|
Harold Godwinson
 Harold Godwinson was King Harold II of England (c. 1022 – 14 October 1066). He ruled England after king Edward the Confessor died. He ruled from 5 January 1066 until he was killed at the Battle of Hastings. His death marked the Norman conquest of England and the end of Anglo-Saxon England. unsourced CareerHarold was the son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex, and Gytha, a Danish noblewoman.[1] His sister, Edith, was married to the king he succeeded, Edward the Confessor.[2] About that same time Harold became Earl of East Anglia.[3] When his father died in 1053, Harold inherited his earldom of Wessex.[3] Elfgar, son of Leofric of Mercia was appointed to replace Harold in East Anglia. Berkshire and Somerset were joined to Wessex again.[3] Wessex itself was, in those days, an enormous amount of land that covered about a third of England. Harold ruled over a large portion of England, making him the most powerful man in the whole kingdom, after the King. Harold Godwinson had three brothers: Tostig,[4] Swegen[5] and Gryth.[6] He claimed to have been made King by Edward the Confessor. Before Harold Godwinson became king, he swore to help William, Duke of Normandy to become king.[7] In September 1066 Harold Godwinson defeated an invasion from the north by Harald Hardrada.[6] He returned south to fight Duke William's invasion.[7] He was killed, it is generally assumed, by an arrow shot by one of William's archers, but some reports say he was cut down by many soldiers.[8] References
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
