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Edward constructs a Norman-style church at Westminster, west of the City of London.

England’s childless Anglo-Saxon king, Edward, called the Confessor, on his deathbed in the first days of January 1066, allegedly names Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, heir to the English throne; he dies on January 4 or 5.

In any case, the Witenagemot, gathering at Thorney Island where Edward's Westminster Abbey had been dedicated days before he died, proclaims Harold, the richest and most powerful of the English aristocrats, King of England.

He is crowned as Harold II on January 6, by Ealdred, Archbishop of York, probably in the new Westminster Abbey, although Norman propaganda will claim the ceremony had been performed by Stigand, the uncanonically elected Archbishop of Canterbury.

Later in the month, Harold marries Ealdgyth, daughter of the late Earl Ælfgar, and widow of Welsh ruler Gruffydd ap Llywelyn.

Harold is at once challenged by two powerful neighboring rulers.

Duke William of Normandy claims that he had been promised the throne by King Edward and that Harold had sworn agreement to this.

Harald III of Norway, commonly known as Harald Hardrada, also contests the succession.

His claim to the throne is based on an agreement between his predecessor Magnus I of Norway, and the earlier King of England Harthacanute, whereby if either died without heir the other would inherit both England and Norway.

William and Harald immediately set about assembling troops and ships for separate invasions.

Halley's Comet appears in the sky in April 1066, and is widely reported throughout Europe.

Contemporary accounts connect the comet's appearance with the succession crisis in England.

Stigand perhaps assists at William’s coronation on Christmas Day, 1066, although the coronation is performed by Ealdred.

Henry is hastily crowned king in Westminster Abbey on August 5 by Maurice, the Bishop of London, as Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had been exiled by William Rufus, and Thomas, the Archbishop of York, is in the north of England at Ripon.

In accordance with English tradition and in a bid to legitimize his rule, Henry issues a coronation charter laying out various commitments.

The new king presents himself as having restored order to a trouble-torn country.

He announces that he will abandon William Rufus's policies towards the Church, which have been seen as oppressive by the clergy; he promises to prevent royal abuses of the barons' property rights, and assures a return to the gentler customs of Edward the Confessor; he asserts that he will "establish a firm peace" across England and orders "that this peace shall henceforth be kept".

In addition to his existing circle of supporters, many of whom are richly rewarded with new lands, Henry quickly co-ops many of the existing administration into his new royal household.

William Giffard, William Rufus's chancellor, is made the Bishop of Winchester, and the prominent sheriffs Urse d'Abetot, Haimo Dapifer and Robert Fitzhamon continue to play a senior role in government.

By contrast, the unpopular Ranulf Flambard, the Bishop of Durham and a key member of the previous regime, is imprisoned in the Tower of London and charged with corruption.

The late king had left many church positions unfilled, and Henry sets about nominating candidates to these, in an effort to build further support for his new government.

The appointments need to be consecrated, and Henry writes to Anselm, apologizing for having been crowned while the Archbishop is still in France and asking him to return at once.

He writes that he commits himself to be counseled by Anselm.

Henry marries Matilda, the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland, on November 11, 1100.

Henry is now around thirty-one years old, but late marriages for noblemen are not unusual in the eleventh century.

The pair had probably first met earlier the previous decade, possibly being introduced through Bishop Osmund of Salisbury.

Historian Warren Hollister argues that Henry and Matilda were emotionally close, but their union was also certainly politically motivated.

Matilda had originally been named Edith, an Anglo-Saxon name, and is a member of the West Saxon royal family, being the niece of Edgar the Ætheling, the great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside and a descendent of Alfred the Great.

For Henry, marrying Matilda gives his reign increased legitimacy, and for Matilda, an ambitious woman, it is an opportunity for high status and power in England.

Matilda has been educated in a sequence of convents, however, and may well have taken the vows to formally become a nun, which form an obstacle to the marriage progressing.

She does not wish to be a nun and appeals to Anselm for permission to marry Henry, and the Archbishop establishes a council at Lambeth Palace to judge the issue.

Despite some dissenting voices, the council concludes that although Matilda had lived in a convent, she had not actually become a nun and is therefore free to marry, a judgment that Anselm then affirms, allowing the marriage to proceed.

Matilda proves an effective queen for Henry, acting as a regent in England on occasion, addressing and presiding over councils, and extensively supporting the arts.

The couple soon had two children, Matilda, born in 1102, and William Adelin, born in 1103; it is possible that they also had a second son, Richard, who died young.

Following the birth of these children, Matilda prefers to remain based in Westminster while Henry travels across England and Normandy, either for religious reasons or because she enjoys being involved in the machinery of royal governance.

Henry has a considerable sexual appetite and enjoys a substantial number of sexual partners, resulting in a large number of illegitimate children, at least nine sons and thirteen daughters, many of whom he appears to have recognized and supported.

It was normal for unmarried Anglo-Norman noblemen to have sexual relations with prostitutes and local women, and kings are also expected to have mistresses.

Some of these relationships occurred before Henry was married, but many others take place after his marriage to Matilda.

Henry has a wide range of mistresses from a range of backgrounds, and the relationships appear to have been conducted relatively openly.

He may have chosen some of his noble mistresses for political purposes, but the evidence to support this theory is limited.

Richard is crowned king in Westminster Abbey on September 3, 1189.

He has barred all Jews and women from the ceremony, but some Jewish leaders arrive to present gifts for the new king.

Baldwin, the Archbishop of Canterbury, convinces Richard not to accept presents from the Jewish dignitaries but to turn them out of the palace.

The crowds take this to mean that the King favors persecution of the Jews.

According to Ralph of Diceto, Richard's courtiers strip and flog the Jews, then fling them out of court.

Richard is reluctant to begin his reign by overtly protecting the Jews and therefore does not punish the rioters too severely—thus encouraging more riots.

John of England puts an embargo on wheat exported to Flanders in an attempt to force an allegiance between the states.

He also puts a levy of a fifteenth on the value of cargo exported to France, and disallows the export of wool to France without a special license.

The levies are enforced in each port by at least six men, including one churchman and one knight.

Langton, at a council of churchmen at Westminster on August 25, 1213, to which certain lay Barons are invited, reads the text of the charter of Henry I and calls for its renewal.