‘Harold’s mistakes were the most important reason for Norman success at the Battle of
Hastings.’ How far do you agree?
On the surface the defeat of Saxon forces at the Battle of Hastings owed a great deal to
Harold’s mistakes, most notably his decision to fight at Hastings and his inability to keep full
control of his troops culminating in their disastrous charge following the Norman’s feigned
retreat. There were however numerous other factors at play which affected the outcome of
the Battle of Hastings, most notably the element of luck provided to the Norman’s by Harald
Hardrada’s northern invasion, and William’s quality of leadership.
To suggest that Harold’s forces would have won at Hastings were it not for Harald
Hardrada’s northern invasion is speculative, however it is undisputable that this invasion
made an English victory at Hastings increasingly difficult. Following the defeat of the
Northern Earls Edwin and Morcar by Harald Hardrada and Tostig at the Battle of Fulfordgate,
Harold had no alternative but to march his troops 190 miles north- a distance that was
covered in just four days. Although able to surprise and defeat Hardrada’s remaining forces,
this drew his troops away from London and the south, ensuring that William was able to
land unopposed on 28th September and consolidate his position whilst the bulk of the
English army were at the other end of the country, thus when the invading Normans were at
their most vulnerable there were no English forces to oppose them. The decision of Harold
Godwin to move his troops north to deal with the Viking threat was in the long term
extremely damaging to the English chances at Hastings, however this can in no way be
blamed on Harold himself. A huge amount of blame must in fact rest with Edward the
Confessor, under whom the power of the Northern Earls had decreased dramatically. It was
under Edward that Tostig, - Harold’s brother and a powerful military figure was exiled (later
joining with Harald Hardrada). His replacement as Earl of Northumbria, Morcar was, like
Edwin Earl of Mercia young and inexperienced in the field of military leadership. As a result
of Edward’s appointments, the inexperience and lack of power of the Northern Earls meant
that it was always going to be difficult for the north to repel an invasion. This was made even
more difficult by Edward’s decision to completely neglect the armed forces during his reign
reducing the navy from fourteen to five ships ensuring the north remained dependent upon
the skyp (ship) fyrd for their defence. As Harold Godwinson had only been in power for nine
months prior to the invasions of 1066 there was clearly insufficient time to set up a new
military command structure in the north- the legacy of Edward would therefore be
extremely damaging for Harold, forcing him to divert his forces.
Although Harold Godwin’s forced march and defeat of the Hardrada’s Viking forces at
Stamford Bridge reflected his brilliance as a commander, this was to prove his zenith, and
from here Harold would begin to make some serious mistakes. Most notable was his failure
to allow his troops to rest before engaging William’s Norman troops in the south. Rather
than wait in London for his elite housecarls and archers who were still returning from York,
Harold opted to march to Hastings after just five days wait in London. Furthermore, his
failure to remobilise the 40,000 fyrd troops from the shires of all England ensured the army
that would meet the Normans was not as strong as it could have been. Rather than having a
potential five to one majority, the forces that met at Hastings were numerically at least
evenly matched. Although this reflects extremely negatively on Harold, and implies that his
mistakes helped contribute to the Norman success, praise must be given to William for the
tactics he deployed. As an invading force, cut off from their homeland by the English
Channel, the Normans needed a set piece battle to be fought which would provide them
with the opportunity of achieving a decisive victory. In order to force the English into such an
attack, William plundered the area around Hastings, stealing crops and razing the area, well
aware that this act of aggression on Harold’s own Earldom of Wessex would provoke Harold
into such a battle. Although with hindsight Harold’s decision to march to Hastings and
launch an attack must be criticised as an extremely significant mistake, such a decision
would not have been made were it not for William’s ruthless but highly effective tactics.
On 14th October, the English and Norman armies confronted each other at Hastings. The fact
that such a confrontation was able to take place on such equal terms reflects William’s luck
in launching his invasion whilst Harold was distracted in the north, and Harold’s mistake in
attacking without waiting for reinforcements. At this point the battle could however go
either way and nullify Harold’s previous mistake, and William’s earlier fortune. There is no
doubt that the Normans were far better equipped militarily, with the Bayeux tapestry
making reference to large numbers of Norman cavalry and archers which the English did not
have. The extent to which this preparation influenced the outcome of the battle is however
relatively minor. The evidence, even that provided by the Bayeux Tapestry suggests that the
English shield wall held firm against the Norman cavalry, and it was not until the very end of
the battle that archers were used effectively by the Normans. What did however stand
William’s Norman troops apart on the battlefield was their superior military organisation,
most notably the conroi. These specialist units who followed the gonfanon (banner) of their
leader allowed a degree of discipline that was impossible amongst the English army, making
more complex military manoeuvres possible. The importance of this was illustrated by the
Norman use of the feigned retreat which was used at least twice to devastating effect in
order to draw Harold’s forces from their strategically superior position on Senlac Hill. In
contrast, Harold’s lack of such a system of organisation prevented him from launching an all
out charge after the Normans initially broke ranks, ending the chance of a decisive English
victory. Although this would suggest that Harold’s weaknesses were the crucial short term
factor that led to defeat, this is both inaccurate and unfair on Harold. In contrast to the
professional Norman army made up primarily of paid mercenaries, Harold upon taking the
throne in late 1065 inherited an archaic and outdated military system. Even had he waited
for the arrival of his Housecarls from York, the fatalities taken at Stamford Bridge would
ensure the army would primarily be made up of the ill trained and ill disciplined fyrd.
