Battle of Hastings 1066 AD Norman Conquest of England

 

It is the 14th of October, 1066.

 An Anglo-Saxon army, made up of a small number of professional troops and men from the local shires, gathered on a gentle sloping ridge under the banner of King Harold Godwinson to protect the kingdom against the Norman invaders.

 The invading host was well equipped, highly trained amalgam of Norman knights, archers, and infantry, led by the formidable Duke William of Normandy, who came to stake his claim to the crown of England On the fields and slopes of Senlac Hill, near the town of Hastings,

 history is about to be made.

 It is the late 9th century. Having already pillaged and wrought terror upon numerous settlements across the North Sea, Viking raiders appeared on the shores of Francia.

 Despite his best efforts, King Charles the Simple could not check the growing Norse power and, after the devastating siege of Chartres in 911, he was forced to cede a swathe of northern territory to Rollo, the leader of the Norse raiding parties, giving him rights for his people to intermarry with the Frankish locals and make the land their home.

 This paved the way for the Duchy of Normandy and, with Duke Rollo as its founder, established a dynasty that would leave a lasting legacy on Western Europe.

 Four successors later, Robert I inherited control of the duchy amidst a civil war that caused much instability .

 But despite troubles at home,

 he intervened in the civil war in Flanders, meddled in the affairs of the French crown, led a military campaign

 against his rebellious vassal,

 the Duchy of Brittany, and, at best, had a rocky relationship with the Church.

 Faced with excommunication, Robert attempted reconciliation, by restoring church property that he and his vassals seized, and setting off on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, leaving the duchy in the hands of his illegitimate 8-year-old son, William.

 Across the channel, Edward of Wessex, Duke Robert’s cousin, inherited the throne of England from his half-brother Harthacnut .

 Their mother, Queen Emma of Normandy, who was first married to Aethelred the Unready, and then to Cnut the Great, used her significant political clout to coordinate the transfer of power between her sons.

 With Edwards accession, the House of Wessex was restored to the throne, ending the decades-long rule of the Danish Jelling dynasty in England, that was established after Cnut the Great’s decisive victory at the battle of Assandun.

 From early on in his reign, Edward drew advisors, nobles, and priests from his, and his mother’s, Normano-French circles to build his own power base.

 He further solidified his position by marrying Edith, daughter of the most powerful earl in England, Godwin of Wessex.

 But Godwin opposed the rise of Norman influence in the Anglo-Saxon royal court, and years of political infighting followed, testing the power of the two men.

 Edward finally managed to negotiate the backing of earls of Mercia and Northumbria, to exile Godwin, along with his wife and

 sons, in September 1051.

 Knowing that the powerful earl would return, the childless king of England used his lack of an heir as political leverage, by naming a distant relative, Duke William of Normandy, as his successor, further solidifying his ties with the Norman aristocracy.

 Just months later , Godwin returned with an army and quickly gained support of the navy, burghers, and the peasants. This compelled Edward to restore his earldom, but Godwin refrained from openly opposing the naming of a Norman aristocrat as heir to the throne, aware that the King was backed by earls of Northumbria, Mercia, and could possibly count on the support of the duke of Normandy as well.

 Having inherited the duchy as an eight-year old illegitimate son of a duke, William and his supporters struggled to consolidate their control over Normandy. Prominent members of the aristocracy vied to place themselves in power or at least bend the child duke’s arm to increase their own influence. It took William a number of years to secure his rule, but the prolonged fight for his position turned him into a shrewd politician and a tenacious military leader . By the time he was in his 30s, he exacted either direct or indirect control over most of the northern coast of France.

 Back in England, Godwin died suddenly. His son Harold succeeded him as Earl of Wessex, while his other sons gained control over several major earldoms, in effect bringing most of England under the control of the Godwins.

 Meanwhile , the aging and increasingly ill King Edward withdrew from the affairs of the state, becoming increasingly dependent on the Godwins.

 He gradually deteriorated, before falling into a coma, dying just days later in early January 1066.

 Unsurprisingly , in the wake of the king’s death, prominent nobles were not far, ready to joust for position on the vacant throne.

 According to some of those present, before drawing his last breath Edward briefly regained consciousness and pointed a finger at someone in the room. Conveniently, the Godwin dominated royal court interpreted this to be Harold, chosen to protect the kingdom.

 The powerful earl seized the moment, crowning himself King of England, the very next day.

 When the news reached Normandy,

 William was outraged, claiming his right to the English crown . Almost immediately, he began preparations to take the throne by force, ordering the building of a large fleet that could transport his army across the Channel, and moving to rally political support for his invasion.

