1066 - Succession issues and the Norman Conquest

 

A drop of history...

1066 - Succession issues

• Edward the Confessor was an old king who had been ruling England for 24 years.

• He had no children, no surviving siblings or an immediate blood relative fit enough to nominate as heir

• This led to succession issues with several contenders for the throne

Contenders for the English throne in 1066

•       Prince Edgar

 •       Harold Godwin

 •       Harold Hardrada

 •       Duke William of Normandy

 

     Prince Edgar

 •       He was King Edward’s nephew’s son (the great grand nephew of the King)

 •       However at the death of Edward the Confessor, he was too young to be crowned

(had no experience in ruling a country)

   Harold Godwin

•        He was nominated by the dying king as his successor

•        His sister was Edward the Confessor’s wife

•        He was one of the most trusted noblemen by the King

•        Was the Earl of Wessex

•        Had the support of the Witan and the people of England

•        Regarded as the strongest man in England after Edward and had the military power within                  England

 

•        Not a direct descendent in the royal bloodline

Harold Hardrada

•       His relatives had once been kings in England before Edward the Confessor

•       Had the support of a large army and specially the support of Godwin’s brother           Tostig.

•       No direct blood relation to the existing monarch

•       King of Norway

Duke William of Normandy

            •        Claims that King Edward himself had promised him the throne once when                     he visited him in 1051.

•        Further claims that Harold Godwin too had promised to help him ascend              the throne, once when Godwin was captured in Normandy in 1064.

            •        Very ambitious and power-hungry commander.

            •        Duke of Normandy, France

Points to note..

•         But the promise made by the dying King to Godwin that he should be crowned King was considered valid by the Witan.

 

•       The promise made by Godwin to William was considered invalid by the Witan because it was made under the threat of death.

 •       So who do you think has the strongest claim to the throne?

Coronation of Harold Godwin

            •       On 5th  January 1066 Edward died.

 

•       On 7^th January 1066 Harold Godwin was crowned King Harold II of England.

 

•       The coronation took place at Westminster Abbey.

Enemy Invasions

•        Hardrada landed in the Humber estuary( near York)with 300 ships. He was the first to invade England after Godwin became King.

•        Hardrada’s army confronted the English army lead by Harold’s earls: Morca (Earl of Mercia) and Edwin (Earl of Northambria).

•        The English army was defeated at the Battle of Fulford on 20^th September 1066 and Hardrada took control of the north. 

Victory for Harold Godwin…

•            Harold marched up north with an army including his housecarls ( a highly trained bodyguard)

 

•            He made a surprise attack on Hardrada’s army on 25^th September 1066 as they rested at Stamford Bridge near York.

 

      Harold killed both Hardrada and Tostig in this battle.

 

The Battle of Hastings

Worst invasion..

•           On 28^th September 1066 Duke William’s army set sail from St Valery Port, Normandy and arrived at Pevensey near Hastings, England on the morning of 29^th September 1066.

 

        •           It was a fleet of 696 ships and an army of 7000 soldiers including archers and                 horsemen.

            •         King Harold hurried down south with his army for another surprise attack on the                     newly arrived French army. But most of his soldiers were weakened by the battle at                             Stamford Bridge.

 

        •            Harold’s army had about 7000 men but only 2000 were housecarls and the others             were men collected on the way. He had few archers and horsemen.

•            On the 13^th of October the Saxon army (Harold’s English army) got close to the Normans and the Normans took their positions in response.

 

           •          The Battle of Hastings began on the 14^th of October 1066 and lasted whole day.                     Normans played a trick of retreat and destroyed much of the English army.

 

•            Harold was killed in this battle (perhaps with an arrow in his eye which is disputed by some historians) and William became the Conqueror!

 

  

 Completing   the  Conquest

•            William was crowned  himself, William I on the Christmas Day 1066. 

•            It took some more years for him to conquer the rest of the country after the Battle of Hastings.

• Norman conquest contd..

 

Saxon Resistance

 

•       Dover – fell without any resistance

•       London – fell without any resistance

•       Berkhamstad – Prince Edgar, Earl Morca and Earl Edwin came out and                    surrended.

•       Exeter – heavy resistance by the Saxons. William took hostages and                     blinded one to frighten them. Instead they determined to hold out.

•       York – worse resistance by the Saxons in the North.                                             They wanted their land back and also a Saxon king of their own.

  •         Prince Edgar once again came out of exile in Scotland and led a rebellion. The                 Saxons burnt William’s castles and killed Norman soldiers.

  •        William took savage revenge and it is referred to as “ harrying of the                   north” (in the Winter 1069-1070)

               •       The Fens of East Anglia – Rebellion led by Hereward the Wake and the                          Earls Edwin and Morca. William failed twice but reached                                                  them through  secret tracks beat the rebels. (1071)