Harold was immediately challenged by two powerful neighbouring rulers. Harold was elected king by the Witenagemot of England and crowned by the Archbishop of York, Ealdred, although Norman propaganda claimed the ceremony was performed by Stigand, the uncanonically elected Archbishop of Canterbury. Edward's immediate successor was the Earl of Wessex, Harold Godwinson, the richest and most powerful of the English aristocrats. When King Edward died at the beginning of 1066, the lack of a clear heir led to a disputed succession in which several contenders laid claim to the throne of England. There was little alteration in the structure of government, as the new Norman administrators took over many of the forms of Anglo-Saxon government. More gradual changes affected the agricultural classes and village life: the main change appears to have been the formal elimination of slavery, which may or may not have been linked to the invasion. Other effects of the conquest included the court and government, the introduction of the Norman language as the language of the elites, and changes in the composition of the upper classes, as William enfeoffed lands to be held directly from the king. To control his new kingdom, William granted lands to his followers and built castles commanding military strongpoints throughout the land with the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of the 'Great Survey' of much of England and parts of Wales being completed by 1086. The lands of the resisting English elite were confiscated some of the elite fled into exile. Although William's main rivals were gone, he still faced rebellions over the following years and was not secure on his throne until after 1072.
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