Who Should Harold Godwinson Be King

William believed he would be welcomed with open arms as the new king, but he severely misinterpreted the situation. The throne of England was far from that of Normandy. It was beyond Edward’s ability to promise the throne to William auspiciously and conclusively. However, a similar situation occurred with Harold Earl of Wessex. As he lay dying Edward’s dying word left the care of his wife and kingdom in the hands of Harold. Howard mentions that this could have been misinterpreted as well. Harold’s dying words of, “I commend this woman and all the kingdom to your protection” does not explicitly label Harold as the King. Edward’s dying words did give Harold a higher leverage in that early English laws labeled The King as ruler and protector of the people and not the actual territory. Harold’s claim to the throne is made more legitimate because The Witan later chooses him.

In addition to banishment, Henry was also unfairly taken of his families' wealth, land, and title, from which he was the rightful heir. Henry contrasted Richard in many ways, in that he was honest, and very practical. Furthermore, Henry was very reluctant to assume the role of future King, eventually accepting after urging and support from the other nobles.

In the January of 1547, King Henry passed away leaving Elizabeth 3rd in line to the throne. The true successor to throne was Edward VI but he was far too young to govern, when

King Henry IV must also contend with his son, Prince Hal, who’s not the honorable prince he had hoped him to be. He feels it is “an honorable spoil” not to have “a son who is the theme of honor’s tongue,” when he learns of Northumberland’s son Hotspur’s victories, which, should be “a conquest for a prince to boast of” (1.1.74,80, & 76). Pangs of jealousy strike Henry’s heart caused by the differences between his son and Northumberland’s. So much so, he wishes “it could be proved that” someone, or something, “had exchanged in cradle clothes, their sons at birth” (1.1.85-87).

William I became known as William the Conqueror through his will and determination. William gained power through his father and soon he climbed high enough to conquer England and become its new king.

When Edward came into power in 1042, England was in a poor state financially and also because of threats of an invasion and this made the first few years of his rule difficult. Edward was faced with many problems which he had to overcome. These problems involved; powerful Earls, (especially the Godwine’s), the foreign policy and the domestic policy. Edward both failed and succeeded in these problems due to a number of factors. These include a lack of knowledge about his kingdom and some may argue that he was naïve in his decisions. With some evaluation, we will be able to judge if Edward was a successful King or not.

Harold Godwinson was born in the 1022s to a powerful Anglo-Saxon family in Wessex, United Kingdom. Throughout his life, he achieved many great things, including being the last Anglo-Saxon to be crowned King of England and being the Earl of Wessex. He was at the top of the social structure from the 6th of January 1066 until his death fighting the Norman Invaders on the 14th of October at the Battle of Hastings. The Battle of the Hastings was a major event during this time period and marked the beginning of the Norman Conquest of England.

Still young, Margaret moved to England with her family. Her father died, therefore her brother was considered as a possible successor to the English throne. But it was some time until her brother was finally proclaimed as king. He was considered too young when his father died, so Harold Godwinson was elected king. After his defeat at the battle of Hastings, Edgar was finally given the title as king.

King Richard the First, also known as Richard the Lionhearted was the king of England from 1189 to 1199. His life was filled with surprising evince and interesting stories. He did not like the weather in England and only spent a little of his time in England, when he was king. Some interesting things that happened in his life time is he was imprisoned as king and he joined the Tired Crusade. He had a good relationship with the church in the time of his reign.

During that time he practically doubled the land given to him by his father. He successfully waged war against many including the Bretons, Bavaria, the Slavs, Esthonians, Danes and an especially long thirty-year war against the Saxons. He was a respected and feared by many of the rulers of other lands.

Rollo was a very big part in vikings, he became a ruler at the 10th century. He was born in a family of noble viking warriors. His dad Rognvald was a ruler for a different part of the place they lived in, Rollo was the ruler of Normandy, his father was the ruler of Denmark for eight years until he died of old age, the same thing happened with his mother she also died of old age.

land in the north of England after both the Earl and Anne died. He was

shared his good fortune with his men. Hrothgar offered him the throne. Beowulf declined in

indicated the coronation of him after the demise of the King. After a series of

Henry the Fifth has been noted as England’s best King throughout history. He was loved among the common people and nobles alike for his fairness, his effectiveness on the throne, his justness, and his ability to relate to people of all classes. The kings that reigned before him, especially his father King Henry IV and King John, provide a striking contrast to Hal’s attitude on the throne. Kings of the past had not experienced the life of the common people, and chose to lead their lives in the realm of the castle. As we witnessed in I Henry IV, Hal’s father even went as far to discuss this approach to ruling at length with Hal. Henry IV believed that a king was best admired and supplicated if he was kept