| Harold The Warrior | |
|---|---|
| |
| Harold The Warrior | |
| King Of England | |
| Reign | 1066-1099 |
| Coronation | 6 January 1066 |
| Predecessor | Edward The Confessor |
| Successor | Succeeded Twice
|
| Born | Wessex, England |
| Died | 1099 London, England |
| Burial | 1099 London, England |
| Spouse | Caris of London |
| Full name | |
| Harold Godwinson | |
| House | The House of Godwin |
| Father | Godwin, Earl of Wessex |
| Mother | Gytha Thorkelsdóttir |
Harold Godwinson - also known as Harold Godwin, King Harold, or King Harold the Warrior - was a powerful English king who reigned from 1066 to 1099 AD. The honorific "The Warrior" comes from his many successes in warfare. While he is best known for defeating Edgar in the English Civil War, he also won The Battle of Hastings and defeated the Vikings at Stamford Bridge. Later, he would also fight in The First Crusade and gain the county of Tripoli for England. Additionally, during his reign, he paid an unusual amount of attention to the military, making it arguably the best in Europe at the time.
Despite the name, many of his achievements have nothing to do with the military, or even war. Harold's main achievement outside of warfare was the expansion of trade between England and Europe, especially France and Italy. This improved the economy which helped improve England overall and create a sort of safety net for the years of crisis to come. Lastly, he began to create some small schools, mostly in larger cities. While these were initially exclusively for the rich or people who could pay, they would later expand to form the basis of the English school system
However, despite his many accomplishments, Harold's reign ended badly in the long term. In passing the throne onto his eldest son, he gave the House of Iron leverage to start a downward spiral in terms of stability, shaping the next 400 years of English history. Not only that, but this move would allow William's decedents to on occasion take control of England. On the other hand, blaming Harold for this is controversial - after all, Eldest son succession was traditional, and Harold had no way to foresee the chaos that would follow. All in all, Harold was a powerful, successful, and influential king with a mixed legacy.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
