Musings: I am the Chosen King

Ever since reading David Hastings' 1066:  The Year of the Conquest, I have wanted to read more about King Harold.  He was so sympathetically portrayed in Hastings' book; I felt so sorry for him as it really seemed like the fates just all turned against him at the end.  He is someone very deserving of fame and remembrance, so I was very excited to finally get my hands on Helen Hollick's novel about his life, I am the Chosen King.

Hollick starts her story when Harold is a teenager who gets along well with his parents but not so well with his siblings.  We follow him through three more decades- are with him when he meets the love of his life, as he gains confidence and consolidates power, deals with the difficulties of his capricious siblings and then, of course, see him setting on that fateful course that would pit him against William of Normandy.

This book was a little long for my liking, but that does not mean that I did not enjoy it.  England was in the midst of very complicated politics for the duration of Harold's life, and Hollick highlights all of those situations here.  There's King Edward's bitter relationship with his mother, King Edward's unsuccessful marriage with Harold's sister, King Edward's inability to be a strong ruler.  There's Harold's black sheep of an older brother, Swegn, and his traitorous younger brother Tostig, and his self-absorbed sister, Edith.  There's William of Normandy, ruthlessly going after anyone who stands in his way of his goals.  So much going on!  It's all fascinating, yes, but perhaps not all necessary to be included in the book.

I hope I haven't turned you off the book by talking first about its length.  It took me quite a while to read this novel, but it was completely worth it.  I fell completely in love with Harold, as I'm sure anyone who has read about England before the Norman invasion probably has.  He was elected to kingship unanimously by the earls of England, won the respect of the common people and was politically astute.  He was kind and well-liked.  He was an amazing battle commander.  It's only that he had to fight too many battles in too short a time.  I admit that I think Hollick may have portrayed Harold a little too positively and some of the other characters a little too negatively, but I can't really blame her for that.  I have a feeling that the more I read about Harold and his life, the more I'd have the tendency to hero worship him, too.

I think one of the reasons I so appreciated Harold is that oftentimes, we lump the Middle Ages into this horrible period of famine and war and rape and misery and religion that it's hard to imagine there were any bright spots.  Too often, I've complained about books or series (ahem, George R R. Martin, I'm looking at you) that have really grisly, cruel and rapacious characters at their hearts, only to hear people (many of whom know nothing about Medieval history, I'd hazard a guess) tell me that I'm overreacting because "that's just how life was in the Middle Ages."  As though every man in Europe went around raping and pillaging and being evil, and so that makes it okay. King Harold stands out as a counter-argument to that way of thinking, as someone who was conscientious and thoughtful and prioritized his country over himself.

If you know English history, you know what happens to Harold.  But this novel puts flesh on those old bones, brings the history to life, and really just makes you want to cry out with the injustice of it all.  In many ways, my reaction to this book was as emotional and visceral as my reaction to The Sunne in Splendour, Sharon Kay Penman's fantastic book about the doomed life of Richard III.  Like so many books about Richard III and King Arthur, I opened this book knowing exactly how it would end but ended it wishing desperately that things could have gone differently.

In many ways, 1066 is one of history's great "What ifs?"  What if William of Normandy had lost the Battle of Hastings and been sent back to Normandy?  What if England continued to be ruled by English kings, not Norman ones?  The English system was very sophisticated and much more democratic than those of its Continental neighbors; it's tempting to go down that road and imagine what might have been.  Particularly tempting to imagine Harold continuing with his life and his loves and dying an old man, content and respected.

But I suppose in many ways, those historic figures with tragic endings is what makes them so romantic, and it's the speculation about what might have been (and the accompanying assumption that what might have been would have been idyllic) that interests us so much.  Harold Godwinson absolutely fascinated me, and I'm so grateful to Hollick for writing a detailed and respectful novel about his life.  Highly recommended for historical fiction fans.

Does anyone recommend any other books to read about the Godwinson clan?  I'd love to read more!  Also, do people in England learn a lot about history before the Norman invasion and thus give Kings Edward and Harold significance in teaching?  Or do you really just start learning post-1066?  I'd be interested to know!