The Succession Crisis 1066
Why was there a succession crisis?
At the beginning of 1066, England was ruled by King Edward. He was a very religious man who spent so much time praying and confessing that people called him Edward ‘the Confessor’. In January 1066 Edward the Confessor died. He was 62 years old and left no children behind. There was no clear heir to the throne. However, three men believed that they should be England's next King… and they were ready to use their armies to get their hands on the crown!
Who were the claimants to the throne?
Harold Godwinson
Position: Earl of Wessex, one of the most powerful men in England.
Family History: His father Godwin argued a lot with King Edward. At one time Harold and his father were banished from England, but they returned a year later.
Links to King Edward: Harold’s sister was married to King Edward.
Was he tough enough? Harold was a brave and respected soldier with a tough streak. In 1063, King Edward sent Harold to crush a Welsh uprising. The Welsh leader was caught and his head was chopped off on Harold’s orders.
Support for his claim: He was the only adult Englishman claiming the throne. The Witan, a meeting of the most important bishops and earls in England, wanted Harold to be the next king. English monks wrote; ‘Harold and his brothers were the king’s favourites … on his deathbed that wise king promised the kingdom to Harold.’
William of Normandy
Position: Duke of Normandy, the strongest part of France.
Family History: William came from a fighting family. He had been in control of Normandy since he was seven and was used to having to fight to keep his lands.
Links to King Edward: Edward had lived in Normandy from 1016-1042. When Edward returned to England to be king, William sent soldiers to help him. As a result, King Edward had promised William the throne in 1051.
Was he tough enough? His nickname was ‘William the Bastard’ because his father wasn’t married to his mother. In 1047, people from the town of Alençon made fun of his mother’s family. William captured the town and ordered that 30 of the townsmen be skinned alive.
Support for his claim: According to William of Poitiers, a Norman writer, “Edward, king of the English, loved William like a brother or son… so he decided that William should be the next king”. Harold Godwinson had visited William to tell him this news in 1064 and promised to support William’s claim to the English crown.
Harald Hardrada
Position: King of Norway
Family History: he had fought alongside several Norwegian kings and had taken part in raids on the English coast. When he became King of Norway, he began to plan a full-scale invasion of England.
Links to King Edward: None- but a Viking called Canute had ruled Norway and England from 1016-1035.
Was he tough enough? He was the most feared warrior in Europe – tough, bloodthirsty and he enjoyed watching his enemies suffer. Hardrada means ‘hard ruler’.
Support for his claim: Hardrada’s claim was supported by Tostig, Harold Godwinson’s brother. The two brothers had fallen out and Tostig wanted revenge.
Harold Godwinson’s succession as King of England
When Edward the Confessor died in 1066, the Witan, England’s high council, met and decided who should be the next King of England. They chose Harold Godwinson, a leading member of the council.
Harold was crowned King in Westminster Abbey on the same day as Edward’s burial. The Witan encouraged the powerful men of England to support Harold against the external threats from Norway and Normandy.
Harold went straight to the North of England when he became king. He married the sister of the two powerful northern earls, Edwin and Morcar.
Harold’s alliance with the northern earls meant that he did not have to worry about civil war and could concentrate on building up forces to fight William of Normandy and Harald Hardrada.
