At the start of 1066, England was led by King Edward who was respected and loved by his people. Such was his saint-like lifestyle, that he was known as Edward the Confessor. Edward was a very religious man and he ordered the building of the first Westminster Abbey. However, when he died in January 1066, he left no heir to the throne.

     The most powerful nobleman was Harold Godwinson and he was Earl of Wessex. He was not a blood relative of the king but he was heavily supported by other noblemen in the Witan (a council of England's most powerful nobles). He had been the leader of Edward the Confessor's army and he was experienced in government. It was said (by Harold) that Edward named Harold as his successor on his deathbed and that the most important noblemen in the country had agreed to his choice when they met as the King's Council - the Witan.

     

On January 7th 1066, just two days after Edward's death, Harold was crowned king by Archbishop Stigand. This was the time when a comet was seen over England - now known as Halley's Comet - and many believed that it was a sign of bad luck for England. When William heard of what Harold had done, it is said that he flew into a terrible rage of anger. Harold defended what he had done by claiming that William had forced him to make the promise and therefore it was done by blackmail and was not valid. William promised to take what he believed was his - the throne of England - by force.Regardless of who claimed what, William decided that he would have to fight for what he regarded as his - the throne of England. He ordered his knights to gather at Saint Valery on the Norman coast in preparation for a sea crossing.

     Throughout July and August, Harold had expected William to attempt an invasion and Harold put his troops near to the Isle of Wight - where he felt William would land. However, some of Harold's army got tired of waiting and because they could not be fed, they went home. It was also the harvest season and many of Harold's men had farming commitments. At the start of September, Harold received news that Tostig and Harold Hardrada had landed with an army in the north of England. He marched north with his army to fight Hardrada.
 The English army met the Norwegian army at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25th September. The battle was bloody and violent. The River Derwent, which flows near to the field where the battle was fought, was said to have turned red with the amount of blood that went into it. The mouth of the river as it enters the North Sea was said to have been blood red. Hadrada needed 300 ships to bring his army over to the north of England. Only 30 ships were needed to take the surviving Norwegians back. Harold had a major victory and Tostig, his untrustworthy brother, was killed along with Harold Hadrada. On 28t September, Harold heard the news that William had landed at Pevensey Bay in Sussex.

Here are the main events of the Battle of Hastings:

  • Harold's brother, Gyrth, offered to lead the army against William, pointing out that as king he should not risk the chance of being killed. Harold rejected the advice and after five days Harold decided to head for the south coast without his northern troops.
  • When Harold realised he was unable to take William by surprise he positioned himself at Senlac Hill near Hastings. Harold selected a spot that was protected on each flank by marshy land. At his rear was a group of trees. The English Housecarls provided a shield wall at the front of Harold's army. They carried large battleaxes and were considered to be the toughest fighters in Europe.
  • The Fyrd were placed behind the Housecarls. The leaders of the Fyrd, the thegns had swords and javelins but the rest of the men were inexperienced fighters and carried weapons such as iron-studded clubs, scythes, slings, reaping-hooks and hay-forks.
  • Historians have estimated that William had 5,000 infantry and 3,000 knights while Harold had about 2,500 Housecarls and over 6,000 members of the Fyrd.

Stage 1: At nine in the morning the Norman archers walked up the hill and when they were about a 100 yards away from Harold's army they fired their first batch of arrows. Using their shields, the Housecarls were able to block most of this attack. The Norman infantry then charged up the hill.

Stage 2: The English held firm and the Normans were forced to retreat. Members of the Fyrd broke ranks and chased after the Bretons. William ordered his cavalry to attack the English who had left their positions on Senlac Hill. English losses were heavy and very few managed to return to their place at the top of the hill.

Stage 3: At about twelve, noon, there was a break in the fighting for an hour. This gave both sides a chance to remove the dead and wounded from the battlefield. William, who had originally planned to use his cavalry when the English retreated, decided to change his tactics. At about one in the afternoon he ordered his archers forward. This time he told them to fire higher in the air. The change of direction of the arrows caught the English by surprise. The arrow attack was immediately followed by a cavalry charge. Casualties on both sides were heavy. Those killed included Harold's two brothers, Gyrth and Leofwine. However, the English line held and the Normans were eventually forced to retreat. The Fyrd, this time chased the Flemings down the hill. William of Normandy ordered his knights to turn and attack the men who had left the line. Once again the English suffered many casualties.

Stage 4: William decided to take another rest. He had lost a quarter of his cavalry. Many horses had been killed and the ones left alive were exhausted. William decided that the knights should dismount and attack on foot. This time all the Normans went into battle together. The archers fired their arrows and at the same time the knights and infantry charged up the hill.

Stage 5: It was now four in the afternoon. Heavy English casualties from previous attacks meant that the front line was shorter. The Normans could now attack from the side. The few Housecarls that were left were forced to form a small circle round the English standard. The Normans attacked again and this time they broke through the shield wall and Harold and most of his Housecarls were killed.

You will need to revise:

  • Why was the battle fought?
  • Why was William victorious? 

Last modified: Friday, 12 May 2017, 1:54 PM