1066: The Year England Had FOUR Kings

So, England, 1066, Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo-Saxon king, has just died. His brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, has claimed the throne. Harold Godwinson had a family connection to Edward the Confessor, with his sister being Edward the Confessor's wife, was very popular amongst the English aristocracy, and also was the richest man in England, making his claim to the throne pretty solid in the eyes of his supporters and himself, of course. And after a brief reign, he has to fight two claimants to the throne. First of all, he faces Harold Hardrada, king of Norway, who lands in the north of England. Harold Hardrada had a claim to the throne? He wanted it? I guess? After the Battle of Stamford Bridge, King Harold of Norway is killed by King Harold of England. However, William of Normandy has landed in the south of England, and so Harold must march his army down and face him. William of Normandy was invading England because he had been promised the throne by Edward the Confessor, and had a pretty secure bloodline connection, Edward the Confessor being his cousin, and he'd been promised the throne by Harold Godwinson. Fortunately for William, Harold's luck runs out and he's killed in the Battle of Hastings. At this point, William pretty much has full control over England, except for a claim by Edgar Etheling, the great-nephew of Edward the Confessor, which only saw minor support from English nobles before they gave up and submitted to William, who would rule England with an iron fist and establish a completely new dynasty. An unintended side effect of this invasion is that English history would become permanently linked to that of not only France, but also the rest of mainland Europe.