By the early 11th century, England faced renewed Viking threats, this time from Sweyn Forkbeard and his son Cnut the Great. After a series of campaigns, Cnut conquered England in 1016, becoming king and establishing a North Sea Empire that included Denmark and Norway. Though Cnut ruled with a degree of pragmatism and respect for English laws, his successors were weak, and the Danish grip on England loosened.

This allowed for the restoration of the House of Wessex under Edward the Confessor (r. 1042–1066). Edward’s reign is remembered for religious devotion and the construction of Westminster Abbey but was also marked by political instability and a lack of strong heirs.

The Last Kingdom: Harold and the End of Anglo-Saxon England

The death of Edward the Confessor in January 1066 triggered a succession crisis. Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, seized the throne, but his claim was contested by William, Duke of Normandy, and Harald Hardrada of Norway.

Harold defeated Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, but just weeks later, he faced William at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066. The Norman victory and Harold’s death marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England and the beginning of a new Norman dynasty.

Thus, in historical and symbolic terms, Harold was the last king of the last kingdom—the final native English ruler before the dawn of Norman rule. shutdown123