Two Battles for the Throne

King Harold II had to decide whether to wait on the south coast for the greater Norman threat, or move north to deal with Hardrada. He decided to march north, gathering an army as he went. The army of 7000 men marched 350 kilometres in four days. Reaching York on 25 September, Harold found that the Vikings had left the city to rest in fields on either side of a river at a place called Stamford Bridge. Harold’s men attacked their surprised enemies and slaughtered them. Although it had taken 300 ships to bring Hardrada’s invasion force to England, only 24 were needed to carry the remaining Vikings home. Hardrada was not among them.

Harold and his army celebrated a great victory. However, in the middle of their celebrations news came that William had landed on the south coast on 28 September. The Norman invasion had arrived, and Harold had not been there to meet it.

Harold began the journey south, leaving behind soldiers who were wounded or exhausted, including some who had been his best fighting men. He scraped together another army of about 7000 men. They stood on the ridge of a hill near the port of Hastings, blocking the road to London. At 9 a.m., on 14 October 1066, the battle started when William ordered his archers to fire on the English line. The arrows did little damage because the Saxons were protected by their wall of shields. William then sent his cavalry forward in a series of charges, but they too were unsuccessful against the English. The battle stretched into the afternoon. During its course, William had three horses killed under him and at one point a rumour spread among the Norman soldiers that William had been killed. To prevent his followers losing heart, William raised his helmet to show them his face.

In a final push, William ordered his archers to fire their arrows into the sky so that they would drop like an iron rain on to the English soldiers. At the same time, his foot-soldiers and cavalry were sent forward. The Saxons’ shield wall broke and Harold’s brothers Gyrth and Leofwine were killed, protecting their king. Then Harold himself was killed. Some reports suggested he was hit in the eye by one of the falling arrows; others suggested he was ridden down and killed by the thrust of a sword. The Normans pursued the fleeing Saxons until darkness fell. William had won. The Battle of Hastings was a turning point in English history. If Harold had held on and prevented William from reaching London and other parts of the country, William’s campaign might have been unsuccessful. But as it was, Norman lords replaced Anglo-Saxon lords and became established as England’s ruling class.