You may wish to start at "Challenges To The Throne" if you already know Harold's early life prior to the Battle of Hastings.
]KING HAROLD II THE GREAT
Reign: 5 January 1066 - 29 July 1086
Predecessor: Edward the Confessor (House of Wessex)
Successor: Harold III the Wise (House of Godwin)
Harold II the Great (or Harold Godwinson) (c.1022-29 July 1086) was the founder of the Godwin dynasty of England. He reigned from 6 January, 1066, until his death at Winchester.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Harold was the son of Godwin, the powerful Earl of Wessex, and his wife, Gytha Thorkelsdottir (d.1074). His maternal uncle, Ulf Jarl, was the father of King Sweyn II of Denmark. Harold had four brothers of note: Swegen, Tostig, Gyrth and Leofwine. As well as being the son of England's leading magnate, his sister Edith (1029-75) was the Queen Consort of King Edward the Confessor.
A POWERFUL NOBLE
As a result of his sister's marriage, designed to guarantee peace between the King and the Godwinson family, Harold was created Earl of East Anglia in 1045. He benefited further was the disgrace of his brother Swegen, who having seduced an abbess, was sent into exile. Swegen died on his way to the Holy Land in 1052.
Tensions were fostered between Edward the Confessor and the Godwinsons over the former's court favourites, largely from neighbouring Normandy. Robert of Jumeiges, then Archbishop of Canterbury, fanned the disagreements between the King and his most senior vassal. The death of several Normans in a brawl in Dover provided the catalyst for a showdown and the Godwinson family were forced into exile in Flanders. Harold spent his period abroad in the court of King Dermot of Leinster.
Earl Godwin's subsequent invasion forced Edward the Confessor to restore his estates and, when he died in 1053, Harold was named his successor as Earl of Wessex. His brothers, Tostig, Gyrth and Leofwine, were elevated to the earldoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and Kent respectively.
Harold remained a loyal subject of King Edward, leading his army to glory in a series of military campaigns against the ruler of Wales, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, in 1062-63. His actions in these campaigns destroyed all remaining strongholds and depopulated large portions of the country. With these victories and the deaths of two preferred candidates, Harold's claim to succeed the childless King were strengthened.
In October, 1065, the thegns (retainers) of Harold's brother, Earl Tostig of Northumbria, rebelled against his rule over oppressive and unreasonable tax hikes. They replaced him with Morcar, brother of the Earl of Mercia. The King demanded that the rebellion be crushed, but Harold was disinclined to use his forces to defend his brother. His actions further strengthened his bid for the crown, but divided the powerful Godwinson family.
CHALLENGES TO THE THRONE
Edward the Confessor died on 5 January, 1066, commending Queen Edith to the protection of his successor and indicating his favour for Harold. His crown was confirmed by a vote of the Witenagemot after a consideration of four candidates the following day. Due to the presence of a large number of nobles for the Feast of the Epiphany, Harold II was coronated immediately by Archbishop Ealdred of York (the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stigand, was under excommunication from Rome at the time). He also immediately took as his wife the daughter of the Earl of Mercia. She was, additionally, the dowager queen consort of Wales.
Two threats existed to Harold's rule. Duke William II of Normandy won papal support for his claims that the late King had promised William the throne of England. King Harald III of Norway also imagined himself a contender and had an association with Harold's bitter brother, Tostig. While both potential invaders gathered their forces, Harold gradually assembled a fleet of ships to patrol the eastern coastline. On 8 September, 1066, Harald III arrived off the Ouse River with three hundred ships.
The English thegns, led by Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumberland, advanced on the Norwegians before they could fully deploy. In the Battle of Fulford Gate, the English defenders lost close to a thousand of their number, but successfully breaking the Viking shield walls achieved them a startling victory. King Harold was advised of the death of his faithless brother, and his Norwegian ally, on 21 September.
A week after the victory, the Norman armies landed unopposed in Sussex and William II began to ravage the hinterland. King Harold called for a general rally of his forces in the south, joining with his brother, Gyrth. The two armies clashed in the Battle of Hastings on 17 October. Successfully outflanked and facing heavy casualties, William II fell in battle, alongside Bishop Odo of Bayeux and Eustace II of Bologne (the Confessor's son-in-law). The Normans returned home humiliated under Robert, Count of Mortain, who sought the intervention of the French king to ensure that Normandy was retained by William's heirs.
The final challenge faced by Harold II in his early reign was the survival of the House of Wessex in the form of his predecessor's nephew, Edgar Atheling. In 1068, Atheling agreed to cooperate in a plot between King Sweyn of Denmark and Malcolm III Canmore of Alba. It projected a series of rebellions, supported by the two countries, under which Atheling would assume the English throne and settle diplomatic disputes in favour of his sponsors.
