The Norman Conquest of England, 1066

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The bloody aftermath of the Battle of Hastings

Battle Abbey, Hastings When Edward the Confessor died without legitimate heirs at the beginning of 1066 he left a power vacuum and a number of rival claimants to the throne of England. Harold Godwinson, Edward’s brother-in-law, was crowned at Westminster Abbey the day after the old king’s death, but even a holy anointing was not going to prevent a bloody fight for the crown. After seeing off the Scandinavian challenger, Harald Hardraada, who’s side Godwinson’s own brother Tostig had fought on, a

Bayeux Tapestry