The Saxons, Danes & Normans (1042 - 1087)
Edward the Confessor (1042 - 1066)
Edward the Confessor was the second last Anglo-Saxon King of England and the last of the House of Wessex. His reign marked the continuing demise of royal power in England at the time and the amplification of the great territorial earls, and was the base of the country's later connection with Normandy.
Edward commissioned the Norman style Westminster Abbey (www.westminster-abbey.org), in Westminster, London. He died soon after the completion of the abbey and is buried before the High Alter. His title 'Confessor' dates back to the status between common man and saint, and was given to Edward for his just deeds. Edward was made an official Saint in 1006.
Harold II of England (1022 - 1066)
Harold II was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England. He was crowned at the newly built Westminster Abbey just one day after the death of Edward the Confessor, but his reign ended just a few months later when he was killed during the Battle of Hastings; legend has it, by an arrow through the eye.
King William I 'The Conqueror' (1066 - 1087)
William of Normandy ruled as the Duke of Normandy from 1035 to 1087 and as King of England from 1066 to 1087. William invaded England winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066 which took place in Pevensey, a small Village in East Sussex. William suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest.
The death of William the Conqueror was followed by a period conflict and betrayal as his sons fought amongst themselves for the crown. Disputes continued through the generations culminating in a civil war. Eventually an accord was reached in 1154 when Henry II became the first undisputed king in over 100 years.