My Alphabetical Biography List: Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon king

"Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King," by Ian W. Walker
This would make a great epic boy movie; battles, political intrigues, usurperness. I often felt like I was reading a boy movie. The facts they know about him are few, but if you were to fill in a few blanks you could get a great "based on a true story." Basically he was an earl (and brother-in-law of the king) in the middle of the 11th century, a time when the reigning monarch had no children. Between Vikings and Normans, England had wars on two fronts, and when King Edward died, his only heir, a great-nephew, was too young to rule such a tumultuous country. And so Harold stepped in and ascended the throne, reigning only nine months before William the Conqueror, well, conquered.
It was an interesting book, but with all the odd names and places, as well as trying to keep alliances straight and all that, it got a little confusing at times. Still a good choice for "H," though.