[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I seem to remember he kept marrying different women to gain money and power.

[SunkenCiv]

Nope, he was married twice though, one common law.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Godwinson#Relationships,_marriages_and_children

By contrast, William the Usurper was one of the bastard children of Robert I

Both of them therefore are the ancestors of a lot of people, including yours truly and at least one other FReeper. If memory serves, I’m also descended from France’s Robert I, who was a couple centuries earlier, but my memory isn’t what it used to be, plus, I was pretty young in the 9th c.

[Texan5]

Don’t know which Harold did that-but it was not Harold Godwinson-he was only married twice and had a rich noble family and plenty of money of his own. To his 1st wife Eadith by common/Danish law-for 20 years and they had a bunch of kids. Under Danish law, he could also marry a 2nd wife while keeping the 1st one, too.

He took a 2nd wife-Ealdgyth, who was a widow with a child-in about 1065, likely to keep the military support of her Mercian and Northumbrian relatives.