The Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings and its Impact on English History

• The Battle of Hastings was fought between William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold II of England in 1066.
• William's army consisted of 4,000-7,000 soldiers, including archers, crossbowmen, heavy infantry, and knights on horseback, while Harold's army numbered about 7,000, mostly untrained peasants.
• The battle began at dawn on October 14, 1066, with William's army moving towards Harold's army occupying a ridge 10 miles northwest of Hastings.
• The defense was worn down throughout the day, and according to the Bayeux Tapestry, Harold was killed late in the afternoon.
• William's victory at the Battle of Hastings brought England into close contact with the Continent, especially France.
• The English aristocracy was almost entirely replaced by a Norman one, and Latin and Anglo-Norman replaced English in official documents.
• The Battle of Hastings established the Normans as the rulers of England and changed the course of English history.
• Prior to the battle, the childless Edward the Confessor used the absence of a clear successor to the throne as a bargaining tool.
• Harold was crowned king with the backing of the English nobility, but William prepared to enforce his claim to the English crown.
• William persuaded the Norman barons to support him and recruited thousands of volunteers from Brittany, Maine, France, Flanders, Spain, and Italy.
• Harold defeated Harald III Sigurdson, king of Norway, and his brother Tostig at Stamford Bridge, but his army was worn down and outnumbered at the Battle of Hastings.
• Harold's brothers, Gyrth and Leofwine, fell, and Harold himself was killed late in the afternoon when he was struck in the eye by an arrow.
• After the battle, William's army moved to isolate London, where William I was crowned king on December 25.