Harold Godwinson was on the spot when King Edward died, as were many of the leading men of the realm. He based his claim on several factors: the king’s deathbed words his family connection to him (brother-in-law) his role in recent years as the king’s right-hand man his influence with the earls and thegns his proven military prowess

There was, in fact, already a natural-born heir to Edward the Confessor. This was Edgar the Aethling. As Edward’s nephew, Edgard was directly descended from royal blood, shown by his title ‘Aethling’, which meant a prince of royal blood. Edward the Confessor and Harold Godwinson had brought Edgar and his father back from Hungary in 1054, where they had gone as exiles after Cnut became king. Edgar’s father promptly died, leaving the six-year-old in Edward’s care, although Edward did nothing we know of to boost Edgar’s chance of succession. At the time of Edward’s death, Edward was only a teenager so many leading men in Anglo-Saxon England would have questioned his leadership under threats from Vikings & Normans. Heir – the rightful recipient of the throne, based on royal blood.

Harald Hardrada (c1015–1066) Harald Hardrada was the king of Norway. He was a fearsome old Viking warrior, feared across Europe as well as in other Scandinavian countries. His nickname ‘Hardrada’ meant ‘stern ruler.’ His claim to the English throne was based on Viking secret deals and treaties. Basically, he believed he had a good enough chance of succeeding to launch an invasion of England. When he became king of Norway, he inherited an old Viking claim to the throne in England. It’s likely that Hardrada had no major plans to take up his complicated claim to the English throne when Edward the Confessor died. However, this changed when Tostig Godwinson, exiled from England, turned to Hardrada for support. Hardrada took this opportunity to launch an invasion to claim the throne away from Harold Godwinson. Hardrada – a warrior king – would have had to fight a war to get the throne.

William of Normandy (c1028–1087) William was Duke of Normandy, a small country surrounded by enemies. He had fought hard to survive since he was very young. England offered the chance of real wealth and power to realise the Normans’ ambitious plans throughout Europe. His claim was based on an agreement William said was made between Edward the Confessor and himself around 1051, an agreement that was then apparently confirmed in 1064. William had come to England and Edward had promised him his throne, perhaps if Edward died childless. William managed to obtain the pope’s backing for his claim, which proved very important in getting the support William needed for his invasion. William’s claim to the English throne was certainly not a surprise to the English in 1066. Harold Godwinson, as King Harold II, started to make preparations to defend England from attack from the south almost immediately after his coronation. William had a strong army to back up his questionable claim for the throne.