This volume opens with the final hours, death, and burial of King Edward the Confessor at Westminster. Freeman meticulously details the vacancy of the English throne and the unanimous election of Harold Godwinson by the Witan on January fifth, followed immediately by his consecration by Archbishop Ealdred on the feast of the Epiphany. The narrative examines Harold's prompt consolidation of power, his diplomatic journey to the North to secure the allegiance of the reluctant Northumbrians with the assistance of Saint Wulfstan, and his maintenance of the West-Saxon earldom under his personal control. Attention then shifts across the Channel to Normandy, where Duke William prepares his grand enterprise.
Freeman recounts William's earlier struggles, including his marriage to Matilda of Flanders despite canonical prohibitions, the deposition of Archbishop Malger, the rise of Lanfranc, and the successful Norman wars against France and Anjou that laid the military foundation for the invasion. The text explores William's exhaustive diplomatic efforts to secure papal sanction from Pope Alexander the Second, his alliances with foreign volunteers, and his negotiations with Tostig. Finally, the narrative covers the simultaneous Scandinavian invasion led by Harold Hardrada and Tostig, culminating in the English victory at Stamfordbridge, while William's fleet finally crosses the Channel after months of delay and lands at Pevensey to ravage the Sussex coast.