A Danish fleet was intercepted prior to landing in September, 1069, leading to five months of declining support for the rebels and finally a peace offer from Denmark. Edgar Atheling fled to the north, where his sister became queen consort. In 1072, Harold II invaded Scotland. Under the subsequent treaty, vast territory in Cumbria (Strathclyde) was granted to Waltheof, son of Siward, who would serve as Harold's newest Earl, while Malcolm of Alba also pledged to be his vassal. Edgar Atheling, expelled from Alba, would eventually accept his fate and returned to England under royal pardon in 1074, living out his years in peace.
REIGN
The earliest political decisions faced by Harold related to the Church. Archbishop Ealdred of York died in September 1069 and the King turned to a close confidante, Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester (St. Wulfstan of York). Wulfstan was crowned by Pope Alexander II and given authority as the sole legitimate archbishop in England. The excommunicated Stigand of Canterbury died in 1072 and was replaced by Walter of Lorraine, chaplain to the King's mother and another close friend. This brief period of York supremacy gave rise to an ongoing claim of primacy, steadfastly rejected in Canterbury until a papal ruling in the 1120s. However, the new appointments ended the stand-off between Winchester and Rome.
King Harold's strongest bond was with his brother, Earl Leofwine of Kent (1035-99), who emerged as the dominant courtier of the reign. Both returned to Wales in March, 1073, to crush a rebellion against English rule. In two years of campaigning, tens of thousands of Welsh perished. A youthful Gruffydd ap Cynan, the grandson of the former King of Gwynedd, was appointed Prince of Wales, a similar arrangement of vassalage as applied to the King of Alba under the new treaty.
The reorganisation of government to extend authority into Wales culminated in the Treaty of Salisbury (1081), in which Harold outlined the powers, privileges and responsibilities of his vassals. It led to the establishment of the Court of Fealty to settle land ownership disputes and rule on fealty obligations. The cause was the betrayal of his brother, Leofwine, who demonstrably attempted to extort landholders and was reported to the King. Leofwine would serve the remainder of his brother's reign in prison, not being released until some years after his death. These events led to the emergence of Gyrth (1034-94), who became the new favourite and mentor to the King's younger sons.
In 1083, Harold married his youngest daughter, Edith, to Niels, brother of King Canute of Denmark. This attempt to discourage Viking motivations for invasion also removed potential challenges to his succession.
DEATH
In July, 1086, King Harold, Queen Edith and their son, Ulf, were aboard a ship which was caught in a severe storm and sunk off the English coast. The bodies were recovered and were interred at Bosham, Wessex. The Witenagemot convened the following week and decided to elect his fourth son, a seventeen-year-old who bore his name, as his successor.
]KING HAROLD II THE GREAT
Reign: 5 January 1066 - 29 July 1086
Predecessor: Edward the Confessor (House of Wessex)
Successor: Harold III the Wise (House of Godwin)
Harold II the Great (or Harold Godwinson) (c.1022-29 July 1086) was the founder of the Godwin dynasty of England. He reigned from 6 January, 1066, until his death at Winchester.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Harold was the son of Godwin, the powerful Earl of Wessex, and his wife, Gytha Thorkelsdottir (d.1074). His maternal uncle, Ulf Jarl, was the father of King Sweyn II of Denmark. Harold had four brothers of note: Swegen, Tostig, Gyrth and Leofwine. As well as being the son of England's leading magnate, his sister Edith (1029-75) was the Queen Consort of King Edward the Confessor.
A POWERFUL NOBLE
As a result of his sister's marriage, designed to guarantee peace between the King and the Godwinson family, Harold was created Earl of East Anglia in 1045. He benefited further was the disgrace of his brother Swegen, who having seduced an abbess, was sent into exile. Swegen died on his way to the Holy Land in 1052.
Tensions were fostered between Edward the Confessor and the Godwinsons over the former's court favourites, largely from neighbouring Normandy. Robert of Jumeiges, then Archbishop of Canterbury, fanned the disagreements between the King and his most senior vassal. The death of several Normans in a brawl in Dover provided the catalyst for a showdown and the Godwinson family were forced into exile in Flanders. Harold spent his period abroad in the court of King Dermot of Leinster.
Earl Godwin's subsequent invasion forced Edward the Confessor to restore his estates and, when he died in 1053, Harold was named his successor as Earl of Wessex. His brothers, Tostig, Gyrth and Leofwine, were elevated to the earldoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and Kent respectively.
Harold remained a loyal subject of King Edward, leading his army to glory in a series of military campaigns against the ruler of Wales, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, in 1062-63. His actions in these campaigns destroyed all remaining strongholds and depopulated large portions of the country. With these victories and the deaths of two preferred candidates, Harold's claim to succeed the childless King were strengthened.
In October, 1065, the thegns (retainers) of Harold's brother, Earl Tostig of Northumbria, rebelled against his rule over oppressive and unreasonable tax hikes. They replaced him with Morcar, brother of the Earl of Mercia. The King demanded that the rebellion be crushed, but Harold was disinclined to use his forces to defend his brother. His actions further strengthened his bid for the crown, but divided the powerful Godwinson family.