 Many nobles of Normandy answered the call, and more banners came from Flanders, Brittany, and France, after being promised vast wealth, land, and political positions in England.

 But, unfortunately for the shaky rule of Harold Godwinson, William wasn’t the only contender for the throne. Prior to his death, Edward named yet another successor, Edward the Exile, who had spent the last 40 years in Hungary, and had returned from banishment in 1057 with a family of his own, but had died shortly afterwards. However, his son Edgar Ætheling inherited his father’s claim, but lacked any significant support to take the crown of England.

 Complicating matters further for Harold, his brother Tostig fell out of favour for overtaxing the inhabitants of Northumbria, leaving the king with no choice but to revoke his earldom.

 Plotting vengeance, Tostig contacted the King of Norway, Harald Hardrada, persuading him to invade England.

 Harald was yet another pretendant, having inherited the claim to the English throne from Magnus, the former king of Norway and Denmark, who had made an agreement with the late King Harthacnut of England, that if either died, the other would inherit their lands. Despite his claim, however, the Norwegian king was under no illusion that he would have to fight to take the throne… Back across the channel, William was ready after months of preparation, but unfavourable north winds kept the ships anchored in Normandy. Regardless, the duke was in no hurry, as intelligence reports revealed that Harold deployed his forces along the coast, so he decided to bide his time until he could make an unopposed landing.

 Indeed, the king of England kept his troops on high alert throughout the summer, ready to contest the Norman invasion, but supply shortages and the arrival of the harvest season forced him to disband much of

 his army in early September.

 Just as he returned to London,

 more bad news came for Harold.

 Aided by Tostig, Harald Hardrada invaded Northumbria and defeated a much smaller force, led by the newly appointed earl Morcar.

 Once news reached Harold that a 10,000-strong Viking force had landed in the north, he rushed to meet them. In barely a few days, he scrambled a resistance force, marching all the way from London to York in under four days.

 On September 25th, Godwinson’s force pulled off a heroic victory against Hardrada’s invasion force at Stamford Bridge.

 It was a glorious day for the king of England, but the sweet taste of victory was short felt.

 Receiving news that the Normans had landed in the south, celebrations were cut short, as Harold had to turn back to rescue his throne.

 Aware that the king of England was busy in the north, Duke William took his time to set up a strong position, aware that resupplying his army would be difficult in case of a long campaign. He captured Pevensey, then advanced on Hastings further up the coast. Both towns were fortified, from where he could now raid the surrounding area.

 To the east, a few ships were blown off course, landing at Romney, where the

 Normans fought the local fyrd.

 By early October, Harold reached London after a gruelling forced march, his troops still exhausted from the battle at Stamford Bridge that took place just a few days ago. The army encamped near the capital for a week, preparing their equipment for the upcoming engagement, and attempting to catch up on some much needed rest.

 He probably could’ve waited to assemble a larger army, but as soon as his troops were sufficiently ready, Godwinson eagerly marched to meet the Normans, confident after his recent stunning victory. He wanted to use the element of surprise, just as he had against Hardrada’s invasion force in the north.

 But as the Anglo-Saxon army closed in, Norman scouts spotted their movement.

 With William now marching to meet him, Harold chose the grounds suitable for his army, some 10km north west of Hastings, where he waited for William...

 Harold’s army was comprised

 almost entirely of infantry.

 Lacking mobility, he took up a defensive position on the Senlac Hill, atop of a south sloping plateau, with dense woodland and swamps protecting his flanks and rear.

 Professional contingents of

 housecarls formed in the center, though their ranks were fairly depleted after the bloody encounter just two weeks ago. The rest of the troops were the highly motivated, but poorly trained fyrd peasant militia, mobilised just days prior

 from the local shires.

 In contrast, the invading host was well equipped, generally highly trained amalgam of Norman knights, archers, and infantry in the center, with Franco-Flemish and Brittonic infantry and cavalry on the flanks. The duke’s army was fairly experienced, well organised, and eager to fight.

 In the early hours of the morning, William sent forth his archers, planning to weaken the tight Anglo-Saxon formation.

 But Harold packed his men in a tight formation, knowing that sticking together and taking a strong defensive stance was their best bet at a victory.

 The arrow volleys shot up hill and were largely ineffective, directly hitting the shield wall at a flat angle. Most of the arrow fire was absorbed by the Anglo-Saxon shields Nonetheless, the duke ordered his infantry to pass through the archers and head up the slope, to test Harold’s line. He counted on his footmen to provide the main fighting grunt of the battle, but despite their best efforts, they were unable to open gaps in the solid shield wall.

 William then led his knights up the slope, hoping their shock charge would punch through the embattled enemy infantry.

