Edward having no children, together with a sort of misgiving about ever having any to speak of, called home Edward “the Outlaw,” son of Edmund Ironside, to succeed to the throne; but scarcely had he reached the shores of England when he died, leaving a son, Edgar.

William of Normandy, a cousin of the king, now appears on the scene.  He claimed to be entitled to the first crack at the throne, and that the king had promised to bequeath it to him.  He even lured Harold, the heir apparently, to Normandy, and while under the influence of stimulants compelled Harold to swear that he would sustain William’s claim to the throne.  The wily William also inserted some holy relics of great potency under the altar used for swearing purposes, but Harold recovered when he got out again into the fresh air, and snapped his fingers at William and his relics.

[Illustration:  William compelling Harold to swear.]

January 5, 1066, Edward died, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, which had just been enclosed and the roof put on.

Harold, who had practised a little while as earl, and so felt that he could reign easily by beginning moderately and only reigning forenoons, ascended the throne.

Edward the Confessor was a good, durable monarch, but not brilliant.  He was the first to let people touch him on Tuesdays and Fridays for scrofula, or “king’s evil.”  He also made a set of laws that were an improvement on some of the old ones.  He was canonized about a century after his death by the Pope, but as to whether it “took” or not the historian seems strangely dumb.

[Illustration:  William of Normandy learns that Harold is elected king.]

He was the last of the royal Saxon line; but other self-made Saxons reigned after him in torrents.

Edgar Atheling, son of Edward the Outlaw, was the only surviving male of the royal line, but he was not old enough to succeed to the throne, and Harold II. accepted the portfolio.  He was crowned at Westminster on the day of King Edward’s burial.  This infuriated William of Normandy, who reminded Harold of his first-degree oath, and his pledge that he would keep it “or have his salary cut from year to year.”

Oh, how irritated William was!  He got down his gun, and bade the other Normans who desired an outing to do the same.

Trouble also arose with Tostig, the king’s brother, and his Norwegian ally, Hardrada, but the king defeated the allied forces at Stamford Bridge, near York, where both of these misguided leaders bit the dust.  Previous to the battle there was a brief parley, and the king told Tostig the best he could do with him.  “And what can you give my ally, Hardrada?” queried the astute Tostig.  “Seven feet of English ground,” answered the king, roguishly, “or possibly more, as Hardrada is rather taller than the average,” or words to that effect.  “Then let the fight go on,” answered Tostig, taking a couple of hard-boiled eggs from his pocket and cracking them on the pommel of his saddle, for he had not eaten anything but a broiled shote since breakfast.