Editing Norman Conquest (section)

==Origins==
[[File:Rollo spol.jpg|thumb|13th-century depiction of [[Rollo]] (top) and his descendants [[William I Longsword]] and [[Richard I of Normandy]]|upright|right]]

In 911, the [[Carolingian dynasty|Carolingian French]] ruler [[Charles the Simple]] allowed a group of [[Vikings]] under their leader [[Rollo]] to settle in [[Duchy of Normandy|Normandy]] as part of the [[Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte]]. In exchange for the land, the Norsemen under Rollo were expected to provide protection along the coast against further Viking invaders.<ref name=Bates8>Bates ''Normandy Before 1066'' pp. 8–10</ref> Their settlement proved successful, and the Vikings in the region became known as the "Northmen" from which "Normandy" and "Normans" are derived.<ref name=Normans15>Crouch ''Normans'' pp. 15–16</ref> The Normans quickly adopted the indigenous culture as they became assimilated by the French, renouncing [[paganism]] and converting to [[Christianity]].<ref name=Bates12>Bates ''Normandy Before 1066'' p. 12</ref> They adopted the [[Old French]] language of their new home and added features from their own [[Old Norse]] language, transforming it into the [[Norman language]]. They intermarried with the local population<ref name=Bates20>Bates ''Normandy Before 1066'' pp. 20–21</ref> and used the territory granted to them as a base to extend the frontiers of the duchy westward, annexing territory including the [[Bessin]], the [[Cotentin Peninsula]] and [[Avranches]].<ref name=Capet53>Hallam and Everard ''Capetian France'' p. 53</ref>

In 1002, English king [[Æthelred the Unready]] married [[Emma of Normandy]], the sister of [[Richard II, Duke of Normandy]].<ref name=Unready54>Williams ''Æthelred the Unready'' p. 54</ref> Their son [[Edward the Confessor]], who spent many years in exile in Normandy, succeeded to the English throne in 1042.<ref name=Ruling3>Huscroft ''Ruling England'' p. 3</ref> This led to the establishment of a powerful Norman interest in English politics, as Edward drew heavily on his former hosts for support, bringing in Norman courtiers, soldiers, and clerics and appointing them to positions of power, particularly in the Church. Childless and embroiled in conflict with the formidable [[Godwin, Earl of Wessex]], and his sons, Edward may also have encouraged [[William the Conqueror|William of Normandy]]'s ambitions for the English throne.<ref name=Unification86>Stafford ''Unification and Conquest'' pp. 86–99</ref>

When King Edward died at the beginning of 1066, the lack of a clear heir led to a disputed succession in which several contenders laid claim to the throne of England.<ref name=Death167>Higham ''Death of Anglo-Saxon England'' pp. 167–181</ref> Edward's immediate successor was the [[Earl of Wessex]], [[Harold Godwinson]], the richest and most powerful of the English aristocrats. Harold was elected king by the [[Witenagemot]] of England and crowned by the [[Ealdred (archbishop of York)|Archbishop of York, Ealdred]], although Norman propaganda claimed the ceremony was performed by [[Stigand]], the [[canon law|uncanonically]] elected [[Archbishop of Canterbury]].<ref name=Death167/><ref name=Walker136>Walker ''Harold'' pp. 136–138</ref> Harold was immediately challenged by two powerful neighbouring rulers. William claimed that he had been promised the throne by King Edward and that Harold had sworn agreement to this;<ref name=BatesWilliam73>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 73–77</ref> King Harald III of Norway, commonly known as [[Harald Hardrada]], also contested the succession. His claim to the throne was based on an agreement between his predecessor, [[Magnus the Good]], and the earlier English king [[Harthacnut]], whereby if either died without an heir, the other would inherit both England and Norway.<ref name=Death188>Higham ''Death of Anglo-Saxon England'' pp. 188–190</ref>{{efn|Harthacnut was the son of King [[Cnut the Great]] and Emma of Normandy, and thus was the half-brother of Edward the Confessor. He reigned from 1040 to 1042, and died without children.<ref name=Harthacnut>Keynes "Harthacnut" ''Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England''</ref> Harthacnut's father Cnut had defeated Æthelred's son [[Edmund Ironside]] in 1016 to claim the English throne and marry Æthelred's widow, Emma.<ref name=Conquest84>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' p. 84</ref> After Harthacnut's death in 1042, Magnus began preparations for an invasion of England, which was only stopped by his own death in 1047.<ref name=Stenton423>Stenton ''Anglo-Saxon England'' pp. 423–424</ref>}} William and Harald at once set about assembling troops and ships to invade England.<ref name=Ruling12>Huscroft ''Ruling England'' pp. 12–14</ref>{{efn|Other contenders later came to the fore. The first was [[Edgar Ætheling]], Edward the Confessor's great nephew who was a patrilineal descendant of King [[Edmund Ironside]]. He was the son of Edward the Exile, son of Edmund Ironside, and was born in Hungary, where his father had fled after the conquest of England by [[Cnut the Great|Cnut]]. After his family's eventual return to England and his father's death in 1057,<ref name=Huscroft96>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 96–97</ref> Edgar had by far the strongest hereditary claim to the throne, but he was only about thirteen or fourteen at the time of Edward the Confessor's death, and with little family to support him, his claim was passed over by the [[Witenagemot]].<ref name=Huscroft132>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 132–133</ref> Another contender was [[Sweyn II of Denmark]], who had a claim to the throne as the grandson of [[Sweyn Forkbeard]] and nephew of [[Cnut the Great|Cnut]],<ref name=Stafford86>Stafford ''Unification and Conquest'' pp. 86–87</ref> but he did not make his bid for the throne until 1069.<ref name=Bates103>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 103–104</ref> [[Tostig Godwinson]]'s attacks in early 1066 may have been the beginning of a bid for the throne, but after defeat at the hands of [[Edwin, Earl of Mercia|Edwin]] and [[Morcar]] and the desertion of most of his followers he threw his lot in with Harald Hardrada.<ref name=Thomas33>Thomas ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 33–34</ref>}}