Today is the anniversary of one of the most important battles in history. At the time, it was considered a disaster by the British people, but the melding of the Saxon and Norman cultures made England stronger.
- William of Normandy (called by his enemies “William the Bastard” because his father had an affair with a tanner’s daughter) felt he had been promised the throne by his childless cousin Edward the Confessor. Plus, Harold of Wessex had sworn on a Bible and the bones of a saint that he would support William’s claim. When Harold was voted king by the British nobles, William vowed revenge, with the Pope’s blessing.
- It took a while for William to land in England because of contrary winds. This proved to be a great stroke of luck because he did not have to face a fresh army. (see #3) When William led his men ashore, he stumbled and fell on the beach. His men gasped at this bad omen, but the quick-witted William came up with a handful of sand and loudly proclaimed “Look, I have already taken the land!”
- Before William arrived in the south, Harold had to respond to an invasion by Vikings led by King Harald Hardrada. Tagging along was Harold’s renegade brother Tostig. Harold pulled a big upset by winning the Battle of Samford Bridge. Harald and Tostig were killed. During the celebration, Harold learned of the landing of William. He decided to rush south to face this new threat. William had been scorching the countryside and Harold was going to put a stop to it, even though his men would be exhausted from the forced march.
- Harold’s army consisted of his elite bodyguard called housecarls and the militia of inexperienced peasants called the fyrd. Their main weapon was the battle axe. William’s army consisted of nobles and adventurers, all of whom were promised land and titles. His army relied on swords and javelins. Both sides had conical helmets with nose protectors and chain mail (if you could afford it). Most of William’s men were on horseback, none of Harold’s were.
- Harold’s army was on a hill which later was called Senlac (lake of blood). The battle was fought seven miles for the town of Hastings.
- The battle opened when a minstrel named Taillefer rode in front of the British line juggling his sword and singing “The Song of Roland”. He was the first to die, but it was glorious.
- Harold was on the defensive with his housecarls in the center and the fyrd on both wings. He instructed his men not to leave the hill under any circumstances. And yet, when William launched his first assault and his left wing was routed, Harold’s right wing chased them down the hill opening themselves up to a counterattack. Seeing the unexpected positive outcome of the retreat, William then instructed his men to fake retreat (“feigned retreat”) next time up the hill. This worked well and Harold’s army was being whittled down, but his housecarls stood firm and he still could win by not losing. William had been in the thick of the fighting, losing three horses. At one point he had to ride around without his helmet to reassure his men that he was still alive.
- With evening approaching, William ordered his archers to aim high so the arrows would fall downward on the housecarls. Apparently (historians dispute this) an arrow struck Harold in the eye and the subsequent charge destroyed his demoralized troops.
https://www.britishbattles.com/norman-conquest/battle-of-hastings/
https://www.discoverbritainmag.com/facts-about-the-battle-of-hastings/
https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-the-battle-of-hastings/
https://www.thefactsite.com/battle-of-hastings-facts/
0 Comments