2. Why was the death of Edward significant?
Think of 1 idea about what could be happening and 2 questions you could ask to find out more.
Why was the death of Edward significant?
Death of Edward the Confessor – 1066
Taken from the Bayeux Tapestry

3. Who was Edward the Confessor?
Learning outcomes:
Identify who ruled England prior to 1066.
Explain who Edward the Confessor was and his links to the Normans and Vikings.
Assess why the death of Edward the Confessor led to a succession crisis in 1066.

4. Edward the Confessor
King of England 1042 – Had links to the Vikings, Normans and English Earls. Quite a weak ruler who preferred to focus on religion. When he died in 1066 with no children there was no one contender to take the throne which led to a crisis and lots of rival claims from Vikings, Normans and Englishmen.

5. Scandinavia and the Vikings –
The Vikings came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. They were skilled sailors and were always looking for new places to settle to increase their power and wealth.
Normandy and the Normans –
Today it is part of France but in the 11th CE it was an independent country.

6. In order to understand why there was a succession crisis and lots of different claims to the throne you need to know who ruled England before 1066 and exactly how Edward the Confessor was linked to the Normans and Vikings.
Your task …
Key words:
Witan – a group of powerful English nobles who acted as advisors to the King before 1066.
Sub-regulus – literally ‘below the king’ meaning acting as the King’s deputy.
Earldoms – land owned by powerful Earls. England was divided into four Earldoms; Wessex, Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia.
Danegeld – a tax paid to the Vikings to stop them plundering England.
Fealty – loyalty
Using pages 8 – 9 in the red book complete the A3 sheet making notes under the following headings;
Edward and the Vikings - King Canute and his marriage to Emma, Harefoot and Harthacanute, Harthacanute naming Edward as heir.
Edward and the Normans - Edward’s exile to Normandy, Edward’s appointment of Normans to court after Godwin rebellion.
Edward and the English (Godwin’s) - role of the earls in ruling England, Edward’s links to the Godwin family.
L/Os:
Identify who ruled England prior to 1066.
Explain who Edward the Confessor was and his links to the Normans and Vikings.

7. Edward and the English earls
Edward the Confessor
Viking connections
Edward’s mother, Emma, married Viking King Canute after he defeated and killed Emma’s husband and the King of England in 1016.
King Canute had two sons who ruled England after his death. They were half brothers to Edward.
Norman connections
When King Canute defeated Edward’s father in 1016 Edward and his brother were sent to live in Normandy.
After the rebellion of the powerful Godwin family in 1051 Edward began to appoint lots of Norman advisors to help him rule. Many English earls resented this.
Edward and the English earls
The Godwin’s were a powerful family who ruled large areas of England. In 1045 Edward married Edith Godwin, Earl Godwin’s daughter. The relationship between Edward and the Godwin’s was tense and in 1051 they rebelled and were exiled.
L/Os:
Explain who Edward the Confessor was and his links to the Normans and Vikings.

8. Why would the death of Edward spark a succession crisis
Why would the death of Edward spark a succession crisis? Where might the rival claims come from? Which would be the strongest?
L/O: Assess why the death of Edward the Confessor led to a succession crisis in 1066.