Earl Godwin Flashcards
When was Godwin bestowed Wessex?
Godwin was a powerful Anglo-Saxon who was made Earl of Wessex in 1018 by King Cnut.
When did he die?
Until his death in 1053 he built up the House of Godwin to become a powerful family
How powerful were the Godwins?
The most powerful family in England, which rivalled even that of Edward the Confessor.
What relations did Earl Godwin have with Edward the confessor, increasing his power?
In 1045, Edward married Godwin’s daughter, Edith, making Godwin the king’s father-in-law.
Who were Godwin’s rivals?
Few earls in England had the power to rival the Godwin family, but they were challenged by an alliance between Mercia and Wales.
❖Aelfgar, Earl of Mercia, was the only earl with the power to challenge Godwin.
❖Aelfgar worked with the Welsh king, Gruffudd ap Llywelyn.
Who was in the Godwin family?
❖Earl Godwin ❖Harold Godwinson. ❖Tostig Godwinson. ❖Gyrth Godwinson. ❖Leofwine Godwinson. ❖ Edith of Wessex
Where did Godwin’s son Harold rule?
Harold Godwinson became the Earl of Wessex after his father died.
Where did Godwin’s son Tostig rule?
In 1055, Tostig Godwinson became the Earl of Northumbria, giving the Godwins a power base in the north of England.
Politically, through marriage how did the powers of the Godwin family increase?
❖Godwin’s daughter, Edith, married Edward the Confessor.
❖Harold married Edith the Fair, who owned large estates in East Anglia.
❖Tostig married Judith, the daughter of the Count of Flanders.
