Editing William the Conqueror (section)

== Background ==

[[Norsemen]] first began raiding in what became [[Normandy]] in the late 8th century. Permanent Scandinavian settlement occurred before 911, when [[Rollo]], one of the Viking leaders, and King [[Charles the Simple]] of France reached an agreement ceding the [[county of Rouen]] to Rollo. The lands around Rouen became the core of the later duchy of Normandy.<ref name=Collins376>Collins ''Early Medieval Europe'' pp. 376–377</ref> Normandy may have been used as a base when Scandinavian attacks on England were renewed at the end of the 10th century, which would have worsened relations between England and Normandy.<ref name=Williams42>Williams ''Æthelred the Unready'' pp. 42–43</ref> In an effort to improve matters, King [[Æthelred the Unready]] took [[Emma of Normandy|Emma]], sister of [[Richard II, Duke of Normandy]], as his second wife in 1002.<ref name=Williams54>Williams ''Æthelred the Unready'' pp. 54–55</ref>

Danish raids on England continued, and Æthelred sought help from Richard, taking refuge in Normandy in 1013 when King [[Swein I of Denmark]] drove Æthelred and his family from England. Swein's death in 1014 allowed Æthelred to return home, but Swein's son [[Cnut]] contested Æthelred's return. Æthelred died unexpectedly in 1016, and Cnut became king of England. Æthelred and Emma's two sons, [[Edward the Confessor|Edward]] and [[Alfred Aetheling|Alfred]], went into exile in Normandy while their mother, Emma, became Cnut's second wife.<ref name=Conquest80>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 80–83</ref>

After Cnut's death in 1035, the English throne fell to [[Harold Harefoot]], his son by his first wife, while [[Harthacnut]], his son by Emma, became king in Denmark. England remained unstable. Alfred returned to England in 1036 to visit his mother and perhaps to challenge Harold as king. One story implicates Earl [[Godwin of Wessex]] in Alfred's subsequent death, but others blame Harold. Emma went into exile in [[County of Flanders|Flanders]] until Harthacnut became king following Harold's death in 1040, and his half-brother Edward followed Harthacnut to England; Edward was proclaimed king after Harthacnut's death in June 1042.<ref name=Conquest83>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 83–85</ref>{{efn|Although the chronicler William of Poitiers claimed that Edward's succession was due to Duke William's efforts, this is highly unlikely, as William was at that time practically powerless in his own duchy.<ref name=DNB/>}}