1. Harold Godwinson
2. William Of Normandy
3. Harald Hardrada
4. Sweyn II Ethstrithson Ulfsson
* According to legend, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, King Harold was hit in the eye by an arrow, and William of Normandy (also known as William the Bastard) became King of England. This is known as the Norman invasion and is said to be the last time England was successfully invaded. There is a lot more to this story though.
When the Anglo-Saxon King Edward the Confessor died in January 1066, there were a number of potential successors to the Throne and title King of the English. However, Edward named Harold Godwinson so on his deathbed. Harold was the son of a South Saxon King. Harold Hardrada was the King of Norway but he was killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25. Sweyn II of Denmark was a native born Englishman and a nephew of King Canute, but he does not appear to have interested himself in the affairs of England until after the Battle of Hastings.
The Battle of Hastings was actually fought at Senlac Hill on October 14.
Edward the Confessor had died without issue, and William actually had a better claim to the Throne than Harold as he was his first cousin once removed. On his victory, William of Normandy became William I of England and William the Conqueror. Although it is now a Province of France, Normandy was in effect part of England at that time, so coupled with William’s legitimate claim, this was not really much of an invasion.
Back To Number 4 Index