History Spotlight, 1/4

Edward the Confessor, King of England died today in 1066. Edward was half-Norman and spent a number of years of his youth across the Channel in Normandy picking up much of their customs. The Normans were ex-Vikings (like Fran Tarkenton) who had settled in Normandy and picked up the veneer of French customs but retained their Viking heart. Edward never really planned on becoming king and spent most of his early adulthood as a slacker. The previous king of England, Harthacanute, was harsh and unfair. He also spent far too much time in Denmark and was considered an absentee king. When Harthacanute died without issue in 1042, Edward was surprised to find himself king.

Harold wasn't in a very strong position and needed Harold Godwin, earl of Wessex, to help him keep his hold on the throne by getting the English Danes to switch their allegiance. Edward didn't really like Godwin, mostly because Harold had Edward's brother murdered, but also because of Edward's habit of switching sides at the most inconvenient moment.

Harold, for his part, wanted to be a kingmaker. He recognized that being a king is nice and all, but being the power behind the throne was pretty sweet too. Harold's plan was to get his son, Harold Godwinson, named as the heir but also to get Edward married to his daughter, Edith, so that any issue from that marriage would be in line for the throne too.

Edward didn't want any part of this, but was in no position at the start of his reign to do anything about it. By 1051, Edward's position was much more secure and he had Godwin, Godwinson and any other assorted Godwins banished and Edith was sent to a convent.

At this time William "The Bastard" of Normandy decided to pay a visit. He knows that Edward doesn't want the Godwins anywhere near the throne and he further knows that his father was Edward's cousin and that they got along great during Edward's time in Normandy. At this time, there may or may not have been a secret agreement where Edward named William as his heir.

The following year, Harold Godwin raised an army and invaded England. Edward was all prepared to call up an army, but the earls convinced him that another civil war wasn't need and Edward grudgingly pardoned the whole family. This made the Godwins even more powerful than ever, with Harold Godwinson acting as king-in-all-but-name. Considering the anti-Norman feeling in England, Edward couldn't publicly pronounce William as his heir (if that's what he did) so he tried to name some low-rent cousin in Hungary named Edward the Exile as his heir, but Edward died soon after, so he tried to name Edward's four-year old son Edgar as an heir. Nobody was buying that and King Edward was forced to name Godwinson as his heir if he died before Edgar came of age. But there was still that secret agreement out there.

On January 5, King Edward lay on his deathbed, unable to speak. Harold Godwinson and other advisiors stood next to his bed. Unable to speak, Edward reached out with one of his hands and clasped Godwinson's arm in a vicelike grip. But was it a blessing or a curse? Harold decided to call it a blessing and took the throne. William was to use his secret agreement as excuse to launch the Norman conquest of England in October of 1066.