A legendary battle that instigated Medieval England
Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the notorious Three Kings of 1936, comes the . Issued in remembrance of a series of chain reactions that saw the passing of George V, voluntary abdication of Edward VIII and finally the crowning of George VI, the Three Kings of 1936 was an extraordinary event in Great Britain’s Monarchy. However as history would have it, for the English Throne it was history repeating itself…
1066, a year that historian’s celebrate as the beginning of Medieval England and the first year in which the Kingdom of England welcomed four kings to the throne.
With the passing of Edward the Confessor (1042-66), Edgar, the closest living relative of Edward was proclaimed. Whilst extraordinarily young and spending much of his time in Hungary, the people of England knew very little of Edgar – a critical measure that ultimately lead to his default in being crowned King of England, enabling Harold Godwinson to step in and take the throne. The most powerful nobleman in England and the Earl of Wessex, Harold Godwinson claimed that Edward had promised the throne to him on his deathbed. With the noblemen in the country agreeing to the change in power, Harold was crowned King just two days after the death of Edward the Confessor.
Once news spread that Harold Godwinson was the new King of England, William the Conqueror decided to claim what he believed to be rightfully his. With a promise being made two years prior to the death of Edward, in 1064 Harold was placed in captivity by Count Guy de Ponthieu. With a choice to take the payment from William for his freedom and pass up the opportunity to be King upon the death of Edward or spend the rest of his life in captivity, Harold chose freedom – returning to England to resume his life as a nobleman.
With no written evidence of this agreement, Harold defended his actions by claiming that William had blackmailed him into passing up the throne, and therefore his claim was not valid. For further complications, the King of Norway and Denmark Harold Hardrada came forward indicating that the Danes had in the past conquered England and therefore the throne was rightfully his.
With three men claiming that they were the rightful heir to Edward, two battles were played out – the Battle of Stamford and the Battle of Hastings, which ultimately led to the death of both Harold Godwinson and Harold Hardrada and the crowning of King William I on Christmas Day 1066.
A tale that the English Throne witnessed a further three times and experienced again in 1936 – these stunning chronicles shaped the future and fate of the British nation. The 2011 Three Kings of 1936 Silver Proof is available for purchase at www.downies.com.
