Well, this past week I gave you all a hint to my new post (1066). When I said 1066, I was referring to the date of 1066. For it was on this day, (October 14, 1066), that the face of Britain would forever be changed. So, here is what you have been waiting for.....
-The Battle of Hastings-
-A New King-
It all began on January 5, 1066, when Edward the Confessor, the King of England, lay dead. His throne would be passed on, but to whom should this position be given to? Here is where things began to become a mess.
A man by the name of Harold Godwin claimed that the late King granted this most honorable position to him. So, due to the fact that he was a Noble and that he knew the King (Edward married the daughter of Harold) the crown passed to him. But there was another person who claimed the throne; his voice would be heard.......
-"See, I have taken England with both my hands."-
The above words were supposedly spoken by William of Normandy, (a.k.a William, Duke of Normandy) or as he is more famously known, William the Conqueror. All men have their
beginnings and for William his started in Normandy.Will, (pictured), was the illegitimate son of Robert the Magnificent, who was the Duke of Normandy, and Herleva, who was a commoner. Now, a Duke was a high ranking Noble that was right below the Sovereign on the totem pole. A commoner is as it applies: common. Herleva's father was a tanner (highly debated), so she was not high up the feudal totem pole.
Through-out the course of young William's life there was constant attempts of assassinations. With the constant run here; hide there type of life, he probably had a great childhood. ;-)
Eventually, Robert the Magnificent died leaving the title of Duke up for grabs. With much fighting and bloodshed, William succeeded his father and became the Duke of Normandy.
-"No, that's my crown." "No, mine!-
Ah, rivalry, the one thing that sets us apart from animals....I think. Well, anyway, as the above implies, William was not very happy that, Harold Godwin, was now King of England. Why? Because Will claimed that the late King imparted his kingdom to him, (and him alone), upon his death. William had no other option, (and I am sure he wanted no other option), but to invade England; kill Harold and take what he saw as his.
And to make matters worse, Harold had a major problem: King Harald Hardraada of Norway. Hardraada had invaded northern England. King Harold needed to defend his kingdom, b
ut first he needed a bigger army. Now Harold already had some soldiers, his elite Housscarles, (pictured here with their favorite weapon: the ax), were his personal bodyguard and the best trained and equipped he had. But he needed more numbers in strength (that never hurts). So he used the Frydmen. Now, Frydmen were not men who had been fried, but rather, they were the local militia. They were there for the same reason we have our militia's: defend the country. Isn't that simple?-Battle of Stamford Bridge-
King Harold mustered his army as quick as he could to do battle at Yorkshire. He and his men marched 180 miles in 4 days, and when they reached Stamford Bridge, although tired, put up a solid defense of their homeland.
King Hardraada was not expecting his enemy so soon; therefore, the King and his men's armor were still aboard their ship's, yet to be unpacked!
Now I am going to add more confusion to what has already taken place. Everyone, meet Tostig, King Harold's brother. Tostig was not very happy that his older brother had been crowned King. Yes, you guessed it: more rivalry! Well to teach his brother a lesson in brotherly love, Tostig joined up with his new Norse friend, King Hardraada.
As the battle started, the Norsemen, (or Vikings, as they are also called), began to wish they had never had left their armor aboard their ships. But wait, they had one weapon up their sleeves: a tall, strong Viking with an axe. Luck soon ran out, when an Englishmen, armed with a spear, slipped under the bridge in a wooden tub. Using his spear he then thrust the "giant" through the gaps in the floor. This single man, had held the bridge long enough for the rest of his comrades to
form a line. The Vikings attacked the English while using their shield's to make a wall, just like Roman infantry did. But, alas, the wall of Norse shields faltered, and in came the English. Well, you could probably guess what happens next. King Hardraada is shot through the throat by an archer, (pictured); Tostig was also killed.With the Battle of Stamford Bridge at it's end, King Harold had someone else to deal with.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you..........
-The Battle of Hastings-
Just as Waterloo was not fought in Waterloo, neither Hastings fought in Hastings, but rather near it. This is what made William the Conqueror famous.
Yes, of course, Harold and his diminished army once again had to march to meet their enemy. Upon arriving at Hastings Harold made his defense on a hill, putting, as a hill would imply, William at its base. Harold arranged his men in an arch type shape. Arch=(
King Harold had an advantage: his defense was on top of the hill. But the King had a set back: no calvary. Had he had some good calvary he would have been better off.
William also had advantages, (I think they were better): a lot of archers and (my favorite) a lot of Norman Knights. Now, Knights were the mounted Noblemen, who could afford better weapons, armor and of couse, where would a Knight be without his Noble Steed, (a.k.a. a horse).
So, William sent forth his archers first, who, sent a few volleys of arrows into the English ranks. This did not do very much to the English though.Then William sent forth a different soldier. Wanna guess? Here is your clue: what kind of soldier is guaranteed to be on the field of battle, both day and night; suffer the most and is paid the least? Yup, you got it! The Infantrymen. This soldier bears most of the burden when it comes to fighting. William's Infantry could not break the line though, so were pushed back down. When some of the English began to pursue, it natural broke the line. Don't worry, William's Knights, (pictured), were fast to notice this, (that the English were chasing Norman infantry), and quickly "cleaned up" some English frydmen.
And finale, Will sent his Knights. Although they too tried to break the English, they too were driven back.
Thru out all this confusion, some one shouted that William had been K.I.A., (K.I.A.= Killed In Action), this thru Will's army into confusion, and it only cleared when William took of his helmet and rode up and down the lines shouting he was alive.
So, with King Harold on his hill still, William had a new tactical plan. He would draw the enemy off the hill by making an advance at the enemy and then quickly making a false retreat, (to have an uderstanding of this look in the Bible at Joshua 8). This, of course drew the enemy far enough down the hill to deal with them.
When it was all over, King Harold was no longer King. He was dead. He had been shot through the throat, as this picture shows. All of his elite Housecarls fought to the last man.
-An Ending Point For One, A Beginning point for others-
William would be crowned King on 25 December, 1066. His rule would end on 9 september, 1087. History would forever remember his name. Upon his death bed, William divided his kingdom to his son's; which of course lead to more rivalry. England passed on to Will's son, William II, who ruled for thirteen years and then died.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed the Norman Conquest, although we could dig deeper into this vast subject, (it is after all one of my favorite battles in history), I, pesonally content am with what I know.
But if you wish to see some art work from that time, look up the Bayeux Tapestry, which is fill with the entire Battle and then some.Good night and good bye!
Or as the French say it:
Bonne Nuit Et Au Revoir!
(William on his Steed)
