All four claimants had some promise that they believed gave them a right to the English throne. These involved the swearing of oaths, which were taken very seriously in 11th century Europe. Harold Godwinson almost certainly had the latest promise from the dying king himself, Edward the Confessor. William of Normandy probably had a promise in from Edward the Confessor, and a promise from the main contender, Harold. The oath Harold swore to William was considered invalid by the Witan because it was made under the threat of death.
Edgar Atheling had the strongest blood tie — but blood ties were not essential for the succession to the English throne at this time.
All the claimants had some kind of family blood tie, except for Harald Hardrada. Strongest claim: Edgar Atheling was the last surviving member of the Royal House of Wessex that had ruled England for centuries. All the claimants had a strong degree of political power in , except for Edgar Atheling.
Norway was a land unused to strong central rule, and the powerful local lords were difficult to subdue, meaning that many were violently and brutally purged. These measures proved effective however, and most domestic opposition had been removed by the end of the wars with Denmark.
The more positive side of his rule was brought by his travels, as Harald opened trade with the Romans and the Rus, and developed a sophisticated money economy in Norway for the first time.
Perhaps more surprisingly, he also helped the slow spread of Christianity across the scattered rural parts of the country, where many still prayed before the old Norse gods. After it became clear that Denmark would never belong to Harald, but events across the North Sea in England soon turned his head, After the death of Cnut, that country had been ruled by the steady hand of Edward the Confessor, who had spent the s negotiating with the Norwegian King and even hinting that he might be named as successor to the English throne.
By September, his swift preparations for an invasion were complete, and he set sail. Harald was getting old by now and knew the risks of the campaign — making sure to declare his son Magnus King before leaving. On 18 September, after a journey via the Orkney and Shetland islands, the Norwegian fleet of men landed on English shores.
There Harald met Tostig face-to-face for the first time, and they planned their attack southwards. The situation had played into their hands. King Harold was waiting with the English army on the south coast, anticipating an invasion from William, the Duke of Normandy, who — like Harald — believed that he had been promised the English throne.
The Norwegian army first met with resistance from the town of Scarborough, which refused to surrender. In response Hardrada burned it to the ground, causing several northern towns to hurriedly pledge their allegiance. Though Harold was only just responding to the threat in the north, having been taken completely by surprise, his strongest northern lords, Morcar of Northumbria and Edwin of Mercia, raised armies and met the Norwegians at Fulford near York, where they were soundly defeated on 20 September.
The Earls and their men fought bravely at the Battle of Fulford, but were hopelessly outmatched. Edward the Confessor, who had died childless in January , had seized the English throne back from the Norwegian Harthacnut in Harthacnut was the son of the Viking King Cnut who had ruled England from — Magnus was an old King and had chosen not fight Edward the Confessor for the throne.
Just before Edward the Confessor, King of England, died on 5 January , he named a powerful English earl as his successor.
The trouble was, this earl was not the only man who believed he held the lawful right to the throne. In fact, he was one of five. Harold was crowned king on 6 January but would only last a few months in the job. In September of that year he successfully fought off an attack by one rival claimant to the throne, Harald Hardrada.
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