Edward was probably responsible for the Norman invasion in October of 1066 having promised succession to William of Normandy as well as to Harold.
"Edward was probably responsible for the Norman invasion in October of 1066 having promised succession to William of Normandy as well as to Harold."
:') The story was, Harold had been shipwrecked in Normandy, and had agreed to support William's claim to the throne (which was pretty much non-existent) should this ever come up. The story is and was complete hokum, contrived as part of the supporting myth for William's usurpation.
from everything i have read about william the bastard, it is far from unclear that he didn't plan to invade england no matter what. claims about who promised what to whom(including that harold godwineson had promised to support him as well,during harolds 'visit'), mean the claims alleged were for public consumption.
the picture of william that i have gotten is that the issue was if he could take something, not if it had been promised or not.
obviously through the mist of time and limited sources it is conjecture but there seems no doubt about the ruthless efficiency with which william engaged every military task.