Who was the King of England before Harold Godwinson?

Edward the Confessor was King of England before Harold Godwinson. Edward ruled from 1042 until his death on 5 January 1066, after which Harold was chosen and crowned king.

Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, and he spent much of his youth in Normandy while England was governed by Danish kings. His accession restored the rule of the House of Wessex after the reigns of Cnut the Great and Cnut’s sons. Edward’s 24-year reign was comparatively long, but royal authority increasingly competed with the influence of the powerful Godwin family.

Edward died without a surviving child, creating a succession crisis. Harold Godwinson, Edward’s brother-in-law and England’s most powerful earl, was selected by the English political elite and crowned on 6 January 1066. William, Duke of Normandy, disputed Harold’s claim, helping trigger the Norman invasion. Harthacnut was Edward’s immediate predecessor, while Canute ruled earlier in the Danish period.