- Surprising Facts about the Battle of Hastings:
- The English King Edward the Confessor was brought up in Normandy and had many Norman friends. Duke William claimed that Edward the Confessor named him as his successor
- Duke William claimed that Harold Godwinson agreed that William should become King of England on the death of Edward the Confessor
- Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England and Duke William receives support from the Pope to mount a Crusade against England
- King Harold positions his army on the South coast of England and waits for the Norman Invasion
- The Vikings then invade the North of England
- King Harold has to force march his army from the South of England to York to defend England against the Viking Invasion
- King Harold defeats the Vikings but immediately has to march back to the South of England because the Normans invade the country
- The English are winning the Battle of Hastings so the Normans changed their strategy and fire arrows upward into the air aiming at the faces rather than the bodies of the English. King Harold is shot in the eye
- The English are still winning the Battle of Hastings but foolishly believe the Normans are retreating. They chase the Normans giving up their superior higher battle position and consequently lose the Battle of Hastings
- The legendary events are illustrated in the Bayeux Tapestry
The Battle of Hastings Timeline
The Battle of Hastings Timeline is as follows:
January 4th 1066: The Death of King Edward the Confessor
January 6th 1066: Harold the Earl of Wessex is crowned King of England
July 1066: King Harold gathers the English army at the South Coast of England in Preparation for the Norman Invasion
July 1066: Duke William prepares his fleet for the English invasion at the River Dives in Normandy
September 1066: The Vikings! Harald Hadrada, King of Norway, launches a Viking invasion against King Harold and England
20th September 1066: The Battle of Gate Fulford - The Vikings defeat the English led by Morcar
21st September 1066: Harold marches his army from the South Coast of England to York to defend England against the Viking Invasion
September 25th 1066: The Stamford Bridge Battle - King Harold defeats Harald Hadrada and the Vikings at York
September 27th 1066: Duke William sets sail for England - The Norman Invasion begins and the Battle of Hastings beckons
September 28th 1066: Duke William lands at Pevensey in England just outside the district of Hastings
September 29th 1066: Duke William occupies Hastings, on the South coast of England preparing for the Battle of Hastings
October 1st 1066: King Harold , celebrating his victory over the Vikings at York, receives news of the Norman invasion
October 1st 1066: King Harold marches his army back from the North of England to the South of England to defend against the Norman Invasion when he would fight against the Normans at the Battle of Hastings
October 6th 1066: King Harold arrives in London
October 1066: The English Army prepare their defences at Senlac - which is where the actual Battle of Hastings was situated
Friday 13th of October 1066: Negotiations between the Normans and Saxons - William demands that King Harold either resigns his royalty in favor of William, refers it to the arbitration of the Pope or let it be determined by the issue of a single combat. King Harold of England declines
Saturday 14th of October 1066: The Normans and the Saxons prepare for battle - the Battle of Hastings
Saturday 14th of October 1066: William Raises the Papal Standard and issues battle orders to the Norman army
Saturday 14th of October 1066: Norman Foot soldiers led the way, the archers follow and finally the Norman knights on horseback.
Timeline Saturday 14th of October 1066: Battle Plans at the Battle of Hastings - A fence and a fosse were built as a part of the Saxon defences. The Saxon army had no cavalry but stood in close ranks
Saturday 14th of October 1066: Normans moved on to the assault, and the English defended themselves well
Saturday 14th of October 1066: The Two Armies met at the Battle of Hastings. Each side taunted the other. The armies exchanged blows and many Normans die in the fosse (ditch).
Timeline Saturday 14th of October 1066: The Battle rages for hours. A new scheme was adopted by the Norman archers. Arrows were shot in upward in the air striking the faces of the English soldiers. Many had their eyes put out.
Saturday 14th of October 1066: An arrow strikes Harold above his right eye, and puts it out. Many other English soldiers have suffered a similar fate due to the strategy of the Norman archers.
Saturday 14th of October 1066: The Saxons still continue to defend well. The Normans then adopts another strategy which deceives the Saxons
Saturday 14th of October 1066: The English believes that the Normans are in retreat. The English pursue the Normans and foolishly break their ranks.
Timeline Saturday 14th of October 1066: The English are unable to compete against the knights on horseback. The Saxon barricades are broken. The living marched over heaps of the dead and many were crushed in the throng.
Saturday 14th of October 1066: The wounded King Harold is killed and his body mutilated by the Normans.
Saturday 14th of October 1066: Duke William had won the Battle of Hastings - he was the Conqueror
Saturday 14th of October 1066: The great Battle of Hastings had raged between 9am and 3pm
Timeline Sunday 15th of October: Both the Normans and the Saxons bury their dead. William the Conqueror had defeated the Saxons at the Battle of Hastings
