Chapter I.
Blood ties.
In 1067, Gunhild of Wessex, daughter of the king, married Håkan, prince of Swede and brother of king Halsten, creating an alliance with Sweden. This wasn’t exactly helpful, but could become of great importance when the Swedes stabilize their nation.
But not everything was happiness and celebration, Godwin, the eldest son of Harold, fell ill during the party and died in April of the same year, making his young brother Eadmund the heir to the throne.
"His death devastated the royal family, which was very united, leaving a vacuum that was never filled again in the heart of his parents..."
- Wilhelm Von Schwarzenherz, Professor of history at Vienna University.
Eadmund lamented the death of his brother, especially because he feared the royal responsibilities and considered himself unprepared for his new task, fortunately he was still a teenager, meaning that he had time to improve.
The education of the princes was in hands of the king and some of the most wise men in the country, Eadmund had an exceptional talent in the art of war and sword combat, while Magnus was the intellectual and artistic one, he was so intelligent that memorized all the books of St Gregory the Great.
Eadmund was betrothed to Emma, the sister of the king of France.
On the other hand, the brothers of the king grew in both wealth and ambition, seeking to expand their respective domains they entered into disputes with the earl of Mercia and the king. Girth received the Earldom of Northumbria after a plague eliminated the earl and Leofwine received more land at expense of local landlords.
Edwin, the Earl of Mercia, was the most powerful vassal in the kingdom and was unmarried, so the king betrothed his other daughter, Æthelthryth, born in late 1066, to him in 1069.
In 1070 Eadmund and Emma finally married, a modest celebration was done to avoid another tragedy, something that offended the king of France in a significant way.
During those years a man called Edgar the Ætheling, who claimed to be rightful Anglish king, plotted to overthrow and replace King Harold, while Harold had a vast number of supporters, his rival counted with the aid of the Estridsen king of Denmark, Sweyn II, and two of Harold's brothers, Wulfnoth and Sweyn. They gathered soldiers and resources for the incoming revolt, but one of the lesser nobles involved revealed their plan while drunk.
When the king heard of this was tremendously infuriated, yet unsurprised for the utter treason committed by his siblings, he sent soldiers to arrest all the persons involved, which led to a catastrophic failure for the supporters of Ætheling, that broke before the arrival of the Danes, that we're defeated in a forest on the outskirts of York.
The lands and wealth of the traitors were confiscated by the crown and then distributed among the loyalist, Edgar was executed along with most of his followers, but Harold's siblings were only blinded and had their hands amputated to avoid any further alienation among his remaining siblings, he favored his loyal brothers Leofwine, Gyrth and Tostig, securing his throne, at least for now...
