Godwin dies suddenly on April 15, 1053, after collapsing during a royal banquet at Winchester.

Some colorful accounts claim that he choked on a piece of bread while denying any disloyalty to the king.

However, this appears to be later Norman propaganda.

Contemporary accounts indicate that he just had a sudden illness, possibly a stroke.

His son Harold succeeds him as Earl of Wessex, an area covering roughly the southernmost third of England.

Harold effectively rules England from this point; Edward, increasingly absorbed by Christian religion, recedes into the background.

The English people, meanwhile benefiting from firm government and secure borders under Harold, enjoy peace and relative prosperity.