All Flashcards
When was Edward the Confessor king of England?
1042 - 1066
Who was Edward the Confessors father
King Ethelred the Unready
Who was Edward the Confessors mother
Emma of Normandy
Who did Edward the Confessor marry
Edith Godwin
Why did Edwards death cause problems
He died with no children to succeed him
How was Edward the Confessor connected to Normandy via his family
His mother was Norman.
Spent most his life in exile in Normandy before becoming king
What was Edwards connection to Normandy via culture
Spoke Norman French
Closest advisors were Norman
How did the Godwin family link to Edward via power
Earl Godwin was the most powerful noble as he controlled Wessex which was the wealthiest province.
Godwin had lots of military force which Edward relied on
How did the Godwins link to Edward via rivalry
Earl Godwin involved in the murder of Edwards brother Alfred in 1036 on a trip to England from Normandy, while Dane’s were ruling England.
Earl Godwin became most powerful English Earl by supporting the danish kings
How did the Godwin family link to Edward Confessor via family
Edward married Edith, Earl Godwins daughter.
Political arrangement made by Godwin to secure his families power
What are the two speculations as to why Edward had no children
Very religious so took a vow of celibacy
Edward refused to have children with Edith backseat he hated Earl Godwin
When did Edward the Confessor die
5th January 1066
Who was Harold Godwinson
Earl of Wessex
Who was William
Duke of Normandy
Who was Harald Hardrada
King of Norway
Who was Edgar Atheling
Great Nephew of Edward
Harold Godwinson family ties to Edward
Harold was Edwards brother in law
No blood connection
William family ties to Edward
William was Edwards cousin
Edwards mother Emma was Williams great aunt
Harald Hardrada family ties to Edward
No direct blood ties to English royal families
Edgar Atheling family ties to Edward
Edgar was great nephew of Edward
Last Anglo Saxon prince alive after his father who was killed in 1057
Promises to Harold Godwinson
Edward did not have Harold as much as he hated his father (who died in 1053)
Edward likely did promise Harold the throne some point after 1053 and Harold stated it was promised on the kings deathbed
Promise to William from Edward
William claimed Edward had promised him the throne while Edward was in Normandy.
William claimed that in 1064 when Harold Godwinson made a trip to Normandy he too promised he would support William as king
Promises to Harald Hardrada
Harald succeeded Magnus I of Norway in 1046 (his father)
Magnus has been promised the kingdom of Denmark by Harthacnut, who was king of England 1040-1042.
Harald claimed the kingdom of Denmark as part of the legacy of Magnus. In 1064 Harald gave up on Denmark and switched to trying to claim England.
Promises to Edgar Atheling
Edgar and his father, Edward the Exile, has been invited back to England from their exile in Hungary by Edward the Confessor in 1057.
This it is possible Edward wanted an Anglo Saxon prince to succeed him
Political realities - Harold Godwinson
Succeeded his father as Earl of Wessex in 1053
Had control over all of southern England
Recognised as the most powerful man in England after Edwards death
Became sub-regulus to Edward in his later years, giving him more power and control
Political realties - William Duke of Normandy
Ambitious and powerful ruler in Normandy
Wanted to expand his power so the Norman’s could have a great empire like their Viking ancestors
Harald Hardrada
Famous Viking warrior and skilled commander
Had a secure control over his own land
Political realties - Edgar Atheling
Closest blood relative to Edward but only 14 when Edward died.
Not considered strong enough to hold the kingdom together in 1066
Who did the Witan decide to become king of England when Edward the Confessor died in 1066
Harold Godwinson
What was the relationship like between Harold Godwinson and Edward the Confessor
They had a good relationship. Edward thought Harold a more honest leader than his father. Harold was a loyal follower and not influenced or controlled by his father
Who was the Witan
A council made up of the most powerful men in England
Their priority was to ensure England remained safe from civil war and foreign attack.
