Which two brothers of Harold Godwinson were killed at the Battle of Hastings?

The two brothers of Harold Godwinson killed at Hastings were Gyrth and Leofwine.

Both men were younger brothers of Harold and members of the powerful Godwin family, which dominated English politics during the reign of Edward the Confessor. Gyrth became Earl of East Anglia, while Leofwine held a group of southern and eastern earldoms, including Kent and Essex. Their positions made them important military and political figures.

On 14 October 1066, they fought alongside Harold’s army at Senlac Hill during William of Normandy’s invasion. The English formed a strong shield wall on high ground, resisting repeated Norman attacks. Medieval accounts and the Bayeux Tapestry associate Gyrth and Leofwine with the fighting before the final collapse of Harold’s forces.

The exact circumstances of their deaths are less certain than the identity of the brothers killed. Some accounts place their bodies near Harold’s, while other traditions describe Gyrth dying earlier in the battle. Tostig, another brother of Harold, had already been killed at Stamford Bridge, fighting against Harold’s army weeks earlier.