Editing Norman Conquest (section)

===Aftermath===

The day after the battle, Harold's body was identified, either by his armour or marks on his body.{{efn|A 12th-century tradition stated that Harold's face could not be recognised and [[Edith the Fair]], Harold's [[common-law wife]], was brought to the battlefield to identify his body from marks that only she knew.<ref name=Gravett80>Gravett ''Hastings'' p. 80</ref>}} The bodies of the English dead, which included some of Harold's brothers and his ''housecarls'', were left on the battlefield,<ref name="Huscroft131" /> although some were removed by relatives later.<ref name=Gravett81>Gravett ''Hastings'' p. 81</ref> [[Gytha Thorkelsdóttir|Gytha]], Harold's mother, offered William the weight of her son's body in gold for its custody, but her offer was refused. William ordered that Harold's body be thrown into the sea, but whether that took place is unclear.<ref name=Huscroft131/> Another story relates that Harold was buried at the top of a cliff.<ref name=Marren146>Marren ''1066'' p. 146</ref> [[Waltham Abbey Church|Waltham Abbey]], which had been founded by Harold, later claimed that his body had been buried there secretly.<ref name=Huscroft131>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' p. 131</ref> Later legends claimed that Harold did not die at Hastings but escaped and became a hermit at Chester.<ref name=Gravett81/>

After his victory at Hastings, William expected to receive the submission of the surviving English leaders, but instead [[Edgar Ætheling]]{{efn|Ætheling is the Anglo-Saxon term for a royal prince with some claim to the throne.<ref name=Bennett91>Bennett ''Campaigns of the Norman Conquest'' p. 91</ref>}} was proclaimed king by the Witenagemot, with the support of Earls Edwin and Morcar, [[Stigand]], the Archbishop of Canterbury, and [[Ealdred (archbishop of York)|Ealdred]], the Archbishop of York.<ref name=Douglas204>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 204–205</ref> William therefore advanced, marching around the coast of [[Kent]] to London. He defeated an English force that [[Burning of Southwark|attacked him at Southwark]], but being unable to storm [[London Bridge]], he sought to reach the capital by a more circuitous route.<ref name=Douglas205>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 205–206</ref>

William moved up the [[River Thames|Thames]] valley to cross the river at [[Wallingford, Oxfordshire|Wallingford]], Berkshire; while there he received the submission of Stigand. He then travelled north-east along the [[Chiltern Hills|Chilterns]], before advancing towards London from the north-west, fighting further engagements against forces from the city. Having failed to muster an effective military response, Edgar's leading supporters lost their nerve, and the English leaders surrendered to William at [[Berkhamsted]], Hertfordshire. William was [[Coronations of William the Conqueror and Matilda|acclaimed King of England and crowned by Ealdred]] on 25 December 1066, in [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref name=Douglas205/>{{efn|The coronation was marred when the Norman troops stationed outside the abbey heard the sounds of those inside acclaiming the king and began burning nearby houses, thinking the noises were signs of a riot.<ref name=Gravett84>Gravett ''Hastings'' p. 84</ref>}} King William attempted to conciliate the remaining English nobility by confirming Morcar, Edwin, and [[Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria]], in their lands as well as giving some land to Edgar Ætheling. William remained in England until March 1067, when he returned to Normandy with English prisoners, including Stigand, Morcar, Edwin, Edgar Ætheling, and Waltheof.<ref name=Huscroft138>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 138–139</ref>