Hastings

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The battle of Hastings took place on the 14th of October 1066. Williams’s army of Normans aimed to invade Britain, but standing in their way was Harold Godwinson and his army of Saxons. The Norman’s were prepared for battle but Harold’s Saxons has already fought the battle of Stramford Bridge earlier in the day and had marched quickly from there. Upon arrival at the battle, the Saxon’s put up a strong shield wall. William’s army tried to breach the wall all day but had no effect, the Saxon’s were looking set to win the battle. The Norman’s were losing men in the battle and decided to “retreat”, they turned and rode back down the hill. Many of the Saxons believed that they had won the battle and so broke their wall of shields to chase William and his army. This proved to be a fatal mistake as the Norman’s turned around and slaughtered the broken ranks of Harold’s army. The Carmen says that "The Normans, enflamed, surrounded some thousands of those who had pursued them and annihilated them in an instant, not one of them surviving." The Norman’s had only pretended to retreat. William’s Cavalry rode among the Saxons and cut them all down. Soon after this William’s archers finished the job. The battle lasted 6 hours.

**Why did it happen?**
The Battle of Hastings was the end to a dispute over who would succeed King Edward for the throne of England. William was Duke of Normandy and the cousin of King Edward, but when Edward died in 1066 with no heir, the throne was given to Harold Godwinson, who was Edwards’ brother-in-law. This angered William who, in a quest to gain the thrown landed on the shores of England with 600 ships filled with his Soldiers, and began to invade. The Battle turned out to be ther 3rd biggest in 1066.

**The significance of the Battle**
The Battle of Hastings changed the course of European history, many of its effects are still felt today. By winning the battle William became King of England, it is probable that if William had not become King the feudal system (which was the method of governing the Britain for centuries) would never have been introduced.

The British Empire also went on to become one of the greatest empires of all time, it’s success has had a massive effect on the way the maps are drawn today, and technology and laws in many of places would not be the same. It is quite possible that this never would have happened if William had not become king.

Has the battle been popularised?
It is quite possible that that the battle of Hastings was originally over popularised in the early years after its occurrence for political reasons. William, who also became known as William the conqueror, had just seized power over England. As the new king, William may have wanted to promote himself to his people. To do this William would have used various methods, citizens may have been told about all of William’s good qualities, whether he had them or not. It is also likely that William’s people would have been told about his skills a military leader, and as the battle that allowed him to gain power over England, Hastings would have been talked about very much. With many societies throughout History, the governing system has attempted to almost brainwash citizens to think that their Monarch is almost like God on earth, a good example of this would be Kim Jong Il’s method of governing Korea, and it is possible that William did the same thing. William of Poitiers states that King William "offered to solve the dispute by single combat-a suggestion at which Harold turned pale". This statement implies that William was a great fighter, and is a good example of the kind of storys/statements that may have been very willingly pumped around the English Kingdom. While the statement may possibly be true, it is unlikely that Harold would have "turned pale" and is most likely an exaggeration of his reaction spread around with the motive of King William's self promotion.