William landed in Pevensey Bay and marched his army to the town of Hastings. There he set up fortifications and sent out scouts to learn what they could of King Harold and the English Army.
After two weeks of waiting, the scouts returned and told William that Harold’s army marched upon them. William could have stayed at Hastings and fought from the protection of his fortifications, instead he chose to march his army north and face Harold in the open. William did not like his chances of being able to survive a protracted siege and sought a quick and decisive victory that would see Harold dead. Also, he wanted to utilize his heavy Norman cavalry.
The two armies came within sight of each other seven miles north of Hastings at a place now called Battle. When Harold saw William’s army approaching, he marched his own men up to the top of a low hill, known to history as Senlac Hill, although this is a later Norman designation. Harold formed his men in a long line at the top of the hill, with the two ends being protected by woods and the steep side slopes of the hill. This position left William only one choice, a frontal assault.
To begin the battle, William first sent forward his archers, who launched volley after volley of arrows up at the English on the hill. The English had no archers of their own, and did their best to hide behind their wall of shields. Soon, William’s archers ran out of arrows. Their attack had done little damage.
Moving his archers out of the way, William ordered a general advance by his men-at-arms, while keeping his cavalry force with him at the bottom of the hill. His army charged up the hill and crashed into the English line. English axes fought against Norman sword and spear. As the armies battled to a standstill, William ordered a portion of his cavalry to join the attack. Still the English line held.
Then a panicked rumour swept through the Norman line, a rumour that William had been killed. The Norman army wavered, and the left flank collapsed. The Normans on that side turned and ran down the hillside.
It was the decisive moment of the battle. The English had the opportunity to sweep around the now exposed side of the Norman battle line and thus surround their foes. Unfortunately, the English on the Norman left chased the fleeing Normans as they ran down the hill.
Meanwhile at the base of the hill, William saw everything and heard the reason that his men were running. Pulling the helmet off his head so that his face could be seen, he charged towards his fleeing men, with his cavalry behind him. William reached his fleeing men before the pursuing English. When the men saw that their lord was alive, they rallied and turned to face the enemy once more. The English who had pursued them down the hill were trapped. They crashed in the now rallied Normans, while the Norman cavalry swept around them. In a few bloody moments, all of the English who had left their line were killed.
With the slaughter of this breakaway group, a lull settled over the battlefield. The main Norman line retreated from the English line and the whole Norman army regrouped at the base of the hill.
Soon, William ordered his army back into battle and back up the hill they went. Twice more parts of William’s army ran from the line of battle only to be pursued by the English. Each time, William used his cavalry to destroy the breakaway groups. Historians still argue whether this was a planned Norman strategy, or just William making the most of opportunities as they presented themselves. Either way, William showed a remarkable degree of leadership, more than was normal for a commander of his day.
As the isolated groups of English were destroyed, the whole of the English line was weakened. Soon, there were too few English left to hold the line and the Normans came sweeping over them. Without the shield wall, the English had no answer for the Norman horsemen.
It is at this point that King Harold, the last Saxon king of England, was killed. The classic story is that he was shot in the eye by an arrow, and there is some evidence to back this claim. However, it is just as probable that this is not the case and that he was overrun and hacked down by the Norman knights.
With the death of Harold, the battle ended. The remaining English turned and fled. William had gained the decisive victory he was after. For most histories, the story of the Norman conquest of England begins and ends on that day in 1066. In truth, it would take another five years for William to destroy all Saxon resistance.
For more information of William the Conqueror visit
http://joseph-allen-mccullough.suite101.com/william-the-conqueror-a9355
For more information of King Harold the Saxon visit
http://joseph-allen-mccullough.suite101.com/the-path-to-hastings--1066-a8810
Joseph Allen McCullough - Joseph A. McCullough was born in the town of Greensboro, NC, site of the Battle of Guildford Courthouse. In 1994, he graduated from the ...
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