HARALD began his campaign in Northumbria, where Harold Godwinson’s estranged half-brother Tostig, recently deprived of the title of Earl, was ready to support him. At the Battle of Fulford near York on September 20th, 1066, Tostig regained his mini-kingdom in the north and Harald of Norway appeared to have one hand on the throne. Harold Godwinson raised an army and rushed up north, and on September 25th put a stop to Tostig’s revolt at Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire. Harald died there in the fighting.*
But at that moment, three hundred miles away, William of Normandy landed at Hastings on the south coast, and claimed the crown. Harold and his army raced down to meet him, but heavy fighting and the journey south had taken their toll. On October 14th, 1066, Harold’s army was vanquished, and he himself fell, pierced through the eye by an arrow. After a brief struggle, prince Edgar renounced his claim,* and on Christmas Day William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England.
Had Harald succeeded Edward, a country already dominated by Vikings in Scotland, Ireland and eastern England would presumably have completed its assimilation to became a Scandinavian country rather than a Western European one. It would also have leant further towards the Russian Church: both Harald and Edgar had family ties with Kiev, as Edgar’s mother Agatha and Harald’s wife Elizabeth were daughters of Yaroslav the Wise, and in Norway Harald openly resisted the relentless encroachment of Roman clergy from Germany.
Edgar’s sister Margaret married King Malcolm III of Scotland and their daughter, Edgar’s niece Matilda, married King Henry I of England, one of William’s sons; some legitimacy to the Norman line was therefore quite quickly restored. Edgar died sometime after 1125. See Edward the Exile.