William Had Won at Hastings - But England Had Not Surrendered

William Had Won at Hastings - But England Had Not Surrendered

On the 14th of October 1066, Harold Godwinson was dead and his army had been defeated at the Battle of Hastings.

But William of Normandy was still not King of England.

Winning the battle had removed Harold, but William still had to secure recognition as England’s king.

In London, the English did not immediately surrender.

With Harold dead, leading figures turned to Edgar Ætheling. The young grandson of Edmund Ironside was chosen as king, although he was never crowned.

Edgar was probably only in his early teens and had little military experience, while William had an experienced army already operating in the south.

William took Dover, where the town was burned and fortifications were established. From there, he moved on through Canterbury, but London itself was not yet his.

After encountering resistance at Southwark, William turned west and began a much wider march around London.

His army devastated areas of the countryside as it went, increasing the pressure on those still considering resistance.

William eventually crossed the Thames at Wallingford.

By then, Edgar’s position was becoming increasingly difficult. William had survived Hastings, secured important territory and shown that his army was prepared to continue the campaign.

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Edgar Ætheling, Archbishop Ealdred of York and the powerful earls Edwin and Morcar were among those who submitted to William at Berkhamsted.

After the submission there, the way was open for William to enter London and prepare for his coronation.

Less than three months after landing in England, he had gone from Norman duke and claimant to the throne to the man preparing to be crowned King of England.

But even his coronation would not go entirely according to plan.

It took place on Christmas Day 1066, and what happened outside Westminster Abbey during the ceremony caused panic inside.

Do you think things might have been different if Edgar Ætheling had been crowned immediately after Hastings?

Image: William the Conqueror depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, 11th century. Public domain/CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.