Battle of Hastings: Harold Godwinson (d. 1066)

Talk to Battle of Hastings: Harold Godwinson

Have a conversation with this historical figure through AI

Biography

The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place approximately 7 mi (11 km) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.

Timeline

The story of Battle of Hastings: Harold Godwinson, told in moments.

Life

Son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex, one of England's most powerful nobles under King Cnut. Rose through the ranks of Anglo-Saxon aristocracy.

Was being born into the most powerful Anglo-Saxon family a privilege or a target? Did your father's ambition shape yours?

1053 Event

Inherited his father's earldom of Wessex after Godwin's death. Became the most powerful lord in England, eclipsing the king himself in land and influence.

At what point did you eclipse the king in power? Was inheriting the earldom of Wessex the beginning of kingship?

1064 Event

Traveled to Normandy. Norman sources claim he swore an oath to support William's claim to the English throne. Harold later denied it, or said it was coerced.

Did you actually swear an oath to support William, or was it coerced? Does what happened in Normandy haunt you?

1066 Event

Crowned King of England the day after Edward the Confessor died. Probably the first English king crowned at Westminster Abbey. His reign lasted nine months.

Was being crowned the day after Edward died a claim or a grab? Did you expect nine months would be all you'd get?

1066 Event

Defeated a Norwegian invasion at Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire. His army marched 185 miles in four days to get there. Then turned south immediately.

How did your army march 185 miles in four days? Was Stamford Bridge a triumph you couldn't enjoy?

1066 Death

Killed at the Battle of Hastings. The last Anglo-Saxon king of England. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts him struck by an arrow, though historians debate the exact manner of his death.

Did the arrow strike first, or is the Tapestry wrong? Does being the last Anglo-Saxon king feel like an ending or a beginning?

More from the High Medieval

Saint Francis of Assisi

1181–1226

Eleanor of Aquitaine

d. 1204

Frederick Barbarossa

d. 1190

Henry II of England

1133–1189

Maimonides

1135–1204

Pope Sylvester II (b. 946)

d. 1003

Richard

1209–1272

Explore what happened on the days that shaped Battle of Hastings: Harold Godwinson's life. Today In History connects historical figures with the events, births, and deaths that defined their era. Browse all historical figures or explore today's events.