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1. TostigGodwinson - Earl of Northumbria - Kingbreaker? FROM THE WEBSITE Tostig appears to have been a respected and useful Godwinson, often utilised by the King and campaigning alongside his brother Harold, such as when they tackled Irish raiders in 1051 or invaded Wales in 1063. He was outlawed with the rest of the Godwins during the crisis of 1051/52 but was able to return in 1052.  Tostig was probably eager to hold his own earldom during the reign of Edward but was not able to call himself an earl until 1055 when Edward granted Tostig the immense power of the earldom of Northumbria. This decision is astounding as it meant that the Godwins controlled two of the three most powerful earldoms in England; Northumbria under Tostig and Wessex under Harold. It came only three years since the entire Godwin family had been exiled and may well indicate that, whilst Edward was King in name, the Godwins were the family that held the real power. However, there is much evidence that Harold Godwinson had a better working relationship with Edward than his father, so it may have been that Edward was content to let the Godwins do the dirty work, whilst he concentrated on ventures that he enjoyed, such as building Westminster Abbey. It is also possible that Edward set Tostig - and therefore the Godwins - up for a fall, because Northumbria was undoubtedly the most difficult earldom to control. The difficulties of ruling Northumbria were, at least partly, due to the population being used to Danish control (the last earl, Siward, was a Dane put in place during the reign of Cnut) and because many of the thegns (the second rank down from earl and still very important men) were of Danish ancestry. Tostig's rule as earl began with success as he made peace and improved relations with Malcolm the King of Scotland who was previously a threat to the northern border of Northumbria but, perhaps with fatal overconfidence in his control of Northumbria, Tostig then spent much of his time at court in London and, at one point, on an epic journey to Rome as part of a delegation sent to speak with the Pope. In his absence, Northumbria began to show signs of unease at being controlled by a soft southern Saxon earl. Tostig introduced Saxon laws to Northumbria and is said to have punished crime severely, but he also found himself embroiled in feuds with various Northumbrian noble families and his unpopular rule slid into outright rebellion in October 1065. The rebels killed hundreds of Tostig supporters and demanded that Morcar, the brother of Edwin the earl of Mercia since 1062, be made earl of Northumbria instead of Tostig. The King organised a council at which few supported the idea of keeping Tostig as earl of Northumbria. Tostig himself accused Harold, his own brother, of secretly organising the rebellion, a charge that Harold denied under oath. It is difficult to fathom why Harold would do this, unless he saw Tostig as a threat to the throne. Perhaps more likely, Harold saw that it was impossible to defend his brother in the face of all of the opposition and Tostig hated him for  not standing in his corner. The King himself seemed to favour restoring Tostig but in light of the fact that most of the gathered earls and thegns were speaking against Tostig, whom they believed to have ruled Northumbria harshly, the king had no option but to strip Tostig of his earldom. Tostig left with his family for Flanders, the birthplace of his wife. During the reign of Edward there are a number of examples of displaced earls returning to England and raiding with an army until they were restored to their lands, including the Godwins in 1051/52. Tostig clearly had this in mind when he began to look for allies to invade England in 1066. He first turned to William of Normandy but William was not prepared to invade yet, so Tostig sailed to Norway where he successfully convinced King Harald Sigurdsson - also known as HaraldHardrada, meaning 'hard ruler' - to join him in invading England.  Hardrada and Tostig defeated the earls Edwin and Morcar in battle at Fulford, just outside York but must have taken casualties. Then, due to the hurried march north of Harold Godwinson, the Viking army was caught unawares and slaughtered at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, including Hardrada and Tostig. This battle must in-turn have weakened Harold Godwinson's army, thus it has been said that the quarrel between the two powerful Godwinson brothers paved the way for the possibility of a Norman conquest. Indeed, it is true that the battle at Hastings was a close-run affair and perhaps, had the northern battles not occurred, the scale of battle may have tipped in favour of Harold at Hastings.
2. TostigGodwinson– From the study guide Earl of Northumbria In 1051, Tostig and his father were banished from England to which they forcefully returned in 1052. Three years later in 1055, Tostig became the Earl of Northumbria upon the death of Earl Siward. Tostig appears to have governed in Northumbria with some difficulty. He was never popular with the Northumbrian ruling class, a mix of Danish invaders and Anglo Saxon survivors of the last Norse invasion. Tostig was said to have been heavy handed with those who resisted his rule, including the murder of several members of leading Northumbrian families. In late 1063 or early 1064, Tostig had Gamal, son of Orm and Ulf, son of Dolfin, assassinated when they visited him under safe conduct.[2] Also, the Vita Edwardi, otherwise sympathetic to Tostig, states that he had 'repressed [the Northumbrians] with the heavy yoke of his rule'. He was also frequently absent at the court of King Edward in the south, and possibly showed a lack of leadership against the raiding Scots. Their king was a personal friend of Tostig, and Tostig's unpopularity made it difficult to raise local levies to combat them. He resorted to using a strong force of Danish mercenaries (housecarles) as his main force, an expensive and resented policy (the housecarles' leaders were later slaughtered by rebels). Local biases probably also played a part. Tostig was from the south of England, a distinctly different culture from the north, which had not had a southern earl in several lifetimes. In 1063, still immersed in the confused local politics of Northumbria, his popularity apparently plummeted. Many of the inhabitants of Northumbria were Danes, who had enjoyed lesser taxation than in other parts of England. Yet the wars in Wales, of which Tostig's constituents were principal beneficiaries, needed to be paid for. Tostig had been a major commander in these wars attacking in the north while his brother Harold marched up from the south. In 1065 Northumbria rose in revolt against their earl, refusing to accept him any longer. This appears to have put Edward in a difficult position as he seems to have been fond of Tostig, but it seems he decided that the power and wishes of one man is not important compared to a potential rebellion in a powerful earldom. Tostig looked to Edward and his brother Harold to support him but his hopes were dashed and he fled the country to try to find somebody who would invade England and restore him to power. He went first to William of Normandy, then to King HaraldHardrada of Norway.
