Queen Emma, daughter of the Duke of Normandy, was Queen consort of England twice, by successive marriages: first as second wife to Æthelred the Unready of England (1002–16); and then second wife to Cnut the Great of Denmark (1017–35). Edward the Confessor (the builder of Westminster Abbey and the only King of England that has been canonized) was son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England. The day after Edward died, a powerful noble was chosen by the Witan (the King's council) as King of England, and even if he did not have a direct blood link to the king nor was of royal birth, he became King Harold of England.
- The Normans. In 1066, England was invaded. First, a Norwegian army landed in the north. King Harold of England won over them but three days later a Norman army landed south, led by Duke William of Normandy, who said King Edward the Confessor had promised him to be his successor.
So, Harold had to hurry south and the two armies fought the Battle of Hastings (14 October 1066). At Hastings, Harold was definitely defeated and William became king. The Anglo-Saxon period of English history was over, and it was the Vikings (Norse) of Normandy who finally conquered England in 1066, changing the British history for ever. (For the next three hundred years, the rulers of England will speak French, not English!!)
