After Edward the Confessor died there were 4 main candidates who wanted to become King of England. These four people were known as claimants to the throne. These four people were: William of Normandy; Harold of Wessex; Harald Hardrada & Edgar Etheling. Every one of these four had their own reasons about why they should become King, but obviously only one of them could be.

Single Claims

Harold of Wessex

Harold of Wessex also known as Harold Godwinson was the most powerful nobleman in England. He was the Earl of Wessex, which was most of south England. He showed that he was a good war leader after he defeated King of Gwynedd, the most powerful man in Wales. Harold was the son of Earl Godwine of Wessex whom Edward relied on heavily in the early years of his reign. To keep Godwin’s support he married his daughter-Edith. During the last years of his reign, Edward spent most of his time hunting, praying or organising the building of Westminster Abbey. Harold practically ruled the country for him. It is said that on his deathbed Edward promised Harold the kingdom. This was because Harold was always loyal and had always listened to the King.

Harald Hardrada

Harald Hardrada was King of Norway and claimed that his father – Magnus – was promised the throne by King Harthacnut (king before Edward the confessor). He had a reputation for being a ruthless man and also for practicing ferocious ways of torture. Harald also had Harold’s brother Tostig on his side.

Edgar Etheling

Edgar Etheling was Edward the Confessor’s great-nephew and his closest relative still alive. Edgar was a descendant of the Anglo-Saxon’s most impressive king, Alfred the Great. Edgar had lived all his life in Hungary but was only 14 years old.

William of Normandy

William of Normandy was Duke of Normandy in Northern France. He was related to Edward the Confessor in that his great aunt was Edward’s mother. He claimed that during a visit to England in 1051, Edward promised him the throne. He also claimed that Edward sent Harold to Normandy to swear an oath that William would be the next king. According to William of Poitiers, Edward loved William as a son. According to the Bayeux Tapestry Harold swore an oath on holy relics of saints that William would be the next king.

Comparing Claimants

Harold of Wessex & Harald Hardrada

Harold had the advantage of being king over Harald Hardrada as he was the admired by other noblemen. Also many people in England liked him. He also had the advantage over Harald because not many people in England knew who Harald was, and those who did, hated him because of his fearsome torture. However Harald had the upper hand in that Harold’s brother Tostig was on his side. Harald also had the edge because he had superhuman strength which could defeat Harold’s army. However overall I think out of these two Harold had the better chance of being King.

Harold of Wessex & Edgar Etheling

Harold had the advantage of being King over Edgar Etheling as he was much older and had much more experience of what it was like to be a nobleman and be a leader in war. He also had the advantage over young Edgar as not many people knew him, and if there were any people who knew him they would probably think that he is much too young to be a king. However the only point which meant Edgar was above Harold in the fight to become King was that he was the closest relative to the King. However overall I definitely think Harold had the better chance of becoming King.

Harold of Wessex & William of Normandy

Harold had the advantage of being King over William of Normandy as he was much admired while the King was alive in his final years. Harold also had the control to become King because Harold had some experience of being King when he practically ruled the country in the last years of Edward the Confessor’s reign. Another reason why Harold could have the dominance in the race could be that he is already in England and could crown himself because he is in London whereas William is in France. On the other hand William has the advantage in that he claims that Harold swore an oath on holy relics that William shall be King. So if William tells the Pope this then he can get the Pope’s blessing and invade England and take over. Having said this though, I think Harold has the upper hand in becoming King as he has more supporters (nearly half of England).

Harald Hardrada & Edgar Etheling

Harald had the advantage of being King over Edgar Etheling as he was much older, already the King of one country and had a reputation of ruthless fighting and torture. He also had the upper hand over young Edgar because he had experience of invading. The only factor which swung in Edgar’s favour was the fact that he was related to Edward the Confessor. Also maybe just the fact that he was young and he had plenty of time ahead of him to reign but it is a slim chance that was true. So over all I think Harald has the upper hand in becoming King.

Harald Hardrada & William of Normandy

Harald has the advantage of becoming King over William of Normandy as he has ruthless fighting methods, is already King of a country and has invaded a country before. However I think that in this contest William has the upper hand as he is nearer to England than Harald is. He is also in a better position to become King as his fighters are much better than those of Harald Hardrada. So in this contest it is William who has the upper hand in becoming King out of these two claimants.

Edgar Etheling & William of Normandy

Edgar has the advantage of becoming King over William of Normandy as he is younger so he will have a longer reign and he is the closest relative to Edward the Confessor. However William is much more skilled in fighting and has a larger number of soldiers and supporters. William is also in the upper hand as his has a better claim to the throne. So overall here I think it is William who is more likely to become King out of these two.

Conclusion

I have looked at all the claimants and their claims very carefully. I have also compared them with each other. Having done this I think that the claimant with the best claim is Harold of Wessex because he is much liked by the people and has very good tactics where it comes to fighting. He also has the ability to rule a country as he showed in the final years of Edward the Confessor’s reign.