‘Yes …and getting worse by the day.’
‘You think it might lead somewhere unpleasant, yes?’
‘It will if Sweyn Godwinson continues to grace us with his presence.’
‘Tell me about this Sweyn Godwinson.’
‘He is wild, violent and unpredictable. He has, however, shown remorse and promised to make amends. He’s going to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, seeking penitence. I think he’s genuine. Why are you interested in him?’
‘Perhaps we can provoke him into doing something rash.’
‘You don’t have to provoke him, he’ll do it anyway,’ interjected de Jumieges.
‘We may use him to trap Godwin in some way. This Sweyn will provide you with the reason you need to banish him and Godwin too, perhaps.’
‘If I banish Godwin, the rest of his family will take his side. What will I do then?
De Jumieges’ face split with a malevolent smile. ‘Banish them all.’
Edward’s expression froze on his face. It was the obvious thing to do, but it seemed too simple. His remained motionless while he considered de Jumieges’ remark. ‘Is it possible?’
‘It’s Godwin who stands in your way, my Lord.’
‘You will have your alliance, Count Eustace.’
‘Thank you, my Lord.’
‘If you are successful.’
Edward held a feast to welcome his brother-in-law and as an honoured guest, Eustace sat at the King’s side. He fitted in well. He might have passed for an Englishman, with a fine long moustache that ran the width of his long, angular, finely chiselled face, although his hair was a little too short.
Close to the King on the dais sat Queen Edith, Earl Ralph, de Jumieges and the earls and their ladies. As the King addressed his brother-in-law in French, some of those on the dais found themselves excluded from the proceedings. The practice of speaking French at court continued all the while Count Eustace was a guest. In many ways it was as well that people could not understand him, as he did little but criticise England, its court, its weather, horses, farming methods, in fact anything he laid eyes on.
Godwin in particular took a dislike to the Count. On the basis that my enemy’s enemy is my friend, de Jumieges courted the Count’s friendship. For his part Count Eustace understood the Archbishop, had the ear of the King and so encouraged de Jumieges’ approaches. Like de Jumieges, Eustace had no affection for the English. The only thing Eustace approved of was the English fashion for moustaches worn like his own. He felt slighted on his brother-in-law’s behalf that he seemed to lack the power and control exercised elsewhere in Europe. Even relatively small landowners had a say in running the country. It was an anathema to him to see so much interference with matters of state but he hoped he could work it to his advantage. Eustace thought in exchange for offering help to Edward with his fractious earls, some accommodation would be made.
It was not until he was leaving England that he had an idea that would change the course of history. On his return journey to Boulogne, Count Eustace had agreed to spend a night at Canterbury with Robert de Jumieges, so that they could have a word out of earshot of the King. After their evening meal de Jumieges and Count Eustace devised a plan to dispose of Godwin.
The next day Eustace, with his armed guard of forty men, travelled to Dover. Outside the town they stopped and put on their armour, a provocative thing to do in a foreign country where they were disliked, as Eustace well knew. When they were ready, Eustace led his men through the town gates. As he expected, he and his men were immediately the cause of considerable alarm. One of the townsfolk ran to alert the authorities. In the meantime Eustace and his men entered an inn, demanding food and drink. While the landlord’s daughters attempted to supply the soldiers with drinks, a sergeant made his way behind the bar.
‘Hey, get out of there!’ yelled the innkeeper.
The sergeant muttered and pushed him aside.
One of the customers objected to the sergeant’s behaviour and was treated to a punch in the face. At the same time a fight broke out in another corner of the bar after some of the soldiers started to molest the serving girls, just as a burgess was forcing his way into the rowdy bar. He called out, trying to restore order, but had his teeth knocked out for his trouble and he was sent flying into the street, spitting blood everywhere.
