Events of the Conquest
By Dr Mike Ibeji
The Battle of Hastings is probably the most famous battle to have been fought on British soil. But
why did it ever happen? If it wasn't for a feud between two brothers, William would almost
certainly have lost at Battle.
Key events prior to 1066
In 1016, Cnut of Denmark invaded England. He eradicated all opposition in a pogrom in Winter
1017, and ruled thereafter with a combination of Danes and newly promoted English Earls who
profited from the Danish Conquest. Edward (the Confessor) fled to his father-in-law in Normandy.
He finally regained the throne in 1042.
William's later chroniclers claim (after the fact) that Edward the Confessor offered William the
crown and sent Harold to pledge it to him in the Winter of 1064/5. In fact, reading between the
lines we can see that Harold was shipwrecked in Normandy whilst trying to visit France, and took
advantage of the situation by trying to secure the release of his brother & nephew who were held
as hostages in the Norman court.
The events of 1066
'...but certainly William sees this as his chance to invade.'
January 1066: Edward the Confessor dies. Harold gambles and makes a bid for the Crown,
supported by all the magnates of England. William does nothing, despite the so-called oath.
Early 1066: Tostig comes to Flanders looking for aid in his projected bid against Harold. Whether
he makes a deal with William is a moot point, but certainly William sees this as his chance to
invade. He starts to gather his forces. These were made up of 'feudal' levies, in which the knight
owed service to his lord in return for land. However, William manages to double the projected
strength of his forces by promising English land to anyone who turns up. The final strength of his
army is c. 8-10,000 of which c.2,000 are cavalry. He starts constructing a fleet at Dives to
transport them all across.
May 1066: Tostig makes an abortive attempt to invade England. Harold calls out the English levy
(the fyrd) to defend against an expected thrust from William, but it never comes. By 8th
September, Harold has to disband the fyrd and let it go home to harvest its crops.
The eve of conquest
20th September 1066: After sailing up the Ouse with more than 10,000 men in 200 longships,
Harald Hardrada and Tostig defeat the hastily assembled forces of Earls Edwin & Morcar at
Fulford outside York. The army of the Earls is decimated and Edwin & Morcar are unable to play
any more part in the campaigns of 1066. This leaves them free to make their peace with William
after Hastings, but need not be seen as premeditated.
25th September 1066: Harold responds by scraping together a scratch force made up largely of his
own housecarls and personal followers, and racing north, calling up the shire levies as he passes
through. In four days, he has marched 180 miles, and surprised the Norwegian army outside York
at Stamford Bridge. Harold offers Tostig his earldom back if he will turn on Harald, but Tostig
refuses. Legend has a lone berserker axeman defending the bridge until the sneaky English paddle
under the bridge in a barrel and thrust a spear up through the wooden slats. Harald & Tostig both
fall at the head of their men.
28th September 1066: Having sailed his fleet to St Valery sur Somme, William waits for the wind
to be in the right direction. It changes 2 days after Stamford Bridge, and William's fleet makes
landfall at Pevensey completely unopposed. He marches to Hastings - a good harbour from which
he can withdraw easily if necessary, and begins building a castle.
1st October 1066: While at York, Harold learns of William's landing. He marches back down
Ermine Street, stopping to pray at Waltham Abbey (which he had founded) on the way. By 12th
October, he is back in London and gathering what forces he could to face William.
The eve of conquest
20th September 1066: After sailing up the Ouse with more than 10,000 men in 200 longships,
Harald Hardrada and Tostig defeat the hastily assembled forces of Earls Edwin & Morcar at
Fulford outside York. The army of the Earls is decimated and Edwin & Morcar are unable to play
any more part in the campaigns of 1066. This leaves them free to make their peace with William
after Hastings, but need not be seen as premeditated.
25th September 1066: Harold responds by scraping together a scratch force made up largely of his
own housecarls and personal followers, and racing north, calling up the shire levies as he passes
through. In four days, he has marched 180 miles, and surprised the Norwegian army outside York
at Stamford Bridge. Harold offers Tostig his earldom back if he will turn on Harald, but Tostig
refuses. Legend has a lone berserker axeman defending the bridge until the sneaky English paddle
under the bridge in a barrel and thrust a spear up through the wooden slats. Harald & Tostig both
fall at the head of their men.
28th September 1066: Having sailed his fleet to St Valery sur Somme, William waits for the wind
to be in the right direction. It changes 2 days after Stamford Bridge, and William's fleet makes
landfall at Pevensey completely unopposed. He marches to Hastings - a good harbour from which
he can withdraw easily if necessary, and begins building a castle.
1st October 1066: While at York, Harold learns of William's landing. He marches back down
Ermine Street, stopping to pray at Waltham Abbey (which he had founded) on the way. By 12th
October, he is back in London and gathering what forces he could to face William.
Hastings
14th October 1066: Harold takes up a position blocking the Norman advance to London on Senlac
Ridge at the site of Battle with an army of little more than 5,000 weary and footsore men. He
intends to fight a purely defensive battle, sitting behind the famous Saxon shield wall and letting
the Normans break themselves against it. This works well, beating back repeated waves of
Norman infantry followed by cavalry. It works so well in fact that the Breton knights on the
Norman left begin to run. Seeing victory in their grasp, the English right charges down the slope
after them, exposing themselves to a devastating counter-attack led by William himself.
However, William is unhorsed and a shout goes up that he is dead. Everything hangs in the
balance; but William sweeps off his helmet and rises to rally his troops. Yet the pause had given
the English time to regroup, and the Normans batter themselves uselessly against the reformed
shield wall. As the day drags on, the numbers began to tell and the English shield wall begins to
crack.
Late in the day, Harold takes an arrow in the eye and as his men mill around him, four Norman
knights break through and hack him down. Legend has it that his body was so mutilated that it
could not be recognised until it was identified by his devoted mistress, Edith Swan-neck.
Oct-Dec 1066: A state of war continues until Christmas 1066, when a deal is struck between
William and the English magnates in which he guarantees their positions in return for their support.
William is crowned King of England on Christmas Day in London by Archbishops Ealdred and
Stigand. Edwin, Morcar and Waltheof swear allegiance to him.
Find out more
About the author
Dr Mike Ibeji is a Roman military historian who was an associate producer on Simon Schama's A
History of Britain.