What if Harald Hardrada defeated Harold Godwinson at Stamford Bridge; would William still invade, and could Hardrada repel him?
Short answerWilliam would still invade and could gain southern support, while Hardrada drew on northern connections. Their rival coalitions would make the outcome uncertain.
NotesWilliam would still cross the Channel, but he could present himself to southern nobles as their protector against a victorious Norwegian claimant. Hardrada would draw more support around York and the former Danelaw, while William's cooperation with southern landholders would leave fewer estates there to reward his followers. Norman land grants and the harshest fighting could therefore shift northward, with Scotland possibly drawn into the struggle through its relationship with Hardrada. Edward the Confessor's Norman connections, intermarriage, and trade complicate the suggestion that the Anglo-Saxons would uniformly reject William. The proposed division of support runs roughly across England at the latitude of Cambridge, although the eventual outcome remains speculative.