Summary

On 1st October 1066 King Harold was celebrating his victory over King Hardrada at a banquet in York when he heard that William, Duke of Normandy had landed at Pevensey Bay. King Harold immediately assembled those housecarls who had survived Stamford Bridge and marched south. When Harold realised he was unable to take William by surprise he positioned himself at Senlac Hill near Hastings. On 14th October 1066, Harold II's army fought on foot against the attacks of Norman cavalry and infantry. After a long struggle, lasting for most of the day, Harold was killed and the Normans were victorious.

Background

Edward the Confessor died on January 5, 1066. Edward had snow white hair and was known for his piety and, although he married, had never had children. The Godwinson family had had a great deal of power during Edward's reign, and now his brother-in-law, Harold, became king of England. According to some stories and to the Bayeux Tapestry, Edward bequeathed his queen and his kingdom to Harold's protection; other sources also make clear that Harold was elected as King of England. 

William, Duke of Normandy, was outraged when this occurred, as he had believed that Edward had promised him the throne in 1051 during a visit he made to England; this oath was confirmed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert. He was a distant relative of Edward's (his great-great aunt was Edward's mother), while Harold was not of royal blood. Further, Harold had been shipwrecked off the coast of Normandy and taken to William in 1064. There, he was given protection, and was said to have sworn and oath of fealty on holy relics to William, accepting his succession to the throne upon the death of Edward. This event is depicted on the Bayeux tapestry; if it actually happened, the fact that the oath was sworn over relics would certainly have made it a binding one.

The Battle

14th October 1066

The Battle of Hastings was fought on the morning of the 14th October 1066. The English army, led by King Harold, deployed on Senlac hill, where the Abbey and town of Battle now stand, but William's army had already marched north from Hastings and it is said that he engaged before Harold's troops were fully deployed.

Contemporary accounts suggest it was a close run thing.  William attacked with cavalry as well as infantry, something the English rarely if ever did. In contrast, Harold's well trained troops all fought on foot in the traditional English manner. Formed up behind a shield wall in such a good defensive location, they proved formidable opponents for the Normans. It is claimed that the fighting continued for most of the day.
Finally, after reversals on both sides, William breached the shield wall. The collapse of the English defence may have been as a direct result of Harold himself being killed, for medieval armies so often lost their resolve once their leader was dead. Once their carefully organised formation was broken they were vulnerable, particularly to cavalry attack. Despite a possible attempt to hold the Norman pursuit at the 'Malfosse', the English forces were routed, fleeing northward towards the woods of the Weald.

Though other forces remained undefeated across the country, having lost their leader and most of the housecarls the English never again mounted a serious challenge. Victory at Hastings had given William one of the greatest prizes in Europe and saw the English people subjugated by an oppressive foreign aristocracy.

Abbey from the valley
1066 is the best known date in English History. The battlefield also has, arguably, the most impressive of all battlefield monuments: Battle Abbey, which was built by the Conqueror in recognition of his victory and in memory of those who had fallen in battle. Despite the laying out of the Abbey and the town of Battle on Senlac hill, and various subsequent changes including the modern expansion of the town, much of the battlefield remains undeveloped. A visit can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, though the interpretive facilities may be a disappointment, especially when compared to the quality of those to be found at Bayeux, which house the tapestry which tells the story of the battle.

Battle of Hastings Games and Activities

Battle of Hastings Flash Game - Play as Harald or William

Norman Quizzes - Test Your Knowledge on the Normans and the Battle of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry

 One of the great historical records of the Middle Ages in Britain lies, not in a library, and not even in Britain, but in a specially-built tourist centre in Bayeux, France. The Centre Guillaume le Conquerant (for the linguistically challenged that translates as "The William the Conqueror Centre") houses the Bayeux Tapestry, one of best sources of information on early Norman dress, armour, castle-building, boat-building, hunting, and other facets of daily life.


The Bayeux Tapestry, despite its name, is not actually a tapestry at all! It is embroidery, using coloured wool, on 8 long strips of bleached linen which have been stitched together to form a continuous panel about 20 inches high and 230 feet long. We don't know the exact length of the original tapestry, because the final strip is tattered, although its present length fits pretty closely around the nave of Bayeux Cathedral, suggesting that it was custom-built for that church.


Who made it? The Bayeux Tapestry tells the tale of William the Conqueror's invasion of England through pictorial panels. We do not know for certain who commissioned the tapestry, though the likeliest candidate is William's half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux from 1050-1097, or one of Odo's followers.

Although the story is told from a Norman point of view, the style of the needlework indicates that the tapestry was actually made in England. For many years a pleasant tale told of William's wife, Queen Matilda, and her ladies making the tapestry as a gift for her victorious husband, though this now seems little more than pleasant romantic fiction.
The Story. So what does the tapestry show? It begins with Edward the Confessor sitting in regal splendour with Earl Harold Godwinson. Harold then sets sail for Normandy, where he lands, perhaps by accident, in the domains of Count Guy of Ponthieu.


Count Guy takes Harold to Duke William and the Duke brings Harold with him on campaign against the Bretons. Harold fights bravely and receives armour from William. At Bayeux Harold makes an oath (of uncertain nature) to William and is freed to return to England.


In England, Edward dies after some unspecified deathbed words to his advisors, and Harold is crowned king. When William hears the news he prepares an invasion fleet. The fleet lands near Hastings in Sussex, and meets Harold's troops in a fierce battle. After heavy losses Harold is killed and the Saxons flee. The tapestry ends there, though we may surmise that a final panel showing William on the throne may have existed, corresponding to the original panel of Edward.


Much of the story shows events in Normandy. We can only guess that the tapestry was meant to show Edward sending Harold (the obvious Saxon choice as his successor) to William to cede the crown to the duke.
Harold is shown as William's vassal (receiving arms from William) and the oath he swore is presumed to be an act of forswearing his right to the crown in William's favour. The deathbed scene may represent Edward telling his advisors that William was his choice as successor.
Harold's very legitimate claims to the throne are ignored in this heavily slanted Norman account. History, as we are constantly reminded, is written by the victors.


The tapestry was not executed in continuous sequence. The first two strips were clearly made separately; the margins are spaced differently, and do not match. There are also differences in the way Normans and Saxons are portrayed between panels.


Harold's Death? One of the most famous scenes in the Bayeux Tapestry purports to show the death of Harold at the Battle of Hastings. One of the Saxons appears to receive an arrow in or about the right eye.
For centuries this was interpreted as meaning that Harold died from an arrow in the eye. Many historians now believe that the man depicted is one of Harold's knights, not Harold himself. Contemporary Norman accounts say only that Harold fell in battle, so we do not actually know if the "arrow in the eye" story is true.


The tapestry was the victim of a well-meaning restoration attempt in the last century, which resulted in modern stitching filling in the gaps in the fabric, with dubious accuracy. For all its faults, both material and in historical "truthfulness", the Bayeux Tapestry remains one of the true treasures of the Norman period in English history.

From: http://www.britainexpress.com/History/bayeux-tapestry.htm

 Bayeux Games and Activities

Interactive Tapestry - Make your Own Tapestry Online
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