3. Harold Godwinson - Earl of East Anglia, then Wessex - King Harold II of England Harold Godwinson was quite the opposite to his older brother Swegen in that he was used to prevent or crush any trouble during the reign of Edward. It appears that Harold was a valued, useful man to Edward and upon the death of Harold' father earl Godwin, Harold took the mantle of the most powerful earl in the country.  Sources seem to suggest that Harold had a much easier relationship with Edward than his father, though whether this is because in the aftermath of the 1051/52 crisis Edward could no longer stand up to the Godwins, or because they actually got along, is hard to tell. In 1064 came a defining moment in the life of Harold when he embarked on a ship that sailed for France. The purpose of this trip is unclear; it could have been that Harold was sent by Edward to confirm that Duke William of Normandy was his desired successor, it could have been an attempt by Harold to instigate the release of his brother and nephew who were being kept as hostages by William. Either way the trip went disastrously for Harold. The ship landed by mistake in Ponthieu and the local count took Harold prisoner, William secured the release of Harold and took him to Normandy where he was apparently treated well. Whilst in Normandy William managed to get Harold to swear some sort of oath, possibly of fealty or possibly to promise to support William's claim to the throne of England. Either way Harold can have had little choice in the matter had he wished to ever leave Normandy. This episode, often referred to by chroniclers and shown clearly in the Bayeux Tapestry, formed the cornerstone of the Norman claim that their conquest of England was a righteous one. In Norman minds Harold was an oath breaker when he accepted the throne. Upon the death of Edward in 1066, Harold was the wealthiest, most powerful man in England and, when he attended Edward on his death bed, most sources agree that Harold was named by Edward as his successor. Soon after his coronation Harold married Edith, the sister of earls Edwin and Morcar, and in doing so cleverly united the two most powerful families in England, the Mercians and the Godwins, ensuring a united front in the face of the threat of invasion.  In the end, Harold was unsurprisingly unable to overcome both a Viking army and Norman army, though he came extremely close to defeating two of the most powerful, feared men in Europe in two battles within just nineteen days, at opposite ends of the country. Harold died at the Battle of Hastings in October 1966, alongside most of his brothers and the power of the Godwins died with him.
4. Harold Godwinson – From the Study Guide In 1055 Earl Aelfgar was outlawed for a reason that is lost to history, so he joined up with the King of Wales and launched raids into England. Harold Godwinson was sent at the head of a national army to deal with the problem. Aelfgar and King Gruffyd successfully avoided battle with Harold Godwinson so Harold fortified Hereford, the target of much of the raiding, and managed to get Aalfgar to agree to peace. In 1057 Aelfgar was outlawed again and sought the King of Wales. This time King Gruffyd and some Viking settlers in Ireland began raiding England. Harold was once again sent to deal with the issue, this time it seems that Harold avoided battle by informing Aelfgar that he was to be restored to his earldom. Barlow states ‘Harold often seems like his father…in preferring diplomacy and compromise to war.’ 1062-65 The danger of invasion was in decline in the latter period of Edward’s reign. Edward now devoted himself to hunting and the church and showed minimal interest in domestic or foreign affairs. In 1064, AElfgar of Mercia (son of earl Leofric and had taken over the earldom after Leofric’s death) died and left two sons, Edwin and Morcar, Edwin was made Earl by Edward. Although Gruffydd of Wales was married to Edwin’s sister, he began raiding again . It was decided at court to act against the Welsh. Harold made a small cavalry raid with his household troops which surprised Gruffydd. In May 1063 a full scale campaign was launched. Tostig invaded north Wales whilst Harold sailed with a fleet from Bristol to ravage the Welsh coastline and prevent Gruffydd escaping. Gruffydd did escape but was killed by his own men on the 5th August. His head was delivered to Harold who in turn presented it to Edward. Barlow says that this ‘…was indeed a great and much celebrated victory.’ Harold Godwinson according to Barlow ‘For twelve years after Godwin’s death in 1053 the family prospered. Much of its success was due to Harold’s qualities and wise behaviour…on good terms with his sister…and [had] at least a working relationship with Edward. Indeed he acted increasingly as the king’s lieutenant…He was also accepted by Earls Leofric and Siward and it was the misfortunes suffered by these two families which enabled the Godwins to establish a collective position even greater than that which their father himself had enjoyed.’
5. Comparison of the Godwins taken from Vita Edwardi, Edith’s commisioned book Whilst Harold had proved himself to be a good soldier and leader he also ruled with mercy and patience whilst dealing with law breakers sternly. Harold and Tostig can be compared. Both were handsome, graceful, strong and brave. Harold was taller and had much more experience of military campaigns. He was milder in temperament and more intelligent than Tostig. Tostig could also show restraint although he could be over zealous in attacking evil. Harold shared his plans with some of his trusted men and could delay action. Tostig on the other hand was secretive, did not share his plans, so his actions were unexpected. Both men persevered with actions however Harold aimed at happiness whereas Tostig aimed at success. Tostig was faithful to his wife and decent in his language. Harold is said to have made too many oaths (promises). Tostig was generous with gifts particularly to the church rather than to other men. Harold on the other hand was promiscuous and committed adultery. He was not married in the Christian church but had a stable relationship with a Norfolk noblewoman, Edith Swan neck (this was similar to Cnut relationship with Aelfgifu). They had five children together. Both Harold and Tostig were sent abroad, either to find possible heirs to the throne or to visit the Pope in Rome. Edward seemed to use both men as diplomats during the latter part of his reign.