Battle of Hastings
Edward the Confessor, the older son, stayed in Normandy for many years at the court of the dukes. The last duke who protected him there was his cousin Duke William. Edward became King of England in 1042. In 1052, Edward, who was childless, made William his heir. In 1065, Harold Godwinson was in Normandy and promised Duke William that he would support William as successor to the English throne.