England in 1066

          In 1066, King Edward the Confessor died, leaving three men, who all had a different claim to the throne, to feud. Even though each man had a decent explanation of why they should be king, I thought that Harold Godwinson had the best claim to the throne. Before King Edward died, he had announced that Harold Godwinson would be his successor. Harold was a strong leader, an English noble, the Earl of Wessex and leader of the army. His experience woud help in his ruling. King Edward had also married Harold Godwinson's sister. If King Edward chose him to be king, he must be a viable choice. When King Edward had died, a council of nobles, known as the "Witan" agreed that Harold should be king.
          The other two men battling for the throne were Harald Hardrada and Duke William of Normandy. Harald Hadrada was a ancestor of Englands former King, King Cnut. Hadrada thought that this meant he had a right to the throne. Duke William claimed that King Edward had once promised that he would have the throne when he died. He also claimed that Harold Godwinson had been once captured by his men and taken an oath that he would support Duke William in becoming king. This decision may of been a hoax, but there was no way to prove it.
           Each of the men had a valid case, some, better than others. Since there was no way to really decide who deserved to be king, the contenders had no other choice but to fight for the throne.