In 1066, King Edward the Confessor died, which opened the possibility for four individuals to ascend the throne of England. William of Normandy, Harold Godwinson, Harald Hadrada and Edgar the Atheling. Everyone knew this was their one-time opportunity, as Edward had no clear heir. William claimed that Harold had promised him the throne, but Harold denied this, saying that, before he died, Edward had asked him to be king. Harald Hadrada's claim was that he was a very powerful warlord and one of his ancestors was King Cnut of England. Edgar the Atheling was Edward's closest ancestor, but he was still a boy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Studying the 1066 period has proven problematic for historians, due to the paucity of contemporary sources. Although few historical sources are totally impartial, surviving documents regarding the Battle of Hastings are notably biased. This prejudice stems, in large part, from the attempt made by the Normans after the conquest of William's shares. Therefore, much of the surviving material is Norman in inspiration and written sometime after 1066. A second problem with studying this period relates to the traditional ideas held by many regarding the Battle of Hastings. Perhaps most notable is the surviving hypothesis that Harold was shot in the eye. These pre-existing misconceptions make many subsequent sources fundamentally unreliable. The circumstances leading up to the Battle of Hastings are varied, but all agree that Harold vowed to support William's claim to the throne of England. If this is true, it offers William some justification for his attack, and does not lead to the necessary conclusion that he was simply a warmonger hungry for more power. However, contemporary historian Ian W. Walker, in his book "Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King of England" notes that such an oath is unlikely. At the very least the oath must have been taken under duress because in England at the time there was the legitimate heir Atheling Edgar, who had a much closer blood right to the throne than William of Normandy. King Edward certainly did not know of the oath's existence or regard it as binding as he appointed Harold as his successor (an event which even a staunch Norman supporter such as William of Poitiers recognized as having occurred) in recognizing that England needed a strong man . military force to govern. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This faith that the king placed in Harold should not be ignored when considering whether Harold or William was the more skilled in battle. William won the Battle of Hastings due to his excellent leadership skills. William won the Battle of Hastings due to his superior strategy and tactics. William was able to defeat Harold and his army because Harold made some mistakes. William was helped to victory by Harold's misfortune on several occasions. It is very difficult to say whether he would have won if Harold had not been unlucky, but in my personal opinion I believe that his victory was mainly due to luck..