Some indeed, specially churchmen, specially foreign churchmen, now
began to doubt whether to fight against William was not to fight
against God. But to the nation at large William was simply as
Hubba, Swegen, and Cnut in past times. England had before now been
conquered, but never in a single fight. Alfred and Edmund had
fought battle after battle with the Dane, and men had no mind to
submit to the Norman because he had been once victorious. But
Alfred and Edmund, in alternate defeat and victory, lived to fight
again; their people had not to choose a new king; the King had
merely to gather a new army. But Harold was slain, and the first
question was how to fill his place. The Witan, so many as could be
got together, met to choose a king, whose first duty would be to
meet William the Conqueror in arms. The choice was not easy.
Harold's sons were young, and not born AEthelings. His brothers,
of whom Gyrth at least must have been fit to reign, had fallen with
him. Edwin and Morkere were not at the battle, but they were at
the election. But schemes for winning the crown for the house of
Leofric would find no favour in an assembly held in London. For
lack of any better candidate, the hereditary sentiment prevailed.
Young Edgar was chosen. But the bishops, it is said, did not
agree; they must have held that God had declared in favour of
William. Edwin and Morkere did agree; but they withdrew to their
earldoms, still perhaps cherishing hopes of a divided kingdom.
Edgar, as king-elect, did at least one act of kingship by
confirming the election of an abbot of Peterborough; but of any
general preparation for warfare there is not a sign. The local
resistance which William met with shows that, with any combined
action, the case was not hopeless. But with Edgar for king, with
the northern earls withdrawing their forces, with the bishops at
least lukewarm, nothing could be done. The Londoners were eager to