After invasions by Celts, Romans, Saxons and Vikings, the fifth and last major foreign invasion of Britain came in the year 1066. This time, the invaders came from Normandy, a region in the north of France. By the 11th century England had become a unified country ruled by either Saxons or Danish kings. In 1066, King Edward died. He had no sons and so he had no natural successor. Harold, the son of the most powerful local leader in Britain, declared himself king. Duke William of Normandy, however, claimed that Edward had promised that he would be king on Edward's death. When Harold claimed the English throne, William was furious. He immediately began to prepare an army to invade England and become king. William was not the only problem the new King Harold had to face. The King of Norway also wanted to claim the kingship of England. Harold led his army to meet the Norwegian invaders and defeated them in a battle in the northeast of the country. Meanwhile, William's army had landed on the south coast of English. On hearing the news, Harold had to lead his army on a long journey southward to fight the new invader. By the time the army arrived, it was tired, poorly equipped and full of inexperienced new recruits. The Saxons and Norman armies met at the Battle of Hastings. The battle was very closely fought but eventually Harold was killed and his army was defeated. William then marched to London and declared himself the new king of England. Eventually he became known as William the Conqueror. William was not only a skilled fighter, but he was also a clever politician. In order to control England, he took control of all the land in the country. The old owners were thrown out and replaced by Normans. He also built more than 80 store castles all over the country to help strengthen his rule.
