The Battle of Hastings 1066

• The Battle of Hastings was fought on October 14, 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson.

• The English army was composed almost entirely of infantry and had few archers, whereas only about half of the invading force was infantry, the rest split equally between cavalry and archers.

• Harold appears to have tried to surprise William, but scouts found his army and reported its arrival to William, who marched from Hastings to the battlefield to confront Harold.

• The battle lasted from about 9 am to dusk. Early efforts of the invaders to break the English battle lines had little effect.

• Therefore, the Normans adopted the tactic of pretending to flee in panic and then turning on their pursuers.

• Harolds death, probably near the end of the battle, led to the retreat and defeat of most of his army.

• After further marching and some skirmishes, William was crowned as king on Christmas Day 1066.

• There continued to be rebellions and resistance to Williams rule, but Hastings effectively marked the culmination of Williams conquest of England.

Test your knowledge about the Battle of Hastings, a decisive conflict between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and the English army under King Harold Godwinson, which led to the conquest of England.