Word of the arrival of the armed band of Frenchmen soon swept through the town and in a state of excitement the anxious townsfolk rushed to the Northgate to find chaos. Some of the crowd were holding up a groaning town burgess who was bleeding profusely. There were screams as the landlord of the inn was dragged out into the street surrounded by the soldiers. He was shouting at them. Not a word could be heard above the din of the crowd but everyone saw him run through with a sword and kicked to the ground as screams went up from his wife and daughters. The soldiers laughed and tried to rip the women’s clothes off. Like an explosion, the crowd rioted.
Eustace had remained outside the inn with some of his men, looking on approvingly as those who had gone on ahead of them spread mayhem all around. Still on horseback he watched, waiting for his moment to charge into the crowd. When he saw the innkeeper killed and his wife and daughter assaulted, he shouted to the crowd at the top of his voice, ‘If the rest of you rabble want to end up like that, then carry on defying us. Do none of you know how to behave? Have you never heard of hospitality? Have you no manners, you English scum?’
Then, addressing his men with his sword held high, ‘Let’s teach these pigs a lesson in hospitality!’
He spurred his horse forward into the heart of the crowd, his soldiers following his example. They continued flailing their weapons left and right, this way and that, not caring whom they injured or killed. Unable to escape the slashing blades and trampling hooves of the horses, many townspeople were hacked, crushed and trampled. The screams of terrified women and children fuelled the anger of the crowd, who attacked Eustace’s troops with anything they could lay their hands on. Overwhelmed by numbers and the sheer ferocity of the locals, Eustace and his men turned and made their escape as fast as they could. They left seven of their comrades behind them.
Four days after the skirmish, Eustace arrived at Westminster demanding an audience with the King and was granted immediate access. King Edward had heard a version of events from Godwin, who was demanding the Count be apprehended and brought to trial. Count Eustace reported his version of the incident to the King. Pacing backward and forward, playing the part of the indignant innocent, he claimed he had been ambushed by Godwin’s men and the townsfolk. ‘He knew we would return home from Dover and hid his thugs around the town ready to pounce. They took things too far and murdered one of my guards. A fellow soldier, acting with the highest of motives, killed one of the rabble in revenge. It was then that tempers flared. Naturally, my men and I had to defend ourselves from the mob in order to make our escape.’
‘That’s a lie,’ snarled Godwin, unable to contain himself.
‘Sit down, Earl Godwin,’ commanded the King. Then, turning to Eustace. ‘Please continue, Count Eustace.’
‘I demand the town be punished with utmost severity, as befits the crime of assaulting a visiting nobleman under the protection of the King. I demand Dover be subject to military punishment!’
‘That’s outrageous!’ bellowed Godwin.
‘Is there something you wish to add, Earl Godwin?’ asked Edward, sternly.
Struggling to control himself, Godwin defended the people of Dover, describing Eustace’s attack in detail.
‘What reason would he have, Godwin?’ hissed de Jumieges.
‘Ask Count Eustace!’
‘Tell me, Earl Godwin, do you seriously expect the King to take the word of a rabble of commoners against that of a count? What will people in Europe think when they hear that important visitors to these shores are attacked in the street by mobs?’ said de Jumieges, in his loftiest tone.
‘What has this to do with you, de Jumieges?’ snapped Godwin. ‘And w
ho are you to interrogate me? I don’t have to answer any of your questions.’
‘But you have to answer mine,’ stated the King. ‘This is a serious business and I think it best if we discuss it at the Gloucester Witan when we meet in a fortnight. Until then I will hear no more of the matter.’
The Gloucester Witan
As usual the September Witan was held in the ancient city of Gloucester. The scene was set for the inevitable showdown between the Godwins and the Normans. Godwin appreciated the danger he was in, so gave himself an edge at the meeting by calling out his soldiers in Wessex. Harold rallied to his father’s aid by calling out his troops. Sweyn, Tostig, Gyrth, and Leofwine turned up with their men, as much to show solidarity with their father as to threaten the King.
