Edward the Confessor and the Succession
Hi guys, first post on here so I hope it's allowed.
Over the past year or so, I've been reading quite a lot about 11th century England. It's definetly one of my favourite periods of history, filled with really interesting characters, however there's one thing I can't even begin to grasp, and that's what on earth Edward the Confessor was thinking in regard to the succession.
Of course the most famous narrative is that he promised the crown to William due to their familial ties and Edward having grown up in Normandy. Later on Harold then goes across the channel to reaffirm that promise. After Edward dies, however, Harold decides he doesn't like William and takes the crown for himself.
What I have found is that the more I read, the more holes that are poked into this story. There are many, but mainly surrounding:
- Edward the Exile and the decision to bring him home when William is the supposed heir
- Wether Harold's actual purpose was to promise William the throne, or wether it was an unsanctioned trip to neogitate his relatives return
- The scant amount of sources about William's supposed visit to England in 1051(?) when the crown was promised (as well as the fact that William was very busy in his own duchy)
- How well Edward and William would even have known eachother considering their age gap
- Edward's general refusal to declare anyone officially
- Edgar the Aetheling being ignored until Harold was dead (I know he was yong, but still)
Obviously, we'll never know what truly happened, but i'd love to know what people think and their theories. Did Edward promise William the crown, but then change his mind for Edward Exile? Perhaps he even did promise it to Harold in the end? The Godwin's certainly had a hold on things.
The main books ive read on this topic have been:
- The Norman Conquest by Marc Morris
- The House of Godwin by Michael John Key
- The Battle of Hastings by Jim Bradbury
- Queen Emma and the Vikings by Harriet O'Brien
- A Brief History of the Normans by François Neveux
If anyone has other reccomendations, including articles or videos, I would love to hear it as well.