Why did the witan choose Harold as the next king
He had proved himself a strong leader with great military and diplomatic ability.
Had already been ruling England for many years as Edwards sub-regulus
One blood claimant, Edgar, they believed was too young
How did Harold Godwinson establish himself as king
Crowned same day Edward was buried
Married the sister of two powerful earls, Edwin and Morcar
Held alliance with northern earls so did not need to worry about civil war and could focus on fighting foreign powers
When was King Harold II crowned king
6 January 1066
Who did Harold marry
The sister of Earls Morcar and Edwin and in return the earls agreed to defend the North from Hardrada threat
Where were Edwin and Morcar earls of
Edwin was Earl of Mercia and Morcar was the Earl of Northumbria
When was the Battle of Fulfurd Gate
20th September 1066
Who was Tostig Godwinson
Half brother of Harold Godwinson.
Forced into excile in 1065 because people of Northumbria refused to accept him as their Earl.
Hated for his harsh rule
How did tostig respond to excile
Did not go quietly and travelled to Scotland, Normandy and finally Norway to gain support for his bid to return to power in England
Who did Tostig ally with
Tostig and Harald Hardrada assembled an army of 10,000 Norwegians
Who led the English resistance to Tostig and Hardrada
Earls Edwin and Morcar
Two armies met a Fulford in York on 20 September 1066
How many soldiers did each side have in Fulford Gate
English had 5,000
Norway had 6,000 plus 4,000 reserve soldiers
How many casualties did each side have on battle for Fulford Gate
1,000 English casualties
600 Norway casualties
Who won battle of Fulford Gate
Norwegians
Why was battle of Fulford gate a massive disaster for Harold Godwinson
He expected northern earls to defeat Hardrada while he waited on the south coast for William Duke of Normandy.
Harold had to finish the job himself
When was the battle of Stamford bridge
25th September 1066
Who was the battle of Stamford bridge between
English (Harold Godwinson) and Norwegian (Hardrada)
How many men did Harold have battle of Stamford bridge
15,000
Roughly 3,000 housecarls
How many miles did Harold and his army have to travel to get to Stamford bridge and how long did it take
185 miles
Took him 4 days
How many troops did Hardrada have for battle of Stamford Bridge
9,000 soldiers
Who won the battle of Stamford bridge
King Harold II
How did Harold surprise Hardrada in the battle of Stamford bridge
The Norwegians were waiting for the English for a prisoner exchange and so left their armour on there ship and some troops.
Harold surprised them with an attack
What happened to Tostig and Hardrada in the battle of Stamford bridge
They were killed during the battle
When are where did William and the Norman’s land on British shore
28th September 1066 on Pevensy bay in Sussex
What was the first thing William did upon arrival in England
Built a motte and Bailey castle
What did William and the Norman’s do while waiting for Harold and his army
Raided the south of England to provoke Harold and the south was where his family historically controlled
What was the immediate disadvantage Harold had before the battle of Hastings
His troops were tired from fighting in Stamford bridge and tired from travelling up and down the country
How many ships did the Norman’s have
700
When was the battle of Hastings
14th October 1066
Where did Harold and his army take position at the start of the battle of Hastings
The high ground - Senlac Hill (later named that by Norman’s)
Defensive position
What tactic did the English use in the battle of Hastings
Formed a shield wall - defensive
What 3 types of troops did William have for the Battle of Hastings
Infantry
Archers
Cavalry
Why was the shield wall good (2 reasons)
- When the Norman’s rode out they were forced back
- When arrows were fired at them directly they were not hurt
What tactics did William use
- Feigned retreats to lure the less experienced soldiers from the shield wall
- Firing arrows into the air so they landed down on the Saxons
Why did William NOT invade in the summer, like Harold had expected him to
The winds stopped William travelling across the channel
Why did Harold II’s death contribute to Williams victory in the a battle of Hastings
If he survived the battle may have just continued to the next day
