The Challenges of a King

<p><b>''Excellent'' Stewart Binns, author of the Making of England series</b></p><h2>The fight for England began long before 1066¿</h2><p>AD 1045. Godwin of Wessex, one of the most powerful earls in the country, prepares for the marriage of his daughter to King Edward of England. The mood is jubilant, his family¿s relationship with the Crown secured through matrimony. But one man seeks to undermine him at every opportunity.</p><p>French-born Bishop of London, Robert of Jumi¿s, has the ear of the king. As a trusted adviser, his position is one of power and privilege, and he wields it to gain ever-greater influence over the English Crown for his kinsmen in Normandy, at Godwin¿s expense.</p><p>As the bishop¿s control increases, the king¿s relationship with the House of Godwin frays until, eventually, it breaks down completely. With civil war looming, Godwin fights to pull England back from the brink. But with the king under Norman influence, it could be too little, too late.</p><p><b><i>T