2020-01-06 Mon

Harold Godwinson; also referred to as Harold II was the last Anglo Saxon king of England. A strong ruler and a skilled general, he held the crown for nine months in 1066 before he was killed at the Battle of Hastings by Norman invaders under William the Conqueror. His death marked the end of Anglo-Saxon rule over England.

Harold was a powerful earl and member of a prominent Anglo-Saxon family with ties to Cnut the Great. On January 6, 1066, the day after Edward the Confessor’s (Brother in law) death, Harold was elected by the English nobility and crowned and anointed king at Winchester Abbey by the archbishop of York.

The above shown Penny of York mint was issued under his reign. The obverse of a coin depicts the crowned bust of Harold left, scepter held before. The reverse of a coin engraved BEORN ON E[...]NE, PAX across the field between two lines.

Image Source: Heritage Auctions