Edward arrived a week early in order to make plans for the overthrow of the Earl and his family. When the Godwins, with their armed force, also arrived early, Edward was, to say the least, surprised. Eustace, who had accompanied the King from London, was intimidated by the presence of such a formidable force but Edward was made of sterner stuff. Leofric and Siward, who had initially brought with them only a small retinue of followers, called out their entire armed forces and Earl Ralph brought his men from Herefordshire to protect Edward if the need should arise.
Most of Godwin’s men found the arrogance of Edward’s French friends overbearing. They were suspicious of their language and customs, which seemed strange and alien. Because Edward indulged himself and spoke French whenever the opportunity arose, many felt they were being excluded in favour of a foreign elite. The French favourites, for their part, thought that Godwin was seeking their destruction. The sophistication of English politics went beyond them; they assumed Edward could rule unchallenged and as for the Witan, they found debates intolerable and unnecessary. Why should matters of government be up for discussion? The King should simply tell them what to do. The involvement of the earls, shire reeves, thanes and the like they mistook for squabbling; the expression of a different view they perceived as disloyalty. They felt confused and besieged.
With Gloucester surrounded by the swelling ranks of armed soldiers, the Witan got under way. King Edward asked Godwin to explain the behaviour of his people in Dover. The Earl went straight on the offensive. ‘My Lord, it is not I who need to explain the behaviour of fellow Englishmen but Count Eustace and his Frenchmen, who should be charged for numerous crimes, particularly murder and assault. I demand he and his men surrender immediately and the Frenchmen of Hereford, too.’
Eustace made a counter-accusation. ‘That is outrageous. It was Earl Godwin’s men who provoked my men into fighting. We had no choice but to defend ourselves. It’s Godwin who should stand trial for murder and assault, to say nothing of the crimes he has committed against you, my Lord.’
‘What crimes have I committed against anyone, let alone the King?’ replied Godwin.
‘Rebellion and treason,’ answered de Jumieges.
‘And murder and assault of my men,’ added de Boulogne.
‘And complicity in my brother Alfred’s murder,’ called out the King.
Godwin’s face turned white. Now, he realised, there was a conspiracy against him and the King was at the heart of it.
‘I refute all charges you have brought against me,’ snarled the Earl.
The King responded, ‘Then you will have to stand trial. However, before you do, you may find the court takes a more lenient view of your crimes is you punish Kent for the atrocities committed against Count Eustace.’
‘But my Lord, it has not yet been established that anyone in Dover committed any crimes.’
Count Eustace jumped to his feet. ‘My Lord, you have seen for yourself the wounds my men carry.’ Then, turning to look at Godwin, ‘We all know how they got them.’
At this, there were shouts of abuse from many of Godwin’s men. Quite a few of his contingent were from Dover and the surrounding area and were there to testify on his behalf.
‘That has not been established in law, my Lord,’ responded Godwin.
‘What has been established is this, Godwin,’ said the King, oozing satisfaction. ‘I have instructed you to punish Kent most severely. Since it was a military party that was attacked it is only fitting a military punishment should be prescribed; burn down houses and ravage the county. That should stop any further outbursts and assure Earl Eustace’s safe return to Boulogne. Is that clear, Earl Godwin?’
‘Perfectly clear, my Lord, but I refuse to commit such an act,’ he replied to more cheers from his men. Godwin continued, ‘which I consider of unjust cruelty, the decision to do so made unfairly. None of Count Eustace’s men were murdered; they were killed by citizens defending themselves and their families. As for rebellion, I would gladly obey the will of the King but it has to be established who is the guilty party.’
Godwin’s supporters were growing more hostile by the second. Although Leofric and Siward felt no love for Godwin, they were uneasy about foreigners manipulating the King — that was for them to do. But their distaste for Count Eustace was sweetened by the prospect of Godwin coming to grief. Earl Ralph watched, feeling distinctly anxious as events progressed.
Eustace was denying any guilt. ‘That is not true,’ interrupted the Count.
‘If I might finish!’ continued Earl Godwin. ‘Finally, I cannot understand why the Archbishop accuses me of treason, nor do I understand, my Lord, why the charge of complicity in the murder of your brother has been raised when I have already answered that charge in the past and been found innocent.’
