Reign Harold Harefoot

1 reign

1.1 assumption of throne
1.2 invasion Ælfred , edward
1.3 death

reign
assumption of throne

the runestone sm 42, in småland, sweden, mentions harold harefoot.

harold reportedly sought coronation 1035. according encomium emmae reginae, however, Æthelnoth, archbishop of canterbury, refused crown harold harefoot. coronation archbishop legal requirement become king. Æthelnoth reportedly placed sceptre , crown on altar of temple, possibly of canterbury cathedral. offering consecrate harold without using of royal regalia have been empty honour. refused remove items altar , forbade other bishop doing so. tale goes on harold failed sway Æthelnoth, both bribes , threats proved ineffectual. despairing harold reportedly rejected christianity in protest. refused attend church services while uncrowned, preoccupying himself hunting , trivial matters.

the encomium stays silent on event reported anglo-saxon chronicle , other sources. harold accepted monarch in witenagemot held @ oxford. chief supporter in council leofric, earl of mercia, while opposition led godwin, earl of wessex. there evidence Ælfgifu of northampton attempting secure son s position through bribes nobles. in 1036, gunhilda of denmark, sister harthcanut , half-sister harold, married henry iii, king of germany. on occasion immo, priest serving @ court of holy roman empire, wrote letter azecho, bishop of worms. included information on situation in england, messengers there reporting Ælfgifu gaining support of leading aristocrats through pleas , bribery, binding them herself , harold oaths of loyalty.

initially kingdom of england divided between 2 half-brothers. harold ruled areas north of river thames, supported local nobility. southern nobility under godwin , emma continued ruled in name of absent harthacnut. anglo-saxon chronicle reports godwin , leading men of wessex opposed rule of harold ...as long could, not against it. north @ least on harold s side, in adherence terms of deal, godwin part of, emma settled in winchester, harthacnut s huscarls. harold sent , had taken best treasures of cnut great

the situation not last long, , godwin switched sides. william of malmesbury asserts godwin had been overwhelmed in power , in numbers harold. in 1037, emma of normandy fled bruges, flanders, , harold everywhere chosen king . details behind event obscure. account of anglo-saxon chronicle, version e, jumps harold being mere regent harold being sole king. versions c , d not make distinction between 2 phases. ian howard theorises death of svein knutsson have strengthened harold s position. went being second surviving son of cnut being eldest living, harthacnut still absent , unable press claim throne.

harold himself obscure; historian frank stenton considered probable mother Ælfgifu real ruler of england part or of reign. kelly devries points during high middle ages, royal succession in northern europe determined military power. eldest son of king have superior right of inheritance still lose throne younger brother, or other junior claimant, possessing greater military support. harold managed win throne against superior claim of harthacnut in way. 11th century provides other similar examples. magnus of norway (reigned 1035–1047), wasn t warlord, had reigned more decade when uncle harald hardrada (reigned 1047–1066) challenged rule. harald being famous military leader, claim end magnus reign early. baldwin vi, count of flanders (reigned 1067–1070) succeeded brother robert (reigned 1071–1093), rather own sons. robert curthose, duke of normandy (reigned 1087–1106) lost throne of england younger brothers william ii (reigned 1087–1100) , henry (reigned 1100–1135).

with kingdom of england practically owned harold, harthacnut not approach without securing sufficient military strength. decision remain in denmark points him lacking sufficient support, though wait opportunity forcefully assert claim , depose half-brother. harold reigned sole king 1037 1040. there few surviving documents events of reign. anglo-saxon chronicle covers church matters, such deaths , appointments of bishops , archbishops. there is, however, record of skirmish between anglo-saxons , welsh in 1039. named casualties eadwine (edwin), brother leofric, earl of mercia, thurkil, , Ælfgeat. there no other details concerning event. in 1039, there mention of great gale, again no details.

invasion Ælfred , edward

coin of harold harefoot

in 1036, Ælfred Ætheling, son of emma long-dead Æthelred, returned kingdom exile in duchy of normandy brother edward confessor, show of arms. motivation uncertain. william of poitiers claimed had come claim english throne themselves. frank barlow suspected emma had invited them, possibly use them against harold. if so, mean emma had abandoned cause of harthacnut, strengthen own position. have inspired godwin abandon lost cause.

