Conquest of England 1066–69

The Norman Conquest was no fait accompli after victory at the Battle of Hastings. The Saxons elected a new king, Edgar the Aetheling, and regional rebellions sprung up around the country, abetted or exploited at various stages by the Danes, Scots and Welsh. William the Conqueror returned to Normandy in early 1067, after forcing the submission of Edgar and his earls, and his coronation at Westminster Abbey. At Dover, Kentish rebels were joined by an alienated Norman count, Eustace of Boulogne, in laying siege to the castle. In Mercia, a local noble, Eadric the Wild, attacked Hereford with Welsh allies. Forced to return, William crushed a West Country rebellion at Exeter, but as soon as he withdrew, Harold’s sons, now based in Ireland, began raiding the Bristol Channel. In August 1069, King Sweyn II of Denmark sailed the Humber with a large fleet and joined the northern rebels, attacking York and burning its minster. William was forced to march north to subdue the new rebellion in Northumbria.