1066 is one of the pivotal years in English and Western history. It completely changed the face of England, as well as the relationship of England and France for centuries to come.

Major Figures of 1066

• Edward the Confessor. King of England since 1042, 1066 would be Edward’s last year. He was married to Editha Godwineson, daughter of the most powerful noble in England. He had no heirs of his own, however.
• Harold Godwineson. Brother-in-law of Edward the Confessor, he sought to take the throne after the death of Edward. His family was the most powerful in England, and most of England stood behind him as King.
• Tostig Godwineson. Harold’s brother, jealous of Harold and rebellious.
• Duke William of Normandy. Cousin of Edward the Confessor through marriage: Edward’s Mother and his grandmother were sisters. According to him, several years prior to 1066 Edward had named him heir to the English throne.
• Harald Hardrada. King of Norway.

Edward the Confessor

The Danes remained in control of England for 32 years, most famously under King Canute, also known as Canute the Great. After the death of Canute’s son Hardicanute, however, Edward the Confessor finally made his return to England and accepted the crown.

Edward the Confessor was a very religious man. In fact, more of his energies were spent on matters of religion and his own spirituality than on actually running the country. However things were peaceful in his time, and he was a popular king. His most lasting achievement was the building of Westminster Abbey.

When 1066 began, Edward was dying. He died on January 4th, without an heir. England would have to decide on a new king.

King Harold II

Everyone in England knew of Duke William of Normandy’s claims to the throne. In 1064 William had kidnapped Harold Godwineson, and made him promise to assist him in gaining the throne. However Harold said the promise had been made through force and he would not hold to it.

England did not William to be King. Although related to Edward the Confessor, it was through Norman bloodlines, he was of no blood relation to the royal bloodline. He was also of illegitimate birth, and no one wanted a bastard on the throne. Harold Godwineson was declared King of England, and became King Harold II on January 6th, 1066.

Harold knew that William would try to take the throne. He assembled an army, and for the entire summer of 1066 he and his army waited along the English Channel, expecting William to appear. Travel across the Channel was only possible in the summer, so they knew he would attack soon. For months, however, William did not show up.

Tostig and the Vikings

While King Harold and his men were waiting for William along the English Channel, Harold’s brother Tostig had other plans. Angry and jealous of his brother, Tostig traveled to Norway to talk to King Harald Hardrada.

Harald Hardrada knew that for decades England had Danish Kings, and that Canute particularly had been well received by the people of England. Tostig convinced Hardrada that the people of England once again wanted a Dane to rule over them, although currently the throne was held by his brother Harold.

Believing Tostig, Harald Hardrada assembled an invasion force. He would land in the north of England in September, defeating the English at the Battle of Gate Fulford on September 20th.

The invasion by the Vikings caught King Harold completely unaware. He had been waiting since spring for William and the Normans to invade. It was now near the end of the season in which travel across the Channel was possible, and William still had not shown up.

With an invading force to the north, Harold moved his army as rapidly as possible to meet the Vikings, abandoning his position in the south.

King Harold met the Vikings on September 25th in York, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. The English soundly defeated the Danes and Harald Hardrada left to return to Norway. Harold and his army had repelled the invaders, but they were not the invaders they had been expecting.

The Norman Invasion

While King Harold was in the north fighting against Harald Hardrada, Duke William finally made his move. On September 28th he landed in Pevensey in the south. The next day he and his army occupied Hastings. The Norman invasion had begun.

Harold was still celebrating his victory over the Danes when he received news that William had arrived in the south. On October 1st he gathered up his entire army and led them on a forced march to meet these second invaders.

The English were tired. For months they had waited for the Normans to come, but William had not come. They had then been forced to march to the north to meet the Vikings, completely unexpectedly. Now they must return to the south from which they had come only a little over a week prior.

William was ready to wait. In the spring he had sent an envoy to Rome, to get the Pope to support him rather than Harold as King of England. The Pope had agreed with William, and declared him the legal heir of the English throne. For William there was no doubt: he was the legitimate King of England.

William the Conqueror

Harold met William at Hastings on October 14th. His army was tired and weary, while William’s was fresh and ready for battle. Even so the English fought very well, but at the end of the day they fell to Normans, Harold himself being killed on the battlefield.

This was not enough to make William King, however. The English had wanted Harold to be their King, and only through force would William make them accept him. He began by bringing the south under his control.

On Christmas day of 1066 he was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey, the Abbey that Edward the Confessor had built. However the majority of England was still outside of his control. It would take years of fighting before he was completely secure in his title to the crown.

The Effects of 1066

The Norman Conquest completely changed the face of England. William replaced much of the nobility of England with Normans, and French not English became the language of the royalty. This would ultimately change the English language, which would become a mixture of both German and French.

With a Duke of Normandy as King of England, it created an unusual relationship between England and France. William and his successors were at the same time king of their own nation as well as vassal to a foreign King. As the English continued to gain more land under French control this would lead to increasing conflict and ultimately to the Hundred Years War starting in the 14th Century.

William greatly changed the English system of government. He brought the system of feudalism with him to England, as well as the Norman style of castle building. Prior to William there were few castles in England, after his coming they would litter the landscape.

One of the most historically significant acts of William’s reign was the composition of the Domesday Book. This was a complete census of England, both its population and their property, so that he could more properly tax them. This has given historians a strong insight into the lives of the English at this time, and it is the most comprehensive book of its kind in existence for this period of English history.

1066 was a tumultuous year, the beginning of a conquest that would last for years as William secured his seat on the throne. Forevermore the Kings and Queens of England would be descended from the Normans. The language would change drastically, as would the government of England. The ramifications of 1066 last up until this day. It is truly a turning point in English history and the history of the world.