As an enthusiast for retelling the history of 11th century England and the Norman Conquest, I was excited that the BBC had commissioned a TV drama about William the Conqueror and King Harold.
Having now watched all eight episodes, I am bitterly disappointed. The story veers so very far from the known history, I think it should have been billed as fantasy, rather than historical drama. My fear is that people will believe that this fantasy is what really happened.
However, rather than detail the many, many things I thought they got wrong, I thought I’d tell some of the more exciting history that– inexplicably in my opinion – they missed from the TV series.
Harold Godwinson, as depicted in the Bayeux tapestry. Image originally uploaded by
Gerhard at English Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Morcar’s sister was married to the King of Wales – and Harold got him killed.
Mercia and Wessex were not in outright civil war, as depicted in the TV series. But their dynastic Earls were certainly rivals for power. In the TV show, we know little about Morcar’s sister. The TV show named her Margaret, but in history, she was Aeldgyth Ravenhair, granddaughter of Lady Godiva, and reckoned a beauty.
She was also married to the King of Wales. She bore him at least one child, and possibly more.
King Harold was elected
When Harold became King, there was no strict rule of hereditary succession, nor was the throne in the gift of the dying king.
Kings were elected.
However, the election was not like today’s. Kings were chosen by the Witan, a small group of ‘wise men’ who acted as he King’s counselors. They usually selected from the royal family, but it didn’t have to be a son. It might be brother, nephew, cousin, etc.
Edward, famously, had no children. But he did have a great nephew, Edgar, being groomed for the job. But when Edward died, Edgar was young, inexperienced. The Witan knew that William of Normandy would make a claim – and they didn’t want him. They wanted someone with military experience, who could defend the country.
So they chose Edward’s brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson.
Harold knew that William was coming
Despite the Witan’s choice, after decades of rivalry, the Mercians were wary of another Godwinson power grab. Harold – and the Witan – knew, that with William coming, he needed the Mercians on side.
Hence, the plan to marry the sister. Her progeny would, ultimately, put Mercian blood on the throne.
There was one small flaw in the plan. Just three years previously, Harold had engineered the murder of her husband.
What led to a woman to marry the man who’d caused the death of her husband?
The events leading up to this played out over decades, beginning before the real Morcar was even born.
I suspect that Morcar as depicted in the TV series is an amalgam of three historic characters: Morcar himself, his father Earl Aelfgar, and Morcar’s older brother Edwin. Their sister, named Margaret in the series, was Aeldgyth.
It began with the Father
Morcar was probably a baby, or not even born, when Edward became King of England in 1042. Morcar’s father, Aelfgar, was son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and would have expected junior honours during his father’s lifetime.
But this didn’t happen: in 1945, King Edward awarded lesser earldoms to the Godwinson brothers, Swegen and Harold, but nothing to Aelfgar. Maybe, Aelfgar thought this unfair?
Opportunity for Aelfgar – Godwins exiled!
In 1051, King Edward fell out with Harold’s father, Earl Godwin, of Wessex, and exiled the whole Godwin family. In their absence, Aelfgar became Earl of East Anglia – previously Harold’s.
Godwins take over: Aelfgar loses
In 1052, Godwin raised an army, returned to England, and forced King Edward to reinstate his family. Aelfgar lost East Anglia back to Harold. It was clear, from this time on, that King Edward was king in name only: in reality, Godwin ran the country.
In 1053, old Earl Godwin died. By then, his eldest son Swegen – who had brought the family into disrepute by abducting and raping a nun – had died on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Harold, the next son, became Earl of Wessex, leaving a vacancy in East Anglia, which was, again, given to Aelfgar.
In 1055, Earl Siward died. King Edward declared Harold’s brother, Tostig Godwinson, for Earl of Northumbria.
Harold and Tostig’s brothers, Gyrth and Leofwine, were earls of East and Anglia and Kent. Aelfgar likely protested – because, shortly afterwards, he was exiled.
Aelfgar takes arms and allies with Wales
Doubtless learning from Godwin’s exile, Aelfgar went to Ireland, where he hired 18 ships of mercenaries. Then he allied with Gruffudd ap Llewelyn, the King of Wales, and marched into the English border of Herefordshire. Ralph, Earl of Herefordshire, (incidentally King Edward’s nephew), fled.
Harold took an army to Wales to ‘restore peace’. But Aelfgar won: he was reinstated to his Earldom. To cement the alliance with Wales, Aelfgar married his daughter to Gruffudd.
Aeldgyth bore Gruffudd a daughter, Nest, and, possibly, sons, Marreddudd and Idwal, as well. (The uncertainty is because Gruffudd had other wives – at least one, possibly two.)
At Christmas 1061, Aelfgar died, and his son Edwin became Earl.
Harold attacks Wales
Shortly after Aelfgar’s death, Harold invaded Wales and attacked Gruffudd’s residence at Ruddlan. It was a shock, as military action was rare in winter. The action was allegedly in retaliation for border raids – but there had been none since Aelfgar’s alliance with Wales.
In spring 1063, Harold and his brother Tostig launched a joint attack on Wales, Harold to the south, Tostig to the north. (Contrary to the King & Conqueror narrative, Tostig was not a sniveling wreck, but an aggressive leader.)
Harold then played the Roman ‘divide and conquer’ ploy, fomenting unrest within Welsh factions. Harold’s actions resulted in the murder of King Gruffudd, the last King of Wales.
It’s now unknown who killed Gruffudd, but they must have been in league with Harold, as they gave him Gruffudd’s head. Harold, in turn, presented it to King Edward.
What about the wife?
Aelfgar’s sons quickly allied with Gruffudd’s heirs, enabling them, two years later, to curb Godwinson power and get Tostig exiled.
But what happened to Aeldgyth and her child or children, when her husband was killed?
I have been unable to find any record. It seems likely, however, that she returned to her birth family, as her brothers used her, in 1066, for their political bargain.
Having once been married to the King of Wales, Aeldgyth was next married to the King of England.
What is missing from the record is what the lady herself thought.
Would you like to be married off to the man who had taken the severed head of your husband for a trophy?
Sources/Further reading
The Last King of Wales, Gruffudd ap Llywelyn, c 1013-1063, by Michael and Sean Davies
The Earls of Mercia, by Stephen Baxter
Historic UK, history of Wales, the road to 1066