He could back his younger brother Tostig against the rebels, but that might create a civil war. Or he could forget about blood ties and support Tostig's enemies. In return, they might just feel grateful enough to offer him their crucial support, when the time came for him to make his bid for the English throne. In the end, Harold put ambition before brotherly love. He threw out Tostig and replaced him with the Earl Morcar. Harold had broken Godwine clan solidarity and turned his own brother into a mortal enemy. It was this merciless war of brothers which in the end cost Harold his throne and his life. More than anything else, it was the cause of the death of Anglo-Saxon England.


若支持弟弟托斯提戈与反抗贵族为敌，就会引发一场内战。若不顾血肉之情，支持托斯提戈的敌人，贵族们可能会感恩于心。在他准备夺下王位的时候，回报他以至关重要的支持。最终，哈罗德的野心战胜了手足之情。他扔下了托斯提戈，让莫卡伯爵代替了他。哈罗德破坏了戈德温家族的团结，将亲弟弟变成了自己的死敌，正是兄弟间无情的战争，让哈罗德最终赔了王位，更丢了性命。更重要的是，这也成为了盎格鲁撒克逊英格兰消亡的原因。