English leaders surrendered to William at Berkhamsted after the Battle of Hastings.
William defeated Harold Godwinson on 14 October 1066, but victory did not immediately give him control of England. London’s leaders instead supported Edgar Ætheling, the young surviving member of the royal family, as king. William then advanced through southern England, capturing strategic positions and putting pressure on the capital.
He crossed the Thames at Wallingford and moved through the Chilterns toward London. At Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, Edgar Ætheling, Archbishop Ealdred, and the earls Edwin and Morcar submitted to him. This surrender cleared the way for William’s coronation at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, 1066.
Berkhamsted is sometimes confused with nearby Hertford or St Albans, but neither town was the site of this decisive submission. The surrender also did not end all resistance: rebellions continued in several parts of England during the years after William became king.