I Am the Chosen King
Page 72
One other argument for the Saxons being able to fight on horseback is their perfect ability to fight against cavalry. The men in Harold’s shield wall knew very well how to defend against a cavalry charge. Using an axe to take off a horse’s head with one blow is not something that you discover by accident during the heat of battle!
After 1066, most references to King Harold were obliterated or ignored. His title in the Domesday Book, for instance, reverts to Earl Harold. Queen Edith surrendered Winchester to William, who subsequently gave her full respect as a king’s widow. She died in 1075. Alditha was given no such similar honour. She gave birth to a son, Harold, at Chester some time after Hastings; she may have remained there, or returned to Wales. Neither she nor her son or daughter is mentioned again.
Harold’s mother eventually fled to Flanders; his brother Wulfnoth remained in captivity in Normandy for over thirty years—he was never to return to England. Harold’s sons by Edyth tried to raise a rebellion, but were repulsed and fled abroad—William was either too feared or had settled himself too tightly to be dislodged. One son, either Edmund or Magnus, was killed during a raid, probably on Bristol. Ulf, the youngest, was imprisoned by William.
Harold’s daughter Gunnhild remained at Wilton Nunnery and Gytha (I have called her Algytha to differentiate her from her grandmother) travelled, possibly with her surviving brothers, to Smolensk to marry the Russian prince Vladimir, who in essence became the first Tsar of Russia. Their first-born son was known in the Danish world as Harold. She died on 7 May 1107. Her great-grandson was King Vlademar I of Denmark, from whom the present queens of Denmark and Great Britain are descended. Elizabeth II, therefore, carries the blood of Harold in her veins, as well as Duke William’s.
Eustace de Boulogne’s grandson made an attempt at invading England, but failed. Eventually Bishop Odo turned against William—as did Robert, the Duke’s eldest son. William died alone in 1087 and was buried within his abbey at Caen—his corpulent body bursting open as the attendants attempted to squeeze it into the stone coffin.
As for Edyth Swann hæls, she had apparently remained in possession of much land when the Domesday Book was compiled in 1085–6, but where she lived, where she went…we do not know.
One last matter of conjecture: was Harold killed by an arrow in his eye? The evidence for this is based upon a scene in the Bayeux Tapestry: the wording “here Harold is killed” extends above a soldier with an arrow apparently in his eye, and also over a man falling from a sword wound to his leg. Which one is meant to be Harold? I do not support the arrow theory on the grounds that such a terrible wound would more likely kill a man outright, either through shock or by piercing into the brain, and we do know that Harold, although mortally wounded, continued to fight until he was decapitated.
1066 is known as the Norman Conquest, but it is worth remembering that although William had himself crowned king, and while most of the male English aristocracy were replaced by Normans, the ordinary English—the Saxons—remained English. England was ruled by Normans but never became Norman—if that had happened, we would be speaking French, not English.
Writing is the art of turning imagination into reality—
Harold was our last English king.
I have written what I imagine to have been his story.
About the Author
Helen Hollick lives in northeast London on the edge of Epping Forest with her husband, adult daughter, and a variety of pets, which include several horses, cats, and a dog. She has two major interests: Roman/Saxon Britain and the Golden Age of Piracy—the early eighteenth century. Her particular pleasure is researching the facts behind the small glimpses of history and bringing the characters behind those facts to full and glorious life. She has an honours diploma in early medieval history and may one day, if ever she finds the time, go on to obtain her full degree.
For up-to-date information, you are invited to visit www.helenhollick.net and www.helenhollick.blogspot.com.