Tock
6/1/26
Battle for the Crown 1066
On this day in 1066 Harold Godwinson became King of England. He was England’s second King Harold, so was crowned King Harold II. But straight away he had a fight on his hands! There were other people who thought they were the rightful person for the crown instead.
The main people involved in this story are Edward the Confessor, Harold Godwinson the Earl of Wessex, Harold Hardrada, the King of Norway and William the Duke of Normandy.
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor was King of England between 1042–1066. He died on the 5th January 1066, but he did not have any children so there was no heir to the throne.
This left England in a really tricky spot and made the country vulnerable to invasion. As there was no heir a new king had to be chosen and fast! King Edward’s councillors, a group called the Witan, had the responsibility of choosing the next king.
Interestingly as well as the three main contenders to the throne there was Edgar the Aetheling. He was a prince and the great-nephew of King Edward. In 1057, Edward the Confessor had named Edgar’s father heir to the throne but he died before he could be crowned. Edgar was Edwards closest living heir but it was decided he couldn’t become king as he was just 15 years old.
So who were they going to choose?
Edward the Confessor
The Earl of Wessex
The King of Norway
William the Conqueror
Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex
Harold Godwinson was an Anglo-Saxon and had good connections with people in the country. People liked him. He was also the Earl of Wessex so he controlled most of southern England. He was the most powerful man in England after the King and was the richest in the country too! Harold Godwinson’s sister was also married to King Edward.
He had been the King Edward’s advisor and had a lot of power while he was still alive, even making important decisions on behalf of the King. Harold claimed the King Edward had promised him the throne on his deathbed.
Harold Hardrada, the King of Norway
Harald Hardrada was a Viking warrior and the King of Norway. He was a distant relative of King Cnut, who had been a King of England when the Vikings had invaded, before Edwards reign. He thought he should be King instead of Harold Godwinson. Harada was also supported by a former English Earl called Tostig. His full name was Tostig Godwinson. He was Harold Godwinson’s brother. He was fighting against Harold and the English.
William, the Duke of Normandy
And finally there was William, who was the Duke of Normandy. He was a distant cousin of King Edward. Edward the Confessor had lived in Normandy for 25 years before becoming king, so he knew William quite well. Also, King Edward’s mother was from Normandy. William also claimed that King Edward had promised him the throne.
Harold Godwinson had got shipwrecked on the Norman coast. Before travelling back to England, Harold is said to have promised to support William’s claim to the throne of England. William said this and it got him the support of the Pope in Rome, which wasn’t a small thing!
Part of the Bayeux tapestry showing Harold Godwinson being crowned King.
So, what happened?
The Witan chose Harold Godwinson as Edward’s successor. Harold was coronated in Westminster Abbey on the 6th of January 1066, just a day after Edward the Confessor’s death.
William was furious! Straight away he started planning an invasion of England to claim the throne. Harold Hardrada also began planning to invade too.
Harold Hardrada invaded first, landing near York in the north. Two powerful local Earls raised an army of northern Saxons and went to throw Hardrada out. But, the Battle of Fulford was won by Hardrada.
In the South, Harold raised an army and marched very fast to meet Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. The Vikings were caught by surprise and Harold Hardrada was defeated and killed. Tostig, Harold’s brother was also killed.
Immediately after this Harold was told William had invaded and landed on the south coast. What! Harold turned around and marched back down south. They and their armies fought at the Battle of Hastings. King Harold was this time defeated and William won.
Each of the three warriors won one battle. Hardrada won the first but lost the next one. Harold Godwinson won the second and very nearly the third. William won the last. Fighting two large battles very close together was very hard. William only fought one. It made a difference.
William expected the English to surrender after the battle but they did not. Instead the Witan decided Edgar Aetheling should now in fact be king but he was never officially crowned. William didn’t give up and his armies began to capture cities, eventually even taking London.
William was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066. He was King for 21 years and changed England dramatically in that time.
Bayeux Tapestry with the words 'Here King Harold is killed'. But how did he actually die?
Find out more about more...
Battle of Hastings Re-enactment Blog Post
Topic Pages…coming soon!
William I | Battle of Hastings | The Normans | Early Defences | Mottle and Bailey Castles | Norman Stone Castles
Photos and illustrations in this blog post are Whizzbots and Public Domain Images.