2016-01-06 Wed

Following the death of Edward the Confessor, Harold Godwineson, head of the most powerful noble family in England, was crowned as King Harold II.

He was last Anglo-Saxon king of England. He was a strong ruler and a skilled general. Harold’s reign, however, was destined to be short and troubled. He was immediately threatened by William and Harald III Hardraade, king of Norway, as well as by Tostig.

He held the throne 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. Despite his brief reign, Harold was a key figure in English history and a talented leader in peace and war.

Cayman Islands in 1980 issued commemorative coins honouring the Anglo-Saxon Kings of English history. One such issue depicts King Harold II in a 25 Dollar silver coin.

Also a UK special (Chard: www.24carat.co.uk) issue “King and Queens Collection” has Kings and Queens of England depicted on Sterling Silver Medallions. Each medallion is beautifully engraved, measuring 32 mms in diameter, and weighing about 16 grams of Hallmarked Sterling Silver. The obverse side of each depicts the various monarchs of England. One in this collection depicts the portrait of King Harold II.