Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, ruling for nine months in 1066.
He defeated a Norwegian invasion at Stamford Bridge, then marched south to face William of Normandy at Hastings, where he was killed—according to tradition, by an arrow through the eye.
His death ended Anglo-Saxon rule in England.
1066 Norman-Saxon clash
- Norman ConquestFrench duke's English takeover
- William the ConquerorNorman who invaded England
- Stamford BridgeChelsea's football stadium
- arrowPointed shaft for shooting
Harald Hardrada · Bayeux Tapestry · shield wall · housecarl · two-front war · forced march
Person with authority over others
- shield wallLinked defensive barrier formation
- battle-axeHeavy bladed war tool
- infantryGround combat troops
- tacticsMethods to achieve goals
forced march · defensive position · hilltop · hand-to-hand combat · Norman invasion · military campaign · battlefield death
Sovereign's ornamental headpiece
- coronationCeremony installing a sovereign
- throneCeremonial chair for sovereigns
- successionFollowing in order
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
reign · anointment · legitimacy · claimant · Westminster · royal authority · last stand
Early medieval English kingdom
- Edward the ConfessorDevout eleventh-century English ruler
- thaneFeudal lord of Scotland
- earldomNobleman's rank and realm
- Old EnglishGermanic language of early Britain
succession crisis · English nobility · Westminster Abbey · anointed king
Battle of Hastings
1066 Norman-Saxon clash
- Norman ConquestFrench duke's English takeover
- William the ConquerorNorman who invaded England
- Stamford BridgeChelsea's football stadium
Harald Hardrada · arrow · Bayeux Tapestry · shield wall · housecarl · two-front war · forced march
commander
Person with authority over others
- shield wallLinked defensive barrier formation
- battle-axeHeavy bladed war tool
- infantryGround combat troops
tactics · forced march · defensive position · hilltop · hand-to-hand combat · Norman invasion · military campaign · battlefield death
crown
Sovereign's ornamental headpiece
- coronationCeremony installing a sovereign
- throneCeremonial chair for sovereigns
- successionFollowing in order
sovereignty · reign · anointment · legitimacy · claimant · Westminster · royal authority · last stand
Wessex
Early medieval English kingdom
- Edward the ConfessorDevout eleventh-century English ruler
- thaneFeudal lord of Scotland
- earldomNobleman's rank and realm
Old English · succession crisis · English nobility · Westminster Abbey · anointed king
- 11th CenturyBattle of Hastings, Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror, First Crusade, Domesday Book
- Medieval RulersCharlemagne, William the Conqueror, Alfred the Great, Canute, Henry IV
- Norman EraNormans, William the Conqueror, Norman conquest, Domesday Book, Battle of Hastings
- Anglo-Saxon BritainAlfred the Great, Edgar, Edward the Confessor, Edmund, Canute
- Anglo-Saxon warfareshield wall, housecarl, huscarl, thanes, warrior