Harold II Godwineson, King of England, Earl of Wessex^{[1, 2, 3, 4]}

Abt 1021 - 1066  (~ 44 years)

• Name	Harold II Godwineson
  Suffix	King of England, Earl of Wessex
  Born	Abt 1020/2	England
  Gender	Male
  History	1064	Normandie, France
  	Harold Godewinson visits his king's cousin, William I, Duke of Normany and rides with him on a raid into Brittany, France, receiving a gift of armour in return. But Harold's mission was to closely study the Duke's techniques should he need to refer to them for future battles. Harold may have left William with the impression that he could rely upon his future support, because, as it would turn out William would become extremely bitter in two years time when Harold is anointed king of England
  Occupation	06 Jan 1066	Westminster Abbey, Westminster, Middlesex, England
  	King: 5 Jan 1066 to 14 Oct 1066, coronation 6 Jan 1066. K-R: "A man of considerable talent and courage." Preceded by Edward 'the Confessor' Was to be succeeded by Edgar Ætheling though at 14 or 15 years old was never crowned and submitted to William I 'the Conqueror'
  History	20 Mar 1066	Wessex, England
  	Harold Godwineson succeeded to the throne of England without a drop of royal blood in his veins. As Britnoth had pledged facing Vikings at the Battle of Maldon in 991, so to did Harold swear to defend 'folc and foldan', people and soil. One nation, 'natio' had been defined by a Rhineland abbot in the 9th century as 'People joined by a single descent, custom, language and law', despite Harold Godewinson's name, and Danish mother, he was a distinguished protector of the kingdom and had the backing of his predecessor, Edward 'the Confessor'. Over the Spring sky, a comet (later called Halley's comet) blazed, an ominous sign.
  History	25 Sep 1066	Stamford Bridge, York, North Yorkshire, England
  	The end of the Viking Age is traditionally marked in England by the failed invasion attempted by Harald 'Hardrada', King of Norway, who was defeated by the Anglo-Saxon King Harold II Godwineson in 1066 at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Harald 'Hardrada', King of Norway had just defeated the army of the northern earls Morcar of Northumbria and his brother Edwin of Mercia at the Battle of Fulford two miles south of York. After a lengthy forced march up to Stamford Bridge that took place in just four days King Harold Godwineson of England caught Harald's force by surprise and unarmoured. After a stubborn battle, the majority of the Norwegians were killed along with Harald 'Hardrada' and Harold's brother Tostig. Harold's victory was short-lived as he would be defeated and killed at Hastings less than three weeks later.
  Died	14 Oct 1066	Battle, Hastings, East Sussex, England
  		Site of the Battle of Hastings looking West King Harold's men held the ground to the North which was higher then than in this photograph. Duke William's men held the ground to the South Courtesy English Heritage
  Person ID	I1748697551	Red1st
  Last Modified	19 Jan 2013

  
  

  Father	Godwine, Earl of Wessex,   b. Abt 1001, England ,   d. 14 Apr 1053  (Age ~ 52 years)
  Mother	Gytha Thorkilsdottir av Skane,   b. Abt 997, Halland (Kingdom of Denmark to 1645), Sweden
  Family ID	F672264474	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Eadgyth (Edith) Swanneshals (Swanneck),   b. Abt 1025,   d. Aft 1086  (Age ~ 62 years)
  Married	Type: A marriage of Danish custom
  Children	1. Godwine Haroldsson,   b. Abt 1045   2. Edmund Haroldsson,   b. Abt 1047   3. Magnus Haroldsson,   b. Abt 1050   4. Gunhild of Wessex,   b. 1055,   d. 1097  (Age 42 years) + 5. Gytha of Wessex,   b. Abt 1064, England   6. Ulf Haroldsson,   b. Abt 1057
  Last Modified	19 Jan 2013 19:55:04
  Family ID	F672264476	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Ealdgyth (Edith) of Mercia, Queen consort of England,   b. Abt 1045, Mercia, England
  Married	Mar 1066
  Children	1. Harold Haroldsson,   b. Dec 1066
  Last Modified	19 Jan 2013 19:51:23
  Family ID	F3333814291	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - Abt 1020/2 - England History - 1064 - Normandie, France Occupation - 06 Jan 1066 - Westminster Abbey, Westminster, Middlesex, England History - 20 Mar 1066 - Wessex, England History - 25 Sep 1066 - Stamford Bridge, York, North Yorkshire, England Died - 14 Oct 1066 - Battle, Hastings, East Sussex, England  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos		Harold II Harold II (artist unknown). In this picture, produced long after Harold's reign, his armour is an anachronism The Royal Collection © 2006, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
  		Site of Battle Abbey Church of St. Martin's Only the site of the original Battle Abbey Church of St. Martin's exists. Where its High Altar once stood, there is a commemorative stone which reads: The traditional site of the High Altar of Battle Abbey founded to commemorate the victory of Duke William on 14 October 1066 The High Altar was placed to mark the spot where King Harold died Courtesy of English Heritage

  
  

• Sources

  [S25458533589] Dictionary of National Biography, 1st Ed., Ed: Leslie Stephen et al, (Oxford University Press, 1885 to 1900, c. 50 Vols), His own article. [S25458533725] Feudal Kingdom of England 1042-1216, Frank Barlow, (Longman, 5th edn, 1999), Tables, p. 375. [S25458533641] II: Domesday Descendants, K S B Keats-Rohan, (Boydell Press, 2002), Harald rex, p. 1103. [S25458533684] Tim Powys-Lybbe.