Why William of Normandy Thought England’s Crown Was His - Before Harold Took It Instead

Why William of Normandy Thought England’s Crown Was His - Before Harold Took It Instead

 

A king dies without a child to inherit his throne, several powerful men decide they should replace him, and suddenly England has a rather serious problem.

 

Today I want to start a new series looking at the Norman Conquest and the extraordinary events that led to one of the most famous years in English history: 1066.

 

And I thought we should start with a simple question.

 

Why did William, Duke of Normandy, believe that the English crown belonged to him?

 

To understand that, we need to go back to Edward the Confessor.

 

Edward became King of England in 1042. He was married to Edith, the daughter of the powerful Earl Godwin, but the couple had no children. That meant there was no obvious son waiting to inherit the throne.

 

Never ideal when you are a medieval king.

 

William was Duke of Normandy and was related to Edward through Edward’s mother, Emma of Normandy. Edward had also spent many years in Normandy before becoming king, so there were already strong connections between the English royal family and the Norman court.

 

According to Norman accounts, Edward promised William that he would succeed him as King of England.

 

Whether that promise was really made - and exactly what Edward intended - has been debated ever since.

 

But William certainly believed, or at least claimed, that he had been promised the crown.

 

Then things became even more complicated.

 

Sometime around 1064, Harold Godwinson, one of the most powerful men in England and the brother of Queen Edith, crossed the Channel and eventually found himself at William’s court.

 

Norman sources later claimed that Harold swore an oath supporting William’s claim to the English throne.

 

And this was not supposed to be an ordinary promise.

 

According to the story shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, Harold swore the oath over sacred relics.

 

In medieval Europe, breaking such an oath was a very serious matter.

 

Unfortunately for William, Harold apparently had other ideas.

 

Edward the Confessor died on the 5^th of January 1066.

 

Harold claimed that, before his death, Edward had named him as his successor. The English nobles accepted Harold, and he was crowned King Harold II almost immediately.

 

You can probably imagine William’s reaction when the news reached Normandy.

 

He believed Edward had promised him the throne.

 

He believed Harold had sworn to support him.

 

And now Harold was sitting on the English throne wearing the crown himself.

 

William regarded Harold as an oath-breaker and a usurper and began preparing an invasion.

 

But Harold and William were not the only men interested in England.

 

Across the North Sea, the formidable Norwegian king Harald Hardrada also believed he had a claim.

 

So England entered 1066 with a new king, an angry Norman duke preparing a fleet and a Norwegian warrior king watching from across the sea.

 

It was not going to be a peaceful year.

 

In the next part of this new series, I want to look at the men who believed they had the right to rule England - including one young claimant who is often forgotten - and why Harold Godwinson’s new crown was already in serious danger.