The Battle of Hastings (AQA GCSE History)

Summary

The Battle of Hastings was a key moment in the Norman conquest of England. William’s forces crossed the English Channel in late September and quickly established a base in Pevensey using an old Roman fort and a pre-fabricated fort they had brought with them. 

At the time William landed, Harold was two hundred miles to the north having successfully defeated the attempted Viking invasion by Harald Hardrada, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Upon learning of the Norman's arrival, Harold immediately set off south with his army. William stayed at Pevensey, forcing Harold to march all the way to the South Coast to confront the invaders.

William’s arrival in England

AWAITING IMAGE

• William’s invasion of England had been delayed by bad weather in the English Channel

• The bad weather cleared and William’s invasion force finally left Normandy for England on 27 September

  • They arrived in Pevensey Bay on 28 September whilst Harold’s army was hundreds of miles away

• The invasion of the north of England by Hardrada’s army had occurred just weeks earlier

  • This meant Harold had moved his housecarls and the fyrd north to meet the Viking invasion

  • Although the Vikings were successfully defeated, it meant the south of England was undefended when the Norman fleet landed

• William’s forces quickly occupied an old Roman fort in Pevensey 

  • They then constructed the wooden fort they had brought with them to provide even more protection 

  • Once they had established a base, they set about attacking and burning local settlements

Godwinson’s reaction to William’s arrival

• When Harold Godwinson learned of William’s arrival on the South Coast, he immediately set off on a march to London

  • This was despite exhaustion from:

    • marching hundreds of miles to York in the previous week

    • fighting a prolonged and exhausting battle at Stamford Bridge

• Many housecarls and members of the fyrd had been killed or injured fighting against Hardrada’s men and others were weakened by their efforts

  • Marching another 200 miles in just five days would have exhausted them further

  • However, new recruits joined the fyrd as Harold marched south

• Harold and William exchanged letters and Harold hoped to tempt William north to do battle near London

  • William decided to wait and reinforce his position near Pevensey

  • Harold decided to try and catch the Normans by surprise, just as he had the Vikings and marched his army to the South Coast

How did William’s army compare to Harold Godwinson’s?

Soldiers available

Harold’s army

• Most of Harold’s 7,000 or so soldiers were peasants who had been pressed to join the fyrd 

• There were also thegns who had helped recruit the fyrd

• Harold’s best troops were the professional soldiers called housecarls

  • The number of housecarls is unknown but some would have been killed at Stamford Bridge

William’s army

• William’s forces also numbered around 7,000 

  • They were well-rested after crossing the channel and seizing Pevensey

• William’s army was made up of men from Normandy alongside soldiers from across Europe who fought either for money (mercenaries) or because of the pope’s support

• They contained around 800 knights who fought on horseback

Weapons

Harold’s army

• The housecarls fought with double-handed axes, javelins and swords

• The fyrd often used farm tools such as pitchforks and pick-axes until they scavenged weapons from the dead

William’s army

• Norman soldiers had swords, javelins and lances

• They also had archers armed with bows and arrows

Armour

Harold’s army

• Chainmail suits and leather armour that had metal plates attached

• Circular shields

William’s army

• Chainmail suits, padded jackets called gambesons and conical helmets with nose guards

• Kite-shaped shields

Tactics and skills

Harold’s army

• The housecarls were highly trained and skilled warriors

• The fyrd were often untrained peasants with little or no experience of fighting

• They would have been drilled in how to form a shield wall

William’s army

• Most were highly skilled, trained and experienced soldiers

• Knights especially had an excellent knowledge of military tactics

Position on the Battlefield

Harold’s army

• Harold’s army occupied the top of the steep Senlac Hill

William’s army

• William’s army went out to find Harold’s troops

• They took up positions on the dry ground at the base of Senlac Hill between two marshy areas 

What happened at the Battle of Hastings?

• The Battle began when William’s archers unleashed a volley of arrows at the Anglo-Saxon army at around 9 am

  • The shield wall proved to be an effective defence against the arrows

• William then sent his footsoldiers up the hill into the attack

  • They were unable to force a break in the shield wall

• The Norman knights then entered the battle but were unable to charge up the steep and uneven ground of Senlac Hill

  • The shield wall held firm and the battle raged on for several hours

• Historical sources disagree over what broke the deadlock in the battle

  • Some claim that the Normans deliberately feigned to retreat - causing the Anglo-Saxons to abandon their shield wall and chase after them

  • Others claim William tried to rally his tiring troops and, when the Norman soldiers flocked to hear him, the Anglo-Saxons thought they were retreating and pursued them

• Whatever caused the shield wall to break, without its protection the Anglo-Saxons were quickly overpowered by the Norman knights

  • The arrows from the Norman archers were also far more deadly without the shield wall to hide behind

• Harold and his brothers Leofwine and Gyrth fought to the death at the top of Senlac Hill

  • Some people believed Harold was killed by an arrow to the eye

  • Others think he was charged down by a knight

  • However Harold was killed, and his death caused the Anglo-Saxons to flee the battlefield and William to win the Battle of Hastings

Why did William win the Battle of Hastings?

• William’s tactics were a key reason why the Normans won

  • He moved his archers further up the hill after the shield wall collapsed to give them a better angle of attack

  • The feigned retreat, if it was a deliberate tactic, led to the collapse of the shield wall

• William’s leadership was another key reason why the Normans won

  • He led by example and took enormous personal risks

    • It is believed that three horses he was riding were killed from underneath him during the Battle

• He moved his fleet up the Normandy coast to shorten the time his ships would spend crossing the English Channel

• He ensured his men were well-fed and enforced harsh discipline whilst waiting to cross the English Channel

• He decided to wait for Harold at Pevensey Bay rather than enter deeper into an unfamiliar and unfriendly country 

• As in any military victory, luck was an important factor

  • William was fortunate that Harold’s armies had marched for hundreds of miles and fought an exhausting battle against the Vikings in the weeks before the Battle of Hastings

  • William was lucky that his troops were able to cross the English Channel without disaster striking