 But the shield wall held. By midday, the combined push of heavy infantry and mounted knights failed to break the resolve of the defenders.

 Norman cavalry struggled to fight against Harold’s men, who were swift to cut down the horses with their axes.

 They were forced to fall back

 and regroup for another charge,

 but the Bretons on the left mistook this maneuver for a rout and began to flee.

 Some in the Anglo-Saxon line broke formation, leaving the solid shield wall to pursue the enemy.

 Seeing the rout on his left,

 William ordered the rest of his troops to disengage, and withdraw back down the slope.

 It was reported that the duke had two horses slain under him during the chaotic fighting, fueling a rumour that he was struck down, which added to the confusion.

 To prevent a complete rout, William removed his helmet and rode through the ranks in full view of his troops, yelling at the men that he is alive.

 He then commanded a contingent of Norman knights to strike the flank of the pursuing fyrd militia and managed to rally some of the fleeing troops on the left.

 As the reformed infantry faced

 about and the knights closed in, the Anglo-Saxons were forced onto a small hillock, where they were surrounded and destroyed.

 Wanting to seize the moment, now that Godwinson’s line had thinned out after heavy fighting, William launched a general assault, personally leading the charge.

 Archers again shot uphill at the shield wall, but just like the last time, their arrows bounced off the tightly packed shields of the defenders.

 The advancing Norman infantry, followed by the mounted knights, were met with a barrage of spears, axes, and stones, before locking weapons with the Anglo-Saxons.

 Unable to force openings in the shield wall, once again the attack failed, and the Normans retreated back off the ridge.

 A break in the fighting probably occurred early in the afternoon,

 as both armies needed rest and food.

 With losses mounting for the Normans, it seemed that Harold’s plan was working.

 Seeing the futility of the attacks against the solid Anglo-Saxon line, William revised his strategy, this time sending only his knights forward.

 Looking to recreate the accidental success on the left flank that drew out some of the Anglo-Saxon

 infantry earlier in the day,

 the knights were tasked with charging Harold’s line at various points

 and then retreating back, to try and lure the defenders into giving chase down the slope.

 The Normans engaged the defenders in a brief skirmish, before pulling back.

 However, the feigned retreat failed to draw out the enemy, but the brief clash further thinned out the ranks of the formidable housecarls in the shield wall, who were replaced by fyrd units.

 With archers in support,

 the knights charged again,

 now with more conviction, exchanging blows with the Anglo-Saxons for much of the afternoon.

 Then , they broke and

 retreated in disarray.

 Some of the defenders left the shield wall in pursuit of the fleeing Normans.

 It is not known whether Harold wanted to give chase or if it was spontaneous, though it is likely that the king ordered the troops to hold the line, but failed to control some of the men.

 And this time the feigned retreat worked… William’s knights wheeled about

 to face the incoming infantry.

 During the pursuit, the

 Anglo-Saxons lost cohesion,

 and were now caught in the open without the protection of the shield wall.

 Spending much of their energy

 charging down the slope,

 the footmen stood no chance against the mounted Norman knights, and were quickly overrun.

 Having dismantled part of the shield wall, the rest of William’s army struggled up the hill, bearing down on Harold’s remaining units.

 With a renewed fervour on the invading side, the duke’s infantry and cavalry

 struck the Anglo-Saxon line.

 Unable to fight effectively against the better armed Normans and French, the Anglo-Saxon units rapidly crumbled, with their forces breaking apart and being surrounded by the invading parties.

 It was at this chaotic time that legend has it Harold was tragically shot in the eye, according to some by friendly fire. He was subsequently toppled from his horse and brutally hacked to pieces by several Norman knights.

 The death of their king was a horrendous morale blow to the Anglo-Saxons Englishmen, who began to flee the field, chased down by Norman soldiers.

 And so it was, the historic Battle of Hastings fell to a decisive victory for the invading Norman forces, and a tragic defeat for the Anglo-Saxons, who lost their king, a man who would ultimately become immortalised not only on the Bayeux Tapestry, but in history itself.

 In the following days and weeks, William, Duke of Normandy and now the “Conqueror” marched onwards to London to receive submission and put down all opposition.

 On Christmas day, 1066, he was crowned the first Norman king of England, bringing the Anglo-Saxon rule to an end.

 Cultural changes followed in the wake of the battle and the Norman conquest of England.

 French became the language of the king’s court, gradually blending with the Anglo-Saxon tongue to form modern English. William proved an effective rule and would go on to become one of England’s greatest kings, building dozens of castles and fortifications all over the country, consolidating the kingdom against attackers, and ultimately beginning the Plantagenet monarchical dynasty.