Three Contenders for the English
throne led to the Battle of Hastings
The Saxon Harold,
was born about 1022 had became Earl of East Anglia in
1045. Along with his father, he was banished from the kingdom
in 1051 after staging an unsuccessful rebellion against the
king, Edward the Confessor.
Harold and his
father returned, landing an invasionary force in the south of
England in 1052. They received great popular support, and in
the face of this, the King was forced to restore the Godwins
to favor in 1053.
Harold succeeded
his father as Earl of Wessex in late 1053 - relinquishing the
earldom of East Anglia, and from 1053 to 1066 was chief
minister of Edward the Confessor.
Toward the end of
the reign of Edward the Confessor their were three competitors
for the English crown, as Edward had no heirs.
The three
potential Kings were:
-
Harald Hardrada,
King of Norway, his claim was based on an alleged agreement
between King Hardicanute and King Magnus
-
Duke William of
Normandy
-
The Saxon
Harold, son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex
For further
information and facts about the Claims to the English throne
in 1066 and Biographies of all the main contenders click the
following link:
Claims to the throne
of England in 1066
The three
different contenders for the throne of England resulted in
wars and led to the Battle of Hastings. Read the enthralling
story in full detail by clicking the NEXT link at the bottom
of the page. |
