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| 18. | King Harold II of Wessex was born about 1022 (son of Godwin of Wessex and Gytha Thorgilsdatter); died on 14 Oct 1066 in Hastings, Sussex, England; was buried in Waltham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, USA. Other Events and Attributes:
- Battle: 25 Sep 1066, Stamford Bridge, England; Wikipedia
- Battle: 14 Oct 1066, Battleground Hastings; Wikipedia
Notes:
Wordt 1066 na de dood van de kindeloze Edward "De belijder" door de door Angelsaksische vrijheren gedomineerde "Witan" tot koning gekozen. Verslaat 25 september in de slag bij Stamford Bridge Harold Hadrada (die daarvoor graafschap Northumbria en York ingenomen had). Harold H komt daarbij om het leven. In de daarop volgende slag bij Hastings wordt Harold door "neef" Willem van Normandie verslagen en gedood. Koning van Engeland 1066.
King of England for a short time in the memorable year,1066. He had become the Earl of East Anglia in 1044. Upon his father's death in April, 1053, he succeeded to the Earldom of Wessex and from then on, was at the right hand of the king. In 1063, supported by his brother, Tostig, Earl of Northumbria, he commanded a brilliantly conducted campaign against the Welsh. He was successful in bringing them into submission, and by doing so, solidified his reputation as an able general.
Harold acted as an emissary from Edward the Confessor to the court of William of Normandy in 1064, during which time he allegedly swore an oath of fealty to William, relinquishing any personal claim to the throne. This oath, which may have been given lightly, or possibly under duress, would figure directly in William's own claim, two years later. He would claim that the promise Harold made to him had been broken, giving William the right to challenge Harold in the battle for the crown.
While on his deathbed, the Confessor named Harold as his successor, overlooking his grandson, the rightful heir, Edgar the Ætheling, and ignoring a promise that he allegedly made (according to French sources) to William of Normandy. Upon Edward's death, Harold wasted no time securing ecclesiastical blessing on his claim by having himself crowned immediately.
Harold's brother, Tostig, had been exiled since the autumn of 1065 and had joined together with Harald Hardrada of Norway. A combined force landed in Yorkshire in September of 1066. Until this time, Harold's attention had been directed toward the south and the invasion that he knew would come from Normandy. But, now, Harold had to break away and march north to meet the new threat that had come. He defeated the forces of his traitorous brother and the King of Norway decisively at the battle of Stamford Bridge on the 25th of September.
Meanwhile, the favorable winds that the Normans had been waiting for had come and they had set sail across the channel, landing at Pevensey on the 28th. As soon as Harold heard this distressing news, he marched his force at top speed to the south. He reached London on October 5, and stopped to give his weary troops a rest and to gather reinforcements for the battle which lay ahead.
The story of these events and the decisive Battle of Hastings has been presented exquisitely in the Bayeux Tapestry and it need not be repeated, here. Suffice it to say that William won the day, and with it, the kingdom. The English fought fiercely and well, since they understood that not only their lives were at stake, but their country, also. Perhaps, if the English had been fresh and at full strength, they might have won easily, but they were tired and depleted after Stamford Bridge and the subsequent march south.
During his brief reign, the government continued to function as before, but there is no reliable way to judge what Harold might have been like as a king. He was certainly a capable field commander and a leader who inspired loyalty and confidence. His death has been recorded as coming in the midst of the final battle by way of a Norman arrow that penetrated his eye. Whether or not that is true, his memory lingers on as the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings, and the last monarch of England to suffer defeat at the hands of a foreign invader.
Harold married Ældgyth of Mercia, "Swan Neck" in 1064 in York. Ældgyth (daughter of Earl Ælfgar of Mercia and Aethelfleda) was born in 1034; died in 1086. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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| 20. | Konge Stenkil Ragnvaldsson av Sverige (son of Earl Ragnvald Ulfsson and Astrid Nialsdotter); died in 1066. Notes:
Konge af Sverige 1060
Parents: Probably the earl Ragnvald and Astrid Nialsdotter
Elected King abt 1060, after King Emund's death.
King 1060-1066
Married to someone from the old royal house, probably a daughter of Emund.
Stenkil Ragnvaldsson (* um 1028; † um 1066) war von ca. 1060 bis zu seinem Tod König von Schweden. Laut einer historischen Sage aus Västergötland kam Stenkil aus dem Ort Levene, der in dieser Landschaft lag. Die isländische Hervarar-Sage berichtet über Stenkil, dass er ein mächtiger Mann aus einem ehrbaren Geschlecht war. Seine Mutter (oder Stiefmutter) hieß Astrid und sein Vater war Ragnvald der Alte. Stenkil war anfänglich Jarl in Svíþjóð (Svitjod, Land der Svear) und heiratete die Tochter von Emund dem Alten. Nach dem Tode Emunds wählten ihn die Svear zum König, da Edmund keinen Sohn hinterlassen hatte. So erhielt zum ersten Mal eine Person, die nicht dem Geschlecht der Ynglinger angehörte, die Königsmacht. Stenkil starb an einer Krankheit zu der Zeit, als der norwegische König Harald III. in England fiel. So ließ sich mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit das Todesjahr von Stenkil bestimmen, da man weiß, dass Harald III. 1066 in der Schlacht von Stamford Bridge starb. In anderen Schriften wird Stenkil als Unterstützer der Missionäre aus dem Erzbistum Hamburg-Bremen beschrieben. Er soll den Geistlichen, die von Adalbert von Bremen angeführt wurden, beim Aufbau eines Stiftes im Ort Sigtuna geholfen haben, der sich zum ersten Bischofssitz im östlichen Schweden entwickelte. Nach dem Tode Stenkils stritten sich zwei Thronfolger, die beide den Namen Erik trugen, um den Königstitel. Einer der beiden war möglicherweise Stenkils Sohn. In den folgenden Kämpfen starben jedoch beide und so wurde ein anderer Sohn Stenkils, Halsten, schwedischer König. (Quelle Wikipedia.de)
Stenkil married Gunhild Emundsdotter. Gunhild (daughter of Kung Edmund av Sverige, 'the old' and Astrid Nialsdotter) and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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