CHALLENGES TO THE THRONE
Edward the Confessor died on 5 January, 1066, commending Queen Edith to the protection of his successor and indicating his favour for Harold. His crown was confirmed by a vote of the Witenagemot after a consideration of four candidates the following day. Due to the presence of a large number of nobles for the Feast of the Epiphany, Harold II was coronated immediately by Archbishop Ealdred of York (the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stigand, was under excommunication from Rome at the time). He also immediately took as his wife the daughter of the Earl of Mercia. She was, additionally, the dowager queen consort of Wales.
Two threats existed to Harold's rule. Duke William II of Normandy won papal support for his claims that the late King had promised William the throne of England. King Harald III of Norway also imagined himself a contender and had an association with Harold's bitter brother, Tostig. While both potential invaders gathered their forces, Harold gradually assembled a fleet of ships to patrol the eastern coastline. On 8 September, 1066, Harald III arrived off the Ouse River with three hundred ships.
The English thegns, led by Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumberland, advanced on the Norwegians before they could fully deploy. In the Battle of Fulford Gate, the English defenders lost close to a thousand of their number, but successfully breaking the Viking shield walls achieved them a startling victory. King Harold was advised of the death of his faithless brother, and his Norwegian ally, on 21 September.
A week after the victory, the Norman armies landed unopposed in Sussex and William II began to ravage the hinterland. King Harold called for a general rally of his forces in the south, joining with his brother, Gyrth. The two armies clashed in the Battle of Hastings on 17 October. Successfully outflanked and facing heavy casualties, William II fell in battle, alongside Bishop Odo of Bayeux and Eustace II of Bologne (the Confessor's son-in-law). The Normans returned home humiliated under Robert, Count of Mortain, who sought the intervention of the French king to ensure that Normandy was retained by William's heirs.
The final challenge faced by Harold II in his early reign was the survival of the House of Wessex in the form of his predecessor's nephew, Edgar Atheling. In 1068, Atheling agreed to cooperate in a plot between King Sweyn of Denmark and Malcolm III Canmore of Alba. It projected a series of rebellions, supported by the two countries, under which Atheling would assume the English throne and settle diplomatic disputes in favour of his sponsors.
A Danish fleet was intercepted prior to landing in September, 1069, leading to five months of declining support for the rebels and finally a peace offer from Denmark. Edgar Atheling fled to the north, where his sister became queen consort. In 1072, Harold II invaded Scotland. Under the subsequent treaty, vast territory in Cumbria (Strathclyde) was granted to Waltheof, son of Siward, who would serve as Harold's newest Earl, while Malcolm of Alba also pledged to be his vassal. Edgar Atheling, expelled from Alba, would eventually accept his fate and returned to England under royal pardon in 1074, living out his years in peace.
REIGN
The earliest political decisions faced by Harold related to the Church. Archbishop Ealdred of York died in September 1069 and the King turned to a close confidante, Bishop Wulfstan of Worcester (St. Wulfstan of York). Wulfstan was crowned by Pope Alexander II and given authority as the sole legitimate archbishop in England. The excommunicated Stigand of Canterbury died in 1072 and was replaced by Walter of Lorraine, chaplain to the King's mother and another close friend. This brief period of York supremacy gave rise to an ongoing claim of primacy, steadfastly rejected in Canterbury until a papal ruling in the 1120s. However, the new appointments ended the stand-off between Winchester and Rome.
King Harold's strongest bond was with his brother, Earl Leofwine of Kent (1035-99), who emerged as the dominant courtier of the reign. Both returned to Wales in March, 1073, to crush a rebellion against English rule. In two years of campaigning, tens of thousands of Welsh perished. A youthful Gruffydd ap Cynan, the grandson of the former King of Gwynedd, was appointed Prince of Wales, a similar arrangement of vassalage as applied to the King of Alba under the new treaty.
The reorganisation of government to extend authority into Wales culminated in the Treaty of Salisbury (1081), in which Harold outlined the powers, privileges and responsibilities of his vassals. It led to the establishment of the Court of Fealty to settle land ownership disputes and rule on fealty obligations. The cause was the betrayal of his brother, Leofwine, who demonstrably attempted to extort landholders and was reported to the King. Leofwine would serve the remainder of his brother's reign in prison, not being released until some years after his death. These events led to the emergence of Gyrth (1034-94), who became the new favourite and mentor to the King's younger sons.
In 1083, Harold married his youngest daughter, Edith, to Niels, brother of King Canute of Denmark. This attempt to discourage Viking motivations for invasion also removed potential challenges to his succession.
DEATH
In July, 1086, King Harold, Queen Edith and their son, Ulf, were aboard a ship which was caught in a severe storm and sunk off the English coast. The bodies were recovered and were interred at Bosham, Wessex. The Witenagemot convened the following week and decided to elect his fourth son, a seventeen-year-old who bore his name, as his successor.