Page "Oda of Canterbury" Paragraph 6

At the death of King Eadred of England in 955, Oda was one of the recipients of a bequest from the king, in his case a large amount of gold.

He was probably behind the reestablishment of a bishopric at Elmham, as the line of bishops in that see starts with Eadwulf of Elmham in 956.

Oda crowned King Eadwig in 956, but in late 957 the archbishop joined Eadwig's rival and brother Edgar who had been proclaimed king of the Mercians in 957, while Eadwig continued to rule Wessex.

The exact cause of the rupture between the two brothers that lead to the division of the previously united kingdom is unknown, but may have resulted from Eadwig's efforts to promote close kinsmen and his wife.

The division was peaceful, and Eadwig continued to call himself " King of the English " in contrast to Edgar's title of " King of the Mercians ".

In early 958 Oda annulled the marriage of Eadwig and his wife Ælfgifu, who were too closely related.

This act was likely a political move connected to the division between Eadwig and Edgar, as it is unlikely that the close kinship between Eadwig and Ælfgifu had not been known before their marriage.