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WEEK 4 - Who Should Be King

In 1066, after Edward the Confessor's death, three main claimants emerged for the English throne: Harold Godwinson, William of Normandy, and Harald Hardrada. Harold argued he was the rightful Englishman and had the support of the English council, while William claimed Edward promised him the throne and had previously aided Edward. Hardrada asserted his Viking heritage and historical claims to the throne, seeking to restore Viking rule in England.

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41 views3 pages

WEEK 4 - Who Should Be King

In 1066, after Edward the Confessor's death, three main claimants emerged for the English throne: Harold Godwinson, William of Normandy, and Harald Hardrada. Harold argued he was the rightful Englishman and had the support of the English council, while William claimed Edward promised him the throne and had previously aided Edward. Hardrada asserted his Viking heritage and historical claims to the throne, seeking to restore Viking rule in England.

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FY Bel Charry
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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By Miss Boughey www.SchoolHistory.co.

uk

The Three Main Claims to the English Throne in 1066

Edward the Confessor died on 5 January 1066. Immediately there was a race in Europe
for the crown of England because Edward had no children to succeed him. The three
main people claiming the throne were Harold Godwinson (Earl of Wessex), William (Duke
of Normandy), Harald Hardrada (king of Norway) who was helped by Harold Godwinson's
brother Tostig. Each one believed that they had the best claim to the throne. Read
through their arguments below.

HAROLD GODWINSON: I am the only true Englishman claiming the


throne. I am also the most powerful man in England. I am a very
good soldier and England needs a strong ruler right now. The English
council, the witan, want me to be king. I belong to the most powerful
family in the whole of England. We already control Wessex but are
very ambitious and would like to control the whole of England. I have
the best claim to the throne because I am also Edward's brother-
in- law. William says I promised to help him become king. I only did
this because he forced me to. He was holding my nephew hostage
and said he would only be released if I swore to be loyal to him.

WILLIAM OF NORMANDY: I have the best claim to the throne


because Edward himself promised it to me. When Edward was a boy
in 1016, King Cnut invaded England and Edward ran away to
Normandy for safety. Edward stayed in Normandy until he became
King of England in 1042. It was important, at that time, for Edward
to protect his throne from attack and rebellion. Edward turned to
me for help. I sent Norman soldiers to live in England and protect
Edward. In return, Edward promised the English throne. Harold of
Wessex also said that I should become King of England when
Edward died.
HARALD HARDRADA: I am King of Norway and have a good claim
to the throne of Denmark. The Danes have conquered England in
the past and so I think I should be King of England too. The
Vikings invaded England long ago, in the 860s, and settled in the
north. In 1016 the Viking King Cnut became King of England,
Denmark and Norway. England was ruled by Norwegian kings right
up until 1042 when the Saxon king Edward, stole the throne from
us. I have the right to be King of England and want to rebuild
Cnut's great Viking empire. There are a lot of Viking families still
living in the North of England who would like me to be King of
England and will help me with my invasion.

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