William of Normandy and Harold Godwineson

William of Normandy
When William came to England when it was under the rule of Edward the Confessor, it has been written by Norman's that the King gave the succession to William during a visit to the country. When Edward died in 1066, William felt that the throne belonged to him and he was the rightful king.

William was born when his parents were not married and as such was known by the not so pleasant title 'William the Bastard' in his home town. In 1035, William's father died leaving William, aged 8, his only heir. Now, the lords in Normandy did not approve of him ruling them as he was so young and was not born in marriage. in 1040, there was an attempt on his life. He survived though his guardian was killed.

There was another rebellion against William in 1047. This again was a failure. This meant William was able to trust no one. He was ruthless to those who were disrespectful to him. he even cut off the hands and feet of those that taunted him about being illegitimate.

Now right up to date. William was 'promised' the throne yet there was no proper witness to this.

In the next 10 years, William was always fighting his battles. He had gotten so powerful and there was a constant threat from his enemies who had ganged together to stop his power. From 1062, William made sure that all of his fighting was to strengthen Normandy and make sure that it was secure from threats.


Harold Godwineson
While William was busy making sure Normandy was in a good situation, Harold Godwineson was busy getting more powerful than ever before under Edward. The hold that the family had in England was getting stronger than ever. When it was obvious that Edward would die without a blood heir, Harold started scheming to get hold of the crown; he wanted to be King.

After Edward died, Harold was given the crown, something that William did not like, afterall he had been given a promise by Edward. Harold was expecting a reaction to his taking the crown, though it turned out that it was not as bad as he thought the threat was going to be.

Like William, Harold was an able fighter which was to come to play during the events of 1066.
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To reinforce the learning of this lesson, I would probably get the students to create a profile on each of the men. This would come into play during the teaching of the Battle of Hastings.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/background_01.shtml#four
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/william_the_conqueror.htm
Schools History Project - Discovering the Past Y7: Contrasts and Connections

Edward the Confessor

Edward the Confessor had no children. Some say it was due to a vow of celibacy as he was pious and devoted to God, some say it was because he despised his wife. His wife, Edith, was the daughter of Godwin, one of the most influential noblemen in the country at the time. Now, Edward was a Norman; he spent his childhood in Normandy, France and was brought back over to England by his brother when his father died. When Edward became King, due to his brother passing away after drinking too much at a party, he became King and was expected to marry Edith.

In 1051, there was an incident in Dover involving some of Edward's allies. Godwin was tasked to punish those who went against Edward, though Godwin decided instead to rise against Edward. This didn't go in Godwin's favour though and he ended up being exiled as opposed to going to trial. It was with his son, Harold, that he moved his family to Flanders, France.

Back to Edward. His Norman background led to him having many Normans in his court to advise him on state matters; something his English advisors did not like. This meant that there was was discontent. Godwin was called back to England by his supporters to tackle Edward about these issues. Harold came too. The army that Godwin had raised was much stronger than Edward's and so Edward had to concede to not having his Norman advisors who were shipped back to Normandy. Godwin was allowed to stay and was given back all his estates.

On Godwin's death, his son Harold took his title and was henceforth called Harold of Wessex. This was to his advantage when Edward died. He was swiftly made King in 1066, just as William of Normandy was ready to fight for the crown himself.

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To help with this lesson, I would use pictures on a powerpoint. I think the reinforcement of this topic would be done through a story board or a play. I think it would be fun for Year 7's to do this topic with a hands on approach rather than a text book approach.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/background_01.shtml#four
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/edward_the_confessor.htm
Schools History Project: Discovering the past Y7 - Contrasts and Connections.