Harold’s weaknesses most certainly contributed to the Saxon defeat at Hastings, however
his failings were only one component within the defeat. Harold was undoubtedly the victim
of extremely bad luck, and significantly it was only the fortuitous timing of William’s invasion
that led Harold to making his major tactical error of engaging William in battle prematurely,
suggesting that his defeat primarily stemmed from this misfortune. Although a Saxon victory
was still possible at this point, a largely untrained and peasant based army would ultimately
lack the skills and organisation to defeat two of Europe’s most powerful armies.
‘Harold’s mistakes were the most important reason for Norman success at the Battle of
Hastings.’ How far do you agree?
At the Battle of Hastings the Normans defeated a major defeat on the English forces, which
allowed them to establish rule over England. There are a huge number of factors that
explain the Norman successes at Hastings; Harold’s mistakes were important, but so too
were other factors like William’s careful preparations and military leadership, as well as a
healthy amount of luck.
Harold was at a major disadvantage even before the battle took place, as he had already had
to fight one battle previously, defeating Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
Harold Godwinson had marched the 190 miles from London to Stamford Bridge in just four
days, so when his army returned from Stamford Bridge they were exhausted and in no fit
state to fight. In addition to this a number of the skilled Housecarls had been killed at
Stamford Bridge, meaning Harold would be deprived of some of his best troops at Hastings.
William however was lucky because he arrived just after Harold had marched north. This
meant that when he did fight, he would face Harold Godwinson’s weakened army. This was
also made worse by the fact that Harold did not wait for reinforcements after defeating
Harald Hardrada. Rather than waiting in London and building up his army before confronting
William, he marched to Hastings to meet the Norman invaders before most of his army had
made their way back from Stamford Bridge.
At Hastings, Harold’s army numbered around 7,000 including the thegns and Housecarls, as
well as the poorly equipped fyrd. The Bayeux Tapestry shows how they all fought on foot.
Even the Housearls and thegns who had horses dismounted in order to fight. This was
incredibly different to the Normans, who attached great importance to cavalry. The
Normans even made special flat bottomed boats to allow the transportation of horses to
England so that they could be used against the English in battle. In addition to having no
men who fought on horseback, Harold had no archers at Hastings, as these had still not
arrived back from Stamford Bridge yet. The battle itself begun at nine o’clock, with William
first of using his infantry and then his archers. This had little impact, so he then sent in the
cavalry. The English shield wall however held firm. The English were enjoying the benefit of
being on top of the hill, as the Norman cavalry struggled to generate the speed required to
break through the English lines. After several hours and numerous failed charges, the
Normans pulled back and there was a rumour that William had been killed. Just as it looked
like the Norman army were to flee back to their boats William took off his helmet and
showed his men that he was alive. At this point, thinking the Normans were defeated, a
significant portion of the English army, largely the fyrd left their position and charged at the
retreating enemy. This broke the shield wall, with those who had charged at the Normans
cut down and killed. This tactic was used at least twice that afternoon, and eventually as the
English numbers were worn down, the Norman cavalry were able to break the shield wall,
and get amongst the English, inflicting huge casualties and bringing them close to the point
of victory. It was at this point that William ordered his archers to fire high into the sky (as the
son was setting), with one of his archers hitting Harold in the eye before he was hacked
apart by the Norman cavalry. At this point it was clear to the English troops that they were
defeated, and the fyrd in particular began to flee the battlefield.
Another key reason why the Normans would was because of the support that William had
from the Pope. William deliberately made the English Church look bad and in need of
reform. As a result, the pope gave his own banner to William which was even flown within
the battle. This not only made William’s army fight harder as they thought they had god on
their side, it also made it easier for William to recruit soldiers, because they felt that they
would be fighting for god and would be rewarded by him should they happen to die on the
battlefield.
In conclusion, it is clear that the Normans won because of various reasons. They were
extremely well prepared, as shown by the huge range of weapons they brought with them
that the English didn’t have. Harold did however make a lot of mistakes, such as not waiting
for his archers or any other reinforcements before he marched to confront William.
William’s luck in invading when Harold had already marched north was also clearly very
important. In the end, all of these factors combined to help the Normans win the Battle of
Hastings. Therefore although Harold’s mistakes were important, they were just one of a
number of reasons that explain why he lost.