used. We do see it, however, in the Byzantine coinage, where it had been introduced no more than five to ten years earlier. So, this suggests strong connections with, and quick responses to, Byzantine iconography, either directly or as it was transmitted through Europe.”
New document forms signal changing rule
In their analysis, the authors also link the seal to the emergence of the writ-charter, a form of document used by kings to grant land or rights while also instructing local officials to enforce those decisions. Historical records show that seven original writ-charters and many copies survive from Edward’s reign, whereas earlier periods have no surviving originals and only a few copies.
“The writ-charter, in its classic form as a sealed document, is almost certainly a novelty of Edward’s reign,” said Professor Roach. “And we are seeing a new kind of seal to authenticate this new document. Edward is adopting a continental form of authentication, which sits perfectly alongside the iconography of the seal itself, and his own hegemonic ambitions.”
The researchers conclude that these findings reinforce the idea that England’s ruling elite had already been strongly shaped by influences from continental Europe, including Norman France, well before the events of the Conquest in 1066.
Reference: “Lost and Found: the Saint-Denis Seal Impression of Edward the Confessor (1053 × 1057) and the Development of the Early English Writ-Charter” by Guilhem Dorandeu and Levi Roach, 13 April 2026, Early Medieval England and its Neighbours.
DOI: 10.1017/ean.2025.10014
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