Battle of Hastings
William the Conqueror defeated King Harold II, changing English history forever
October 14, 1066
The Day England Changed Forever
On October 14, 1066, one of the most consequential battles in English history took place near the town of Hastings on the southern coast of England. The Norman forces of William, Duke of Normandy, faced the Anglo-Saxon army of King Harold II of England. Harold had only recently defeated another invasion force at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in the north of England and had marched his troops south at speed to confront William. His army was tired and had suffered casualties. Nevertheless, the English took up a strong defensive position on Senlac Hill and held off repeated Norman cavalry charges and infantry attacks throughout the morning and into the afternoon.
The Arrow That Decided a Kingdom
The battle's turning point came in the late afternoon. According to traditional accounts, King Harold was struck in the eye by an arrow and killed, though historians debate the exact circumstances of his death. The Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered cloth created shortly after the battle that depicts its events, shows a figure apparently struck by an arrow near Harold's name. With their king dead, the English army broke and fled. William's forces pursued and killed many of those who ran. Harold's brothers, Gyrth and Leofwine, had already died in the fighting. The English had no remaining leader of sufficient authority to continue resistance.
The Norman Conquest and Its Legacy
William marched on London and was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, 1066. The Norman Conquest fundamentally transformed English society, language, and culture. The Anglo-Saxon nobility was largely displaced by Norman lords. French became the language of the court, government, and aristocracy, while Old English continued among ordinary people. Over centuries, the two languages blended into Middle English, which eventually evolved into modern English. An enormous proportion of English vocabulary, particularly words related to law, government, cuisine, and culture, derives from the Norman French introduced after 1066. The Battle of Hastings is the most significant date most British schoolchildren ever learn.