Seven kings, one kingdom: England in 1066 (William I, King of England)

The Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman Conquest of England has received a great deal of attention from historians over the years. The focus of this study is on the nature of kingship in England during this era. The goal is to determine what qualified someone to be a king. The claims of seven men who wanted to be king of England in 1066 are examined. To understand their differing claims is to understand what they thought qualified one for kingship, and understanding what kind of qualities a king should possess gives one a perception of what role the king should play in his society. The study concludes with a brief assessment of the impact of the Conquest on the role of the king in England and kingly succession.; To better understand the role of the king, this study also examined other positions of power in England, northern France, and Scandinavia and concepts of feudalism. It was necessary to determine what role dukes, earls, athelings, and others played in society in order ascertain what powers kings possessed. Feudalism is the term most often used to describe the political structure of Europe in the Middle Ages. It was necessary to try to define this term to help us see how the participants in the events of 1066 fit within the parameters of their various societies and to try to see what those parameters were.; Through this study, it was determined that men in the Middle Ages—specifically in England—made various types of claims for their worthiness to rule. Having royal blood was important. Being recommended by the previous king carried weight. Gaining the blessing of the Witan was a necessary step, and being ordained by the Church added prestige to a would-be king, but both the Witan and the Church could be bullied into endorsing someone. Force tended to trump legal niceties and traditions, but this was not as bad as it sounds. An important part of the king's role in society was to keep the peace. The more power he had, the easier it would be to do that. However, there was more to taking the throne than just being strong, as evidenced by the facts that the House of Godwin never took the crown during Edward the Confessor's lifetime, and contemporary historians bothered to present specific claims for each of the seven contenders in 1066.