This article is devoted to the analysis of the causes and strategy of the first canonization attempt of Edward the Confessor. The main feature of the first canonization petition of Edward the Confessor is the interweaving of ecclesiastical and political motives. The initiator of the first canonization petition of Edward the Confessor was Osbert of Clare, who wrote a hagiographic work «The Life of Blessed Edward, King of England». The study of this work revealed that Osbert was trying to enlist the support of royal power, emphasizing the genealogical links between Edward the Confessor and King Stephen. The author considers that the circumstances of the political climate of England attracted the attention of King Stephen to the first canonization petition, which would strengthen the legitimization of his power and rebuff the claims of Empress Matilda to the English throne. But the first canonization petition of Edward the Confessor failed because of the lack of widespread support for the cult from Westminster Abbey, tensions between royal power and the church and the destabilizing circumstances of the political climate of England.
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