Godwin,
the son of Wulfnoth, was a large landowner in England. Although an
Anglo-Saxon, Godwin decided to give
his support to the Dane, Cunate the Great,
when he became king of England in 1016.
In 1017 Cunate divided his kingdom into four earldoms - Northumbria,
East Anglia, Mercia and Wessex. Whereas he chose Danes as earls of
Northumbria and East Anglia, he appointed Godwin as the Earl of Wessex.
In
1019 Godwin accompanied Cnut on a visit to Denmark. Cnut was impressed
with Godwin and arranged for him to marry Gytha, the sister of Earl
Ulf, the most powerful of all the Danish earls. The couple had several
children including Swegen, Edith,
Harold, Tostig
and Gyrth.
By
the time Edward the Confessor became king
in 1042, Earl Godwin was the most powerful Anglo-Saxon
in England. To maintain Godwin's loyalty Edward married his daughter,
Edith. Godwin hoped that his daughter would have a son but Edward
had taken a vow of celibacy and it soon became clear that the couple
would not produce an heir to the throne.
Godwin's
sons also became powerful figures in England. Swegen was earl of Hereford,
Gloucester and Oxford whereas Harold held
the earldom of East Anglia. A nephew, Beorn,
was earl of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
In
1044 Edward brought Robert, abbott of Jumieges, to London. Soon after
his arrival, Robert of Jumieges began making accusations against Godwin,
including the claim that he had murdered Elfred, the king's brother.
Godwin's power was also undermined by the behaviour of his son, Swegen,
who was outlawed in 1046 for seducing the abbess of Leominister.
Robert
of Jumieges became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1050. He now tried
to use his new position to destroy Godwin's influence with Edward
the Confessor.
In
1051 a group of Normans became involved
in a brawl at Dover and several men were
killed. Edward the Confessor ordered Godwin,
as earl of Wessex, to punish the people living in the town for this
attack on his Norman friends. Godwin refused and instead raised an
army against the king. Godwin marched on Gloucester but a war was
averted when it was agreed that the Witan
would sort out the dispute.
The
earls of Mercia and Northumbria remained loyal to the king and the
Witan eventually declared that Godwin and his sons had five days to
leave England. Godwin and his sons, Harold,
Tostig and Gyrth
joined Swegen in Flanders.
Over
the next year Edward the Confessor increased
the number of Norman advisers in England.
This upset the Anglo-Saxons and when
Godwin and a large army commandeered by his sons, Harold
and Tostig, landed in the south of England
in 1052, Edward was unable to raise significant forces to stop the
invasion. Most of the men in Kent, Surrey and Sussex joined the rebellion.
Godwin's
large fleet moved round the coast and recruited men in Hastings, Hythe,
Dover and Sandwich. He then sailed up the Thames and soon gained the
support of Londoners. Godwin now forced Edward to send his Norman
advisers home. Godwin was also given back his family estates and was
now the most powerful man in England.
Godwin
died at Winchester on 14th April,
1053 and his place as the leading Anglo-Saxon in England was taken
by his son Harold.
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