Who was Harold's Wife?
It's a simple question, but one that is shrouded in mystery and controversy. He was a popular King but yet we do not know who his wife was. Or do we? Two women are mostly thought to be the wives of Harold. They are Edith Svanneshals and Ealdgyth.
Ealdgyth was the sister of Earl Edwin of Mercia and Earl Morkere of Northumberland. When Harold was made King he made a journey to York where Edward the Confessor had never journeyed in his entire reign. He rode into York where he was received as King. Many stories regarding his journey, mainly Norman, state that the reason Harold went to York was to marry Ealdgyth. The marriage of a King was a big deal, yet none of the historians of that time bothered to mention anything about King Harold's marriage. No entries could be found in either the Vita Haroldi nor in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle about this supposed marriage.
Another woman was mentioned as being the wife or mistress of King Harold. Her name was Edith Svanneshals and she bore him three sons. There is more of a theory that she was his mistress or a 'Danish' wife. In this period, many powerful young men married in their youth for love and then married again to arrange political alliances. The first marriage was not blessed by the church and was called a 'Danish' marriage. When King Harold was killed at the Battle of Hastings, it was Edith who identified his body and it was her sons who later armies and tried to avenge their father.
There are many stories and accounts that support Edith and then there are some who claim that Ealdgyth was his wife. It's hard to sort out which historian wrote the truth and which, trying to please their master, embellished rumors just a little bit. Who was Harold's wife? Was it Edith Svanneshals or Ealdgyth, the sister of the northern earls?
