The Succession Crisis 1066

1002 — King Ethelred II of England married Emma the sister of Richard, the Duke of Normandy.

1015 — King Sweyn of Denmark and his son Cnut began a campaign to take control of England. Emma sent her son Edward to Normandy to keep him safe.

1016 — King Ethelred and his son Edmund Ironside died. Cnut already King of Denmark became King of England too.

1042 — Edward the son of Ethelred II and Emma of Normandy became King of England after the deaths of Cnut and his sons.

1043 — Edward married Edith the daughter of Earl Godwin and sister of Harold Godwinson

1051 — Edward invited William Duke of Normandy to his court. Edward and Edith had no children and Edward allegedly promised to make William heir to the throne.

1053 — Earl Godwin died. His sons inherited his lands. Harold became earl of Wessex the richest Earldom in England.

1055 — Tostig Godwinson, (Harold’s brother) became the Earl of Northumbria increasing his family’s power.

1057 — Edward needed an heir. Some sources claim he convinced his nephew Edward the Exile to return from Hungary. Edward the Exile died not long after returning to England but his son Edgar lived in Edward the Confessor’s court. He was the only living blood relative of the king, but in 1066 he was only 14 years old.

1064 — Edward allegedly sent Harold Godwinson to Normandy to repeat Edwards promise to William. Some sources say that Harold swore an oath to support William’s claim to the throne.

1065 — There was a rebellion against Tostig in his earldom of Northumbria. Harold advised the King to remove Tostig from power. Harold and Tostig became enemies and Tostig went abroad perhaps to Norway and Denmark.

5th Jan 1066 — Edward died. Harold was crowned the next day.

Spring 1066 — King Harald Hardrada of Norway prepared to invade England. He allied with Tostig, who was still very angry with Harold Godwinson.

Topic

My Summary

Edward’s death

When he died there were four people in line for the throne and none of them were his children. Harold was crowned the day after but the other 3 still believed they had a right to the throne. Some sources claim that just before his death he entrusted his wife and kingdom to Harold Godwinson’s protection however it is debated. The next day the Witan nominated Harold Godwinson as Edward’s successor and he was crowned King Harold II. William Duke of Normandy began planning an invasion.

Harold Godwinson claim

His claim to the throne was delicate, some sources say Edward nominated him on his death bed, but others say Edward merely entrusted the crown to him, or nominated him as a stopgap ruler. However, at this time Harold was the most important person in the country and he was crowned the day after Edward died. His coronation was unusually/suspiciously rapid. This was because he needed to bolster his reign. He was married to Edward's sister but was not linked by blood. He was supported by the Witan as well as the earls of Mercia and Northumbria (Edwin and Morcar) because he promised to marry their sister.

Edgar Aetheling claim

He was great-nephew of Edward the confessor and son of Edward the Exile, meaning he had the strongest blood relation to any of the heirs.

Harald Hardrada claim

There was a deal between a previous King of England, Harthacnut, and Magnus of Norway which said if Harthacnut died before Magnus, Magnus would become King of England. This did not happen, but Harald Hardrada believed as Magnus successor the deal should transfer to him.

The Witan and Harold’s election

The witan supported Harold and some sources say Edward nominated him while on his death bed. He was the most important person in England at the time which is why he had the support of the witan.

William Duke of Normandy claim

In 1051 it is possible that William made a trip to England from Normandy to see Edward. William claimed that Edward had promised that he should succeed him as King of England. In 1064 Harold Godwinson made a trip to Normandy, and William claimed that he also promised that William could succeed to the English throne. William was a cousin of Edward the Confessor, through Edward’s mother Emma, who was William’s great-aunt.