Harold Godwinson asserted that he had been chosen by Edward the Confessor to be the next King of England. Read the fascinating Biographies surrounding the Battle of Hastings:. Biography of Edward the Confessor. Biography of William the Conqueror. The Harold Godwinson of Wessex claim. Biographies of the Battle of Hastings Leaders. Battle of Hastings Index. According to Harold, King Edward's dying words were: "I commend my wife and all my kingdom to your care" Harold insisted that he had been tricked into taking the sacred oath of allegiance he had made to Duke William.
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This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. During the jubilant celebrations of a victory feast after the battle of Stamford Bridge, Harold received the ominous news that William of Normandy had, at last, landed at Bulverhythe on the south coast and hastily marched his army, which was in dire need of rest, the miles to confront him.
The account of the contemporary chronicler William of Poitiers, states that Harold's body was given to the half Saxon William Malet for burial His corpse was brought into the Duke's camp, and William gave it for burial to William, surnamed Malet, and not to Harold's mother, who offered for the body of her beloved son its weight in gold.
For the Duke thought it unseemly to receive money for such merchandise, and equally he considered it wrong that Harold should be buried as his mother wished, since so many men lay unburied because of his avarice. They said in jest that he who had guarded the coast with such insensate zeal should be buried by the seashore". Another contemporary source records that Harold's handfast wife, Edith Swannesha , was called to identify the body, which she did by some private mark known only to her.
Harold's body was buried on the battlefield, but William later had his remains moved by Waltham Abbey. The discovery of a Saxon coffin in the church at Bosham in the s led to much speculation that King Harold was buried here.
An exhumation had shown it to be the grave of a middle-aged man who had lost a leg, the head was also missing. A recent attempt at the exhumation of the grave was refused in December , on the reasons that the chances of establishing the identity of the body as Harold II were unlikely and therefore did not justify disturbing a burial place.
John Chapel of St. On Edward's death, despite his promise to support the Duke of Normandy in his claim to the throne, Harold became king. In the April of Halley's Comet appeared over England and Saxon observers feared that this 'hairy star' would prove a bad omen. The first threat to his kingdom came from the Norwegian King Hardrada, who based his claim on Scandinavian links to the throne and, aided by Harold's rebellious brother, Tostig, mounted an attack which resulted in the Battle of Stamford Bridge, near York on September 25, where the Norwegian army were routed.
Harold then learned that the Normans had landed at Pevensey and he force marched his troops south to Hastings where, on that fateful day of October 14, he would lose the crown of England — and his life. Despite the feeling of seclusion, it's easy to get here by rail, sea or road. Skip To Main Content. Itinerary Planner.
King Harold II of England. How right they were!
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