King of England (1066). He was the second son of Earl Godwin of Wessex, whom he succeeded in 1053. The Godwin family had great political ambition. Harold’s sister Edith was married to Edward the Confessor, and his brother Tostig was Earl of Northumbria (1055–65). Exiled after an abortive attempt to intimidate the king, Harold and his father returned (1052) to dominate political affairs in England. Harold succeeded Edward the Confessor in 1066, despite the Norman claim that Edward had designated Duke William of Normandy as his heir and that Harold had recognized William’s right. Tostig, who had been dispossessed of his earldom, raided the south-east coast before joining the invasion by Harald Hardrada of Norway in northern England. Harold defeated them at Stamford Bridge and then marched 402 km (250 miles) south to meet William’s invasion at the Battle of Hastings, where he died.