Excerpts from a lost Papal letter suggests that Rome's support for the Norman invasion of England may have resulted from Harold Godwinson’s support for an antipope.
The Norman Conquest has largely been understood as a purely dynastic struggle sparked by the death of Edward the Confessor and rival claims to the English throne. Analysis of the excerpts from a lost letter of Pope Alexander II (who reigned from 1061-1073) suggests that he was persuaded to side with William of Normandy as the reigning King Godwin of England had supported Antipope Honorius II.
