King Harold

Harold was an ally to the royal family of Edward the Confessor. Commanding a great deal of respect with his fellow Anglo-Saxons, Harold became the King of England after Edward's death.

Fiction

Once, Harold was captured by the Earl of Ponthieu. When William, Duke of Normandy paid the ransom, Harold vowed his subservience to him.

Edward the Confessor died early in 1066. William and Edward Atheling were both contenders for the throne, but it was Harold that was proclaimed king. This displeased William, who gathered an army to take the crown by force.

When William and the Normans landed on England on the 26th of September, King Harold and his forces were still regrouping from a battle with the Norwegians.

On the 13th of October, William declared Senlac to be the site of the battle. King Harold orchestrated his forces from ramparts at the top of the hill, defended from the back by a thick forest.

The battle began after an impromptu singalong led by Taillifer. The Anglo-Saxons demonstrated keener prowess than the Normans, who were on the back foot. William rallied his troops and bravely commanded them to pretend to run away; the Anglo-Saxons chased them and were slaughtered. King Harold was fatally wounded by an arrow to the... neck.

In the aftermath, William became the King of England, and he built a monastery on the site of the battle. The Battle of Hastings – The True Story.

Notes

• Harold is Harold Godwinson, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. Harold's death in battle is commonly attributed to being shot in the eye with an arrow, as seen on the Bayeux Tapestry, though scholars debate the veracity of this claim – and for some reason, it's the neck in this comic.
• Harold did not hold an assembly and proclaim himself King – the election was a decision by the witan.
• In 1064, Harold was captured by Guy I, Count of Ponthieu. William paid the ransom, and Harold pledged to be his vassal.
• Harold's encounter with the Norwegians refers to the Battle of Fulford, which occurred on the 20th of September, and the subsequent Battle of Stamford Bridge, which occurred on the 25th. During the latter, Harold's army killed Harald Hardrada, King of Denmark, who'd been invited to take the throne by force by Harold's exiled brother, Tostig.
• The monastery built on the site is Battle Abbey. Supposedly, the high altar of the church is on the same spot where Harold fell.
• In real life, Harold was the son of Godwin, Earl of Wessex and part of the House of Godwin. Consequently, he may have some relation to (or influence on) the fictional Godwin the Strongarm  from "Man of Iron".