Godwins

• What happened in the 1010s?


  Godwin was appointed Earl of Wessex by the Viking King Cnut
• What happened in the 1020s?


  Godwin married a relative of Cnut
• What happened in the 1030s?

  • Cnut dies
  • His sons Alfred and Edward came back from fighting in Normandy to fight for the throne
  • Alfred is killed at Godwin's request
• What happened in the 1040s?

  • Edward becomes King
  • Godwin swears an Oath of Loyalty to Edward
  • Godwin's daughter Edith marries Edward
• What happened in the 1050s in terms of Edward's orders?

  • Edward began to appoint some of his Norman friends into key Anglo-Saxon roles
  • Anglo-Saxon nobles - including Godwin - resented Edward for this
• What happened in the 1050s in terms of rebellions?

  • A rebellion broke out in Dover
  • Godwin refused to help
  • When Edward called upon the Earls of Northumbria and Mercia, Godwin backed down; Edward exiled him
• How did Godwin retaliate to Edward's exile against him?

  • Gained support from London and formed a large fleet of soldiers
  • He got his land back
• What happened when Godwin dies in the 1050s?

  • Harold claims his title of "Earl of Wessex"
  • Tostig (Harold's younger brother) claims the title "Earl of Northumbria"
  • This gave the Godwin family a lot of power
• Who did Edward call when he was nearing his end in the 1050s?

  • Called his nephew Edgar the Aetheling to be his heir
  • This threatened Harold's chances of becoming King
• What title did the Godwin's NOT claim?

  Mercia
• What did Harold do at the beginning of the 1060s?

  • Went to Normandy to free some hostages
  • Norman accounts say he was signing an Oath of Loyalty to William Duke of Normandy
  • He ended up shipwrecked and imprisoned; William ordered his release
• What happened in the 1060s in terms of rebellions?

  • A rebellion broke out in the North after a rebel, who was visiting Edward, was killed by Tostig
  • The rebellion was led by two Earls - Edwin and Morcar
  • No one was supporting Tostig, including his brother Harold, and so was exiled
• How did Harold become king?

  Either:

  • Edward gave him the throne on his deathbed

  OR

  • Took it by force
• When did Harold become King?

  7th January 1066