The Life and Times of Godwine, Earl of Wessex

Hubert Grills

Godwine was an independent-minded, dominant and courageous man who held much political and military power. Mediaeval kings relied on men like Godwine for support and for execution of their policies. When the interests of the king and his leading men coincided, the country could enjoy an effective administration; when these interests conflicted, ruinous and unnecessary strife resulted and it was by no means certain that the authority of the king would prevail.

Earl Godwine, the father of King Harold, was one of the most important and influential figures in 11th century England. The story of his life is scattered in many source documents in which fact is mingled with legend and polemic. Hubert Grills has reviewed the available sources - Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian and Norman - and subjected them to a new analysis.

The author’s familiarity with the texts - and with the inherent bias in each of them - allows him to bring a fresh approach to the little known story of a great man.



£14·95   227 pages  18 family trees


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