The era of the eleventh and twelfth centuries will be remembered throughout history as one of the most tumultuous times in English history. In the first, they were the victims of repeated invasions, yet in the next century they were able to bounce back and influence other nations in their affairs under the mighty king Edmund the Great.
The eleventh century, first of all, saw the takeover of England by the Danish, led by Swein and then later his son, Canute II of Denmark and I of England. Canute (known as "the Great") ruled an empire which controlled much of the North Sea region, including Denmark, Norway, and England. His son Harold took the throne after his death as Harold I, but this was contested by his brother Canute, who was the rightful heir. Harold died before the coming invasion, and Canute became Canute II (the Hardy), or Harthacanute. Upon his death, England reverted to Saxon rule with the ascension of King Edward III, known as the Confessor.
Edward had no heirs, and so his nephew Edward was heir-presumptive until his death. His son, Edgar (the Atheling, later King Edgar II), was too young to take the throne at the time, so Harold Godwinson became the heir-apparent. Upon the death of Edward III, Harold II was elected by the Witan. However, William, Duke of Normandy, contested this, claiming that Edward promised him the throne and that Harold had agreed. Of course, the future king Harold had made this statement in the captivity of William, and there are no records of King Edward making such a promise. Nevertheless, William and his Norman forces launched the First Norman Invasion in the middle of 1066. King Harold met the challenge and mustered his forces against the invasion. In the Battle at Hastings, Harold scored a sensational victory against the invaders, as Duke William was killed in the battle, demoralizing his army. Within a month of Hastings, Harold signed a peace agreement with William's heir (also named William), who renounced his claim to the throne.
After Hastings, King Harold lived until 1085. There was another dilemma; Harold's son was elected king as Harold III, but Edgar had strong support in the witan and among the nobility as well, and was now ready to press his claim to the throne. Civil war raged throughout the land for five years, during which time the Welsh and Scots increased their border raids. It was not until 1090 and another attempted Norman invasion that the two sides sat down and made peace. With no living sons, Harold agreed to leave the throne to Edgar upon his death. He also had two daughters, and a wedding contract was made between them and Edgar's two sons which would unite the claims of Houses Godwinson and Cerdicingas. Harold's accidental death in 1099 led to Edgar's coronation and the subsequent rise of his house to rule over the English for the next four hundred years. His reign saw the introduction of feudalism into England, which he had learned of while in Europe.
Edgar II ruled England until his death in 1121, when his son succeeded him as Edward IV. Edward was always an ill child, and died five years after his accession, leaving the throne to his brother, who was crowned King Edmund III. Edmund's rule is remembered as a time of military and economic prosperity for England, as he was able to take back some of the territory lost to Scotland in years past. Later in his reign, he intervened in Normandy where Matilda and Stephen fought over the ducal crown. On the verge of losing, Stephen invited Edmund to intervene and mediate. When he also agreed to pay tribute to the English, Edmund agreed and reversed the roles from 1066 and 1090 in the Norman Invasion of 1136, where Matilda and her forces were defeated and Stephen was confirmed as Duke of Normandy. With the death of his son Eustace, Stephen decided to pass the duchy to Edmund. Upon Stephen's death in 1154, Henry, son of Matilda, renewed his claim against King Edmund. This led to another invasion by the English, who fought until Edmund and Henry agreed to give Henry the ducal crown, but Edmund was then declared the feudal lord, rather than King Louis VII of France. Due to Edmund's might, Louis was in no position to challenge this and agreed to Edmund's offer of 100,000 marks for feudal rights.
Edmund also fought wars with Scotland, against Kings David I and Malcolm IV, securing control of the borderland with complete English rule of Northumberland and parts of Strathclyde. In Wales, Edmund was able to settle some disputes among the various lands, helping to implement the feudal system and setting Gruffyd of Gwynedd as Grand Duke of Wales under Edmund's overlordship. This was the beginning of the true unification of Wales under a centralised government. Edmund accomplished a great many things in his 51 years of rule, dying of old age in 1177 and was succeeded by his grandson, Alfred II. Edmund's death marked the end of an era, as he would be remembered as a great king and as the one who helped make England a true European power. His rule helped promote Welsh unification, gave England a foothold in Europe, and made England into a military (as well as economic) powerhouse.
Of course, England would continue to play a prominent role in Europe in the coming centuries, from the Irish unification in the 13th century; to the establishment of the Norman Kingdom during the reign of King Athelred IV, to the wars with France under Edgar IV and Alfred III, as well as the church reforms of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. These events and many others have their roots in the events described in this essay.
ADDENDUM: Kings of England in the eleventh and twelfth centuries:
CERDICINGAS (Saxons)
Athelred II the Unready
..............................978-1013
SKIOLDUNG (Danes)
Swein Forkbeard .....................................1013-1014
CERDICINGAS
Athelred II (restored)
..............................1014-1016
Edmund II Ironside ..................................1016
SKIOLDUNG
Canute I the Great ..................................1016-1035
Harold I Harefoot ...................................1035-1040
Canute II the Hardy
.................................1040-1042
CERDICINGAS
Edward III the Confessor
............................1042-1066
GODWINSON (also Saxon)
Harold II Godwinson
.................................1066-1085
Harold III ..........................................1085-1099
CERDICINGAS
Edgar II the Atheling
...............................1099-1121
Edward IV the Frail
.................................1121-1126
Edmund III the Great
................................1126-1177
Alfred II ...........................................1177-1218