26. The Powerful Saxon Lord Who Made and Unmade Kings
For much of the first half of the eleventh century, England was dominated by Godwin of Wessex (1001 – 1053), a nobleman who established the last Saxon dynasty. Although an Anglo Saxon, Godwin won the favor of the Danish King Canute after the latter conquered England in 1016, and the new monarch made him Earl of Wessex in 1018. When Canute perished in 1035, his demise triggered a succession crisis. His son Harold Harefoot fought for the English throne against Alfred the Aethling, son of Canute’s predecessor, Ethelred the Unready. Godwin launched a kingmaker career, and made his first king by securing the throne for Harold.
To accomplish that, Godwin feigned loyalty to Alfred, and lured him to London, where he was seized in an ambush. Alfred was then blinded and passed in captivity soon thereafter. However, Harold passed in 1040, and his heir was his half-brother Harthacanut, king of Denmark. That was awkward for Godwin, because Harthacanut also happened to be half-brother of that same Alfred whom Godwin had betrayed. The Earl of Wessex managed to worm his way out of Harthacanut’s vengeance by claiming to have acted under Harold’s orders. Between Godwin’s protestations, his lavish gifts, and offers to smooth his path to the English throne, Harthacanut let the Earl of Wessex off the hook. He limited his revenge to digging up and beheading Harold’s corpse.