Harold Was Dead - But England Had Not Yet Accepted William as King

Harold Was Dead - But England Had Not Yet Accepted William as King

Harold Godwinson was dead, his army had been broken at Hastings, and William of Normandy had won an extraordinary victory. But England had not surrendered.

After the battle on the 14th of October 1066, there was still another possible king: Edgar Ætheling, a teenage descendant of the old royal house of Wessex.

Edgar was probably only around fourteen years old and had little political experience, but his bloodline mattered. He was the grandson of Edmund Ironside and the last surviving male member of the old royal house of Wessex. In London, support quickly gathered around him.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that Archbishop Ealdred and the people of London wanted Edgar as king, while the powerful earls Edwin and Morcar promised to support him. Hastings had therefore not settled the question of who would rule England.

William now had to turn military victory into control. His forces secured Dover and Canterbury, while London remained resistant. William continued his campaign through south-east England, his forces ravaging territory as they advanced.

But the support behind Edgar did not develop into an effective military response. With Harold dead and the English leadership divided, Edgar's position weakened.

By December, Edgar, Archbishop Ealdred, Edwin, Morcar and other leading figures had submitted to William at Berkhamsted. Edgar was never crowned.

On the 25th of December 1066, William was crowned king at Westminster Abbey.

Harold's death at Hastings had removed the king who had led the English army against William, but England was still not securely under Norman control. The submission at Berkhamsted brought William much closer to the crown, although resistance to Norman rule would continue for years. Even after the coronation, the conquest was far from complete.

What do you think might have happened if England's leaders had managed to unite behind Edgar Ætheling?

The coronation of William I by Ealdred, Archbishop of York. Later medieval depiction by Matthew Paris, Chronica Majora. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.