‘I like that,’ sneered Jumieges in the King’s ear, ‘Godwin innocent. The very idea!’
This was too much for Sweyn. ‘What has this to do with you, Norman pig? It’s none of your business. As for the rest of the French, what are they doing here, I should like to know? This is the business of the English Witan, not the courts of Boulogne or Normandy.’
Sweyn then turned his attention to the French-speaking faction. ‘Go to hell, French bastards!’ to the cheers and roars of laughter from the Wessex faction. ‘This has nothing to do with you. You’re only here to cause trouble, lousy Norman curs!’
‘I’ll second that,’ shouted Aelfgar, Leofric’s son, much to everyone’s surprise, ‘and don’t come back!’
Once the sons of prominent earls had called out their support, thanes like Ansgar and Azur joined in too, as did a young hot-head from Lincoln called Merleswein.
‘My Lords, let’s be reasonable about this,’ called out Bishop Eadmer, above the din. ‘There is no need for unpleasantness. We should discuss matters like civilised men. Let’s calm ourselves and this meeting will progress, I am sure, to a proper outcome.’
Count Eustace, Osbern Pentecost and his comrade-in-arms Hugh had their own ideas as to what would be the proper outcome of the meeting. Behind the scenes they had been urging Edward to take action against Godwin and his family, but it would have been folly as they were far outnumbered by Godwin’s men. Earl Godwin pushed for an immediate trial while he held the upper hand and Edward stalled to allow more soldiers to come in from the north. The acrimonious negotiations proceeded slowly. There was a steel-like tension in the air.
Leofric and Siward thought that Edward came down too favourably and too obviously on the side of the French as a result of listening to bad advice. The two earls would protect the King no matter what — he was after all their lord. They would also welcome a check to Godwin’s ambition but they had no wish to see new men, especially strangers, have things all their own way. But most of all they dreaded civil war more than the plague, and now its spectre loomed large. Word was spreading around the country about what was happening at the Gloucester Witan. In Wessex Godwin was fast becoming a hero while the King was seen as the villain of the piece. In Mercia and Northumbria sympathy also lay with Godwin.
Early the next morning, before the Witan reconvened, Ralph had a brief meeting with Leofric and suggested an adjournment. Glad of a way out of difficult situation, Leofri
c promised to raise it at the earliest opportunity.
When Edward entered the hall that morning he was greeted by the sight of most of his nobles looking as though they were preparing for battle. Although no one appeared wearing chain mail, each man seemed to be carrying more than the usual amount of weapons. Throwing axes were tucked into belts, knives as well as swords hung at their sides and most unusually, men had shields hanging on their backs. The King had also been informed that each of the armies surrounding the city was fully prepared to spring to the aid of its lord at a moment’s notice. As much as anyone else present, he needed a way out of a situation over which he was rapidly losing control. As Edward sat, Leofric rose to his feet. ‘My Lord, would you permit me to be the first to speak this morning?’
As Leofric was usually calm and measured in what he said and had something of a reputation for moderation, Edward was glad to let him address the Witan. He spoke calmly and with great dignity: ‘My Lords, you have all been very patient during these difficult days. I thank you all for that. However, I have noticed, as I am sure you all have, that the business of the Witan has been eclipsed by matters connected with the incident in Kent.’
‘You mean the murder of innocent English folk,’ shouted Aelfgar, not pleased to see his father in the role of appeaser.
There was a murmur of agreement from around the hall. ‘If you will hear me out,’ continued Leofric. He turned to his son beside him and with a hint of menace instructed him to show his father more respect and to quieten down.
Leofric once more turned his attention to the gathering and continued, ‘These matters are preventing the Witan from proceeding with its business, as I’m sure you will all agree. The charges against Earl Godwin are the concern of the law and should be addressed to the court in the form of a trial and not be the subject of endless discussions at a Witan. I suggest a trial in London at some future date.’
Siward was on his feet in an instant. ‘I would second that, my Lord.’
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