Harold became Earl of Wessex following the death of his father in and was supportive of King Edward the Confessor. In Harold made a journey across the Channel. He was shipwrecked off the coast of Ponthieu after his ship was blown off course and he was brought before William of Normandy. Some sources indicate that he was held under house arrest, but it may have been that his ship needed repairs, or he may have remained in Normandy to negotiate release of his brother and nephew.
Indeed, it may have been that this was the reason for the journey. While in Normandy, Harold rode into battle with William and, after the defeat of Conan of Brittany, Harold was knighted for his service.
Shortly afterwards Harold returned to England with his nephew Haakon. William later claimed that before Harold left Normandy, he had sworn an oath to support William as successor to Edward the Confessor. Anglo-Saxon sources do not record this oath. Edward the Confessor died on 5th January , Harold and his sister, Edith both stated that Edward had nominated Harold as his successor as he lay dying.
He knew that William would challenge his appointment as king and stationed men on the south coast. In Harold had married Edyth the Fair , known as Swanneck. They were married by the Danish hand-fasting ceremony which was not recognised by the Church. Harold needed the support of the northern earls if he was to remain king and in March he married Ealdgyth , the sister of Earl Morcar of Northumbria and Earl Edwin of Mercia. First to invade was Harald Hardrada of Norway who landed at the Humber estuary.
Harold immediately raised an army and defeated the Viking army at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25th September. William of Normandy landed on the south coast just three days later. Freeman wrote a serious history in History of the Norman Conquest of England , in which Harold is seen as a great English hero. A fictional account based on the events surrounding Harold's struggle for and brief reign as king of England titled "The Interim King" has been published and is written by James McMillan.
By the 21st century, Harold's reputation remains tied as it has always been, with subjective views of the "right-ness" or "wrong-ness" of the Norman conquest. Ancestry unknown. Hi Everyone! Welcome to My Family Tree Website. ToS Cookie Settings.
Sign In Sign Up. List of last names List of all individuals in the family tree Advanced Search. Egbert of Wessex, c. Paternity uncertin. Athelward "the historian" d. Athelmar Cild d. Compton ; F.
Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England 3d ed. Biography by Ian W. Sutton Publishing, Stroud, Gloucestershire, Search the original records. Aethelmar Cild ? Family Tree owner : comrade Family History :. Family Events Statistics. Visitor Guest Admin. The Geneanet family trees are powered by Geneweb 7. They were in turn defeated and slain by Harold's army five days later at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, Harold having led his army north on a forced march from London in four days and caught them by surprise.
According to Snorri Sturluson, before the battle a man bravely rode up to Harald Hardrada and Tostig and offered Tostig his earldom if he would but turn on Harald Hardrada. When Tostig asked what his brother Harold would be willing to give Harald Hardrada for his trouble, the rider replied that he would be given seven feet of ground as he was taller than other men.
Harald Hardrada was impressed with the rider and asked Tostig his name, Tostig replied that the rider was none other than Harold Godwinson.
According to Henry of Huntingdon, "Six feet of ground or as much more as he needs, as he is taller than most men," was Harold's response. It is, however, unknown whether this conversation ever took place. On 12 September William's fleet sailed. Several ships sank in storms and the fleet was forced to take shelter at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme and wait for the wind to change.
On 27 September the Norman fleet finally set sail for England arriving it is believed the following day at Pevensey on the coast of East Sussex.
Harold now again forced his army to march miles kilometres to intercept William, who had landed perhaps men in Sussex, southern England. Harold established his army in hastily built earthworks near Hastings. The two armies clashed at the Battle of Hastings, near Senlac Hill the present town of Battle close by Hastings on 14 October, where after nine hours of hard fighting and less than 30 minutes from victory Harold was killed and his forces routed.
His brothers Gyrth and Leofwine were also killed in the battle. Consequently, the Russian Orthodox Church recently recognised Harold as a martyr with October 14 as his feast day. Ulf, along with Morcar and two others, were released from prison by King William as he lay dying in He threw his lot in with Robert Curthose , who knighted him, and disappeared from history. Two of his elder half-brothers, Godwine and Magnus, made a number of attempts at invading England in and with the aid of Diarmait mac Mail na mBo.
They raided Cornwall as late as , but died in obscurity in Ireland. A cult of hero-worship rose around Harold, and by the 12th century, legend says that Harold had indeed survived the battle, had spent two years in Winchester after the battle recovering from his wounds, and then traveled to Germany, where he spent years wandering as a pilgrim. As an old man, he supposedly returned to England, and lived as a hermit in a cave near Dover.
As he lay dying, he confessed that although he went by the name of Christian, he had been born Harold Godwinson. Various versions of this story persisted throughout the Middle Ages, and have little claim to fact. Rudyard Kipling wrote a story, The Tree of Justice , describing how an old man who turns out to be Harold is brought before Henry I. Freeman wrote a serious history in History of the Norman Conquest of England —79 , in which Harold is seen as a great English hero.
By the 21st century, Harold's reputation remains tied as it has always been, with subjective views of the "right-ness" or "wrong-ness" of the Norman conquest. Royal Family Wiki Explore.
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