The Death of Edward the Confessor (Edexcel GCSE History)

Edward the Confessor is controversial to modern historians. Some historians credit Edward for bringing stability to the kingdom. Most of England remained loyal to Edward and there was very little conflict between England and the kingdoms of Wales and Scotland. England admired and respected Edward as a pious, peacekeeping king.

Other historians believe that Edward was a bad king. He was not a warrior king like previous Anglo-Saxon monarchs. This meant that Edward became reliant on his earls to enforce his power across England. Earls like Harold Godwinson became increasingly dominant. This created a power imbalance between the king and his earls. 

The fundamental issue with Edward's reign is that he did not have any children. 1066 became a year of leadership challenges and marked the end of Anglo-Saxon rule of England.

Reason for the succession crisis

Why did this cause a succession crisis?

Edward and his wife Edith did not have any children

Edward had not produced an heir to the throne. This meant that there was no direct family member to become the next king

Several people had claims to the English throne

There was a lot of competition from nobles in England and abroad. The Witan needed to decide who had the best claim

Some sources reported that Edward said to Harold 'I commend this woman [Edith] with all the kingdom to your protection'

Harold interpreted Edward's statement to mean that he was the next King of England. Edith was Harold's sister. This evidence did not stop other claimants to the throne