the encomium emmae reginae claims harold himself had lured them england, having sent them forged letter, supposedly written emma. letter reportedly both decried harold s behaviour against her, , urged estranged sons come , protect her. barlow , other modern historians suspect letter genuine. ian howard argued emma not being involved in major political manoeuvre out of character , , encomium trying mask responsibility blunder. william of jumièges reports earlier in 1036, edward had conducted successful raid of southampton, managing win victory against troops defending city , sailing normandy richly laden booty . swift retreat confirms william s assessment edward need larger army claim throne.

with bodyguard, according anglo-saxon chronicle, Ælfred intended visit mother, emma, in winchester, may have made journey reasons other family reunion. murmur in favour of harold , on direction of godwin (now apparently on side of harold harefoot), Ælfred captured. godwin had him seized , delivered escort of men loyal harefoot. transported ship ely, blinded while on board. died in ely after due severity of wounds, bodyguard treated. event later affect relationship between edward , godwin, confessor holding godwin responsible death of brother.

the failed invasion shows harold harefoot, son , successor cnut, had gained support of anglo-danish nobility, violently rejected claims of Ælfred, edward, , (by extension) aethelings. house of wessex had lost support among nobility of kingdom. might have served turning point in struggle between harold , emma resulted in emma s exile.

death

harold died @ oxford on 17 march 1040 @ young age of 24, harthacnut preparing invasion force of danes, , buried @ westminster abbey. body subsequently exhumed, beheaded, , thrown fen bordering thames when harthacnut assumed throne in june 1040. body subsequently recovered fishermen, , resident danes reportedly had reburied @ local cemetery in london. body buried in church in city of westminster, fittingly named st. clement danes. contradictory account in knýtlinga saga (13th century) reports harold buried in city of morstr, alongside half-brother harthacnut , father cnut. while mentioned great city in text, nothing else known of morstr. heimskringla snorri sturluson reports harold harefoot buried @ winchester, again alongside cnut , harthacnut.

the cause of harold s death uncertain. katherine holman attributes death mysterious illness . anglo-saxon charter attributes illness divine judgment. harold had reportedly claimed sandwich himself, thereby depriving monks of christchurch. harold described lying ill , in despair @ oxford. when monks came him settle dispute on sandwich, lay , grew black spoke . context of event dispute between christchurch , st augustine s abbey, took on local toll in name of king. there little attention paid illness of king. harriet o brien feels enough indicate harold died of natural causes, not determine nature of disease. anglo-saxons consider him elf-shot (attacked elves), term number of deadly diseases. michael evans points out harold 1 of several youthful kings of pre-conquest england die following short reigns. others included edmund (reigned 939–946, murdered @ age 25), eadred (reigned 946–955, died @ age 32), eadwig (reigned 955–959, died @ age 19), edmund ironside (reigned 1016, murdered @ age 26), , harthacnut (reigned 1040–1042, die @ age 24). evans wonders whether role of king dangerous in era, more in period after conquest, or whether hereditary diseases in effect, since of these kings members of same lineage, house of wessex.

it unclear why king have been buried @ abbey. previous royals reportedly buried there sæberht of essex , wife Æthelgoda. emma mason speculates cnut had built royal residence in vicinity of abbey, or westminster held significance danish kings of england, explain why harthacnut not allow usurper buried there. lack of detail in anglo-saxon chronicle implies that, compilers, main point of interest not burial site, exhumation of body. harriet o brien theorises choice of location might reflect political affiliation of area, area of westminster , nearby london being power base harold.

a detailed account of exhumation appears in writings of john of worcester (12th century). group tasked mission reportedly led Ælfric puttoc, archbishop of york, , godwin, earl of wessex. involvement of such notable men have had significance of own, giving event official nature , avoiding secrecy. emma mason suspects serve punishment godwine, had served chief supporter of harold, , tasked gruesome task.