t is the year 1066. The King Edward the Confessor has died. He has left no heir. England faces a crisis there is no clear candidate for king.

Your Task.

You are a member of the Council called the Witan it is your job to chose a new king.

efore we continue, perhaps we need to know a bit about kings of England and the Witan.

The Witam was seen as an advisory council to the king, passing charters (mostly to do with land and taxation) and law codes.

The Witan consisted of the king and the royal family (æthelings), earls and thegns (a kind of superior assistant), bishops and abbots. It was not unheard-of for female members of the royal family and abbesses to be part of the council.

However, there was also an important role for the Witan in choosing a king where there was no obvious successor. And on 2 occasions, actually rid the country of unsuitable kings!

The actors!Cnut

King 1016-1035Æthelred the Unready

King 978 - 1015

Married Emma of Normandy

Harold Harefoot King 1035 -1040

Edward the Confessor King 1042 -1066

Harthacnut King 1040 -1042

married Ælfgifu of Northampton

ome years before 1066, in 1016 a Viking King called Cnut had taken control over England< He had agreed to split England between himself and Edmund Ironside, a Saxon, but when Edmund died shortly after, Cnut claimed the lot. He added it to his lands in Norway and Denmark.

When he died in 1035, his son, Harthacnut was meant to be the next King, but trouble in Denmark stopped him attending a coronation. So his other son Harold Harefoot took control of the country.

In 1040, following the death of his full brother Alfred Atheling by Harold, Harthacnut invaded and took the throne.

When he died 2 years later, his half brother, the Saxon son by his mother, Edward the Confessor succeeded him.

O this where the Witam comes in. Edward the Confessor had died

without any sons and so it was down to the Witan to decide who the next king would be.

Recall that in the last 60 years or so, many kings had been Viking, Cnut, Harold Harefoot and Harthacnut.

The Witan was a Saxon council, so they would be quite keen to make sure they had a Saxon king!

•An experienced leader

•A skilled warrior

•English

•A relative of the late king

Try to rank the 4 key qualities in order of importance.

Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex was the late king’s brother-in –law and his chief advisor. Harold Claimed that he had been given the crown on Edward’s death bed.

He was an experienced warrior and had been earl of Wessex for many years.

William Duke of Normandy claimed that Edward had promised him the crown of England when Edward died.

He also claimed that Harold Godwinson had sworn to support his claim to the throne. William said Harold had sworn on the bones of a saint to help William become the next king of England.

This evidence comes from the Bayeux Tapestry. This was made by the victors? Can we trust it?

Harold says it was not true

In 1016 England had a Viking king called King Cnut. King Cnut was also King of Norway and Denmark. King Cnuts’ family ruled England until 1042 when Edward the Confessor took the throne. King Cnut’s heirs said they were the real Kings of England.

Harald Hardraada was Cnut’s heir. At the Age of 51, Harald Hardraada was the most renowned soldier of the Age.”

Edgar Atheling was the son of Edward the Confessors’ brother. But when Edward died Edgar was only 14 years old.