ecame a guest and virtual prisoner of William, Duke of Normandy, by
whom the Saxon was forced to take an oath that he would marry William's
daughter and assist him in obtaining the crown of England; William then
allowed Harold to return to his country. Upon the death of Edward the
Confessor--January 5, 1066--an assembly of thanes and prelates and
leading citizens of London declared that Harold should be their king.
His accession as Harold II dates from the day after Edward's death.
Harold justified himself on the ground that his oath to William of
Normandy was taken under constraint.

William published his protest against what he called the bad faith of
Harold, and proclaimed his purpose to assert his rights by the sword. He
also obtained the countenance of the Pope, whose authority Harold
refused to recognize. A banner, blessed by the Pope for the invasion of
England, was sent to William from the Holy See, and the clergy of the
Continent upheld his enterprise as being the Cause of God. Thus
supported by the spiritual power, then wielding vast influence, William
proceeded to gather "the most remarkable and formidable armament which
the western nations had witnessed." With this following he entered upon
an undertaking the speedy and complete success of which, in the single
and decisive battle of Hastings, was fruitful in historic results such
as are seldom so traceable to definite causes and events. "No one who
appreciates the influence of England and her empire upon the destinies
of the world will ever rank that victory as one of secondary
importance.")

All the adventurous spirits of Christendom flocked to the holy banner,
under which Duke William, the most renowned knight and sagest general of
the age, promised to lead them to glory and wealth in the fair domains
of England. His army was filled with the chivalry of Continental Europe,
all eager to save their souls by fighting at the Pope's bidding, eager
to signalize their valor in so great an enterprise, and eager also for
the pay and the plunder which William liberally promised. But the
Normans themselves were the pith and the flower of the army, and William
himself was the strongest, the sagest, and the fiercest spirit of them
all.

Throughout the spring and summer of 1066 all the seaports of Normandy,
Picardy, and Brittany rang with the busy sound of preparation. On the
opposite side of the Channel King Harold collected the army and the
fleet with which he ho