The LAST Anglo-Saxon kings of England | Harold II and the road to 1066
Marc Morris reveals how the powerful Godwin family rose to prominence during the reign of King Edward the Confessor
Best known as the defeated king who reportedly got an arrow through the eye at the Battle of Hastings, Harold II was part of the Godwin family.
In the second episode of our series on 1066, Marc Morris reveals how the Godwins were the power behind the throne through much of the reign of Harold’s predecessor, King Edward the Confessor.
He explains to David Musgrove why the family came to prominence and how Harold managed to take the crown for himself after King Edward’s death at the start of 1066.
Watch now, or listen to the ad-free podcast below:
Authors
David Musgrove is content director of the HistoryExtra.com website and podcast, plus its sister print magazines BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed. He has a PhD in medieval landscape archaeology and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.