Edward the Confessor and Earl Godwine What was the relationship between Edward the Confessor the King of England and the powerful Earl Godwine and his family? - Edward's links to Normandy
- Earl Godwine's power
- Expulsion of Godwine and his family
- Invasion by Earl Godwine
Edward's links to Normandy Edward the Confessor became King of England in 1042 after the death of Harthacnut, the son of Canute. Edward was the son of Athelred the Unready and Emma. Emma was the daughter of the Norman Duke, Richard. Due to his links with Normandy, Edward's main spoken language was French. Edward's links with Normandy also meant that many of the important people in his court where Normans. Earl Godwine's power Godwine was the Earl of Wessex and Kent. This put him in a powerful position but his influence on the King was futher increased when his daughter Edith married Edward the Confessor. Godwine had several sons who themselves had gained important positions. Harold was his eldest son and was the Earl of East Anglia. So Edward's control of the country was shared with Earl Godwine and his sons. Earl Godwine objected to the influence that Edward's Norman friends at court were having. Expulsion of Godwine and his family In incident occurred in 1051 that lead to the expulsion of Earl Godwine and his family. Edward's brother-in-law, Eustace of Boulogne, was visiting the King and when travelling via Dover was involved in a dispute with the local English. A fight broke out and several people were killed. Edward was unhappy with the conduct of the locals even though they may not have been the instigators of the dispute. Edward told Earl Godwine to punish the locals as Dover was under his control. Godwine refused and Edward raised an army and confronted the Earl resulting in the expulsion of Godwine and his family. Invasion by Earl Godwine In 1052 Earl Godwine and his sons sailed into London with an invasion fleet. Edward did not have enough ships and men to oppose the Earl and had to accept Godwine and his demands. Godwine demanded that he and his sons should be reinstated into their previous positions of power and that Edward's Norman advisors in court should be removed. This put the Godwines back at the centre of power in England. Earl Godwine died in April of 1053 and his eldest son Harold became the new Earl of Wessex. | 