Preview

How Did William Win the Battle of Hastings

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
851 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Did William Win the Battle of Hastings
Why did William win the battle of Hastings?
In this essay I am writing about why William Duke of Normandy won the battle of Hastings.
At the time of Edward the confessor there were three claimants to the English throne. One of the claimants was Harold’s. He believed he should be on the throne because he was Edward the confessor’s brother; he was born in England and was the most powerful English earl. The next claimant was William duke of Normandy. William believed he should be king because Edward the confessor promised him the throne for his support and Harold swore an oath on holy relics that he would be king. The last claimant to the throne was Harald Hardraada; Harold believed he should be king because there had been Viking kings that ruled England in the past.
In this paragraph I am writing about the reasons for the battle and the background. The reasons for the battle were that they all wanted the throne they all wanted power. Harold was known a usurper because of what he did. He secured the support of the Witenagemot, the Anglo-Saxon assembly of nobles, for his accession. William Duke of Normandy planned to invade England and take the crown. The Norman army was not powerful enough, so nobles as far as Southern Italy were called to convene at Caen, in Normandy. There, William promised land and titles to his followers and claimed that the voyage was secured by the Pope. This shows harold Godwinson crowning himself king and people looking in shock. This is an extract of the Bayeux tapestry. |

This image shows the normans making there weapons |

This extract shows the normans getting ready for battle with there weapons

William got lucky because Harold has waiting in London for battle but William got delayed by the wind because it was blowing the wrong way and when William got to England Harold was in the north defending the other part of England and that was the battle of Stamford bridge when Harold

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    There was some focus on Edwards’s failure to provide a direct heir to the throne when he died. Even though there was still an element of election made by Edward as the King not the Witen appointing an successor as William of Normandy was promised the throne in 1051 and then again in 1064 by Edward and then appointing Harold the next King on his death bed. Harold exercised a powerful position as the pre-eminent Anglo-Saxon earl, second to the King, but his position was not paramount during the reign of Edward. He was strong enough to make a bid for…

    • 558 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Battle Of Hastings Essay

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the English and Norman Army’s. The Norman army was made up of the Bretons, the Normans, the French and the Flemish. Meanwhile the English were only composed of one side meaning that they were severely outnumbered. This battle formed the final part of the Norman conquest of Britain. the Fighting began at 9 am on Saturday 14 October 1066 and the battle lasted until dusk at 4:54 PM. Reports suggest that Williams, of the Norman Army , Kept his army up all night preparing to counter any surprise attacks that took place in the night.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    I write this letter to the people of France, my countrymen and family. I, William, Duke of Normandy am on the verge of solidifying our great nation with land that was rightfully entitled to me. After breaking an oath of allegiance, Harold of Wessex shall pay the ultimate price for his treasonous act of claiming a crown not meant for him. Now as we prepare to wage battle, with the backing of the Pope and all the Holy powers blessed upon me, I shall be victorious.…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the battle of Bosworth field, Richard seems to have had a larger number of fighting men than Tudor and also held the higher ground, however many contemporaries stated that the battle was largely a stalemate, suggesting that Tudor’s preparations for battle had been successful, at least for the fact that he was able to hold his own against an opponent with greater numbers and a more preferable geographical position. It was not until Richard’s fateful “suicide charge”; a charge with the aim of directly attacking the oppositions leader, rather than being explicitly suicidal. Thanks to the Swiss-trained French mercenaries in Henry’s garrison and their tactics never before seen on English soil and Thomas, Lord Stanley’s last minute decision to support Henry, Richard was killed and Tudor took his crown. Thus Henry’s success in replacing Richard of York as king of England, would not be as we know it had Richard not made the dramatic charge that resulted in his death, but whether the success would ever have occurred is still yet to be explored.…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For William the Conqueror, success was a way of life. During his reign as king of England, William conquered three locations. The first was in Pevensey in the South of England, after, he went toward Hastings and Fought at Senlac Hill, lastly he took England. William the Conqueror was one of the most influential men in history.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    William reset his archers to a good position enabling his archers to get a good aim, as a result of this it created the smallest of cracks in the shield wall, the Norman’s took their chance and ran up to them. After about an hour some Norman’s on the left side retreated and drew some Saxons out with them creating a big gap William started to use that tactic more until there where cracks everywhere, William then lined his archers up once again and shot. This was the fatal moment; Harold got an arrow in his eye therefore causing his death. This had a big effect on the Saxon’s, they didn’t fight as well, some ran away, but others stayed to fight…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Battle of Hastings was fought on the 14th October 1066 (shortly after King Edward the confessor had died) between Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy. The battle was fought on Senlac hill 10 kilometres away from Hastings. The battle started because when King Edward died, he left no heir to the throne. The men who claimed to be king were Harald Hadrada, Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy. This essay will decide why William won the battle of Hastings by looking at the tree following factors: William’s skill, Harold’s poor leadership and Harold’s bad luck.…

    • 544 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bayeux Tapestry Letter

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Bayeux Tapestry was one of the most memorable and successful battles that I have ever participated in as a Norman soldier. The battle was fought between the mighty Norman soldiers and the English soldiers. It was also called the Battle of Hastings because it was fought in Hastings, England. Harold, who was the king of England at the time of the battle, had murdered his brother, and thus, his position as king was disputed. The Duke of Normandy, the Conqueror led my side, the Normans to war. In reality, William was supposed to be the King of England, and this battle was meant to prove this. Duke William has been known to be extremely successful in the battlefield, and this has branded him as a victorious military commander. Before the battle, we travelled by water to England (BBC, 2010).…

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    1066: The Year of the Conquest, written by David Howarth, tells of one of the most important dates in the history of England. In 1066, William the Conqueror and William of Orange fought the historical Battle of Hastings. The outcome of this battle lead to many changes to the English people. The Norman people became assimilated into the English way of life. Howarth proceeds to tell the tale of the Battle of Hastings through the eyes on a common Englishman.…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    While I was reading 1066 I learned a lot about the history of England and how the Battle of Hastings nearly destroyed it, but the English refused to let their country die. Some of the events of that year are still being debated over but there is no way to know exactly how the events played…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14th October 1066 - between Harold Godwinson of England and William of Normandy. The conflict started because when King Edward died, he left no heir to inherit the crown, which left three men claiming to be the next King of England. These three contenders to the throne were Harold Godwinson who was the only Englishman and related to the old king by marriage, Harald Hadrada and William the Conqueror who was the only contender that was related to King Edward by blood.…

    • 676 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Battle of Hastings happened on 14th October 1066and was fought bettween William of Normandy and Harald Godwinson.The battle was eventually won by Willam of a a Normandy. There are three main reasons why William of Normandy the battle of Hastings. These reasons are Leadership and tactics, goodluck and badluck and preparation and readiness. In my opinion i think the most important is luck.…

    • 238 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Luck and timing were central to William’s success at Hastings. Firstly, in advance of the campaign, two of William’s rivals had died; Henry, king of France and Count Fulk of Anjou. This was very significant to the campaign because it enabled William to leave Normandy feeling safe because his two main adversaries were dead, and permitted him to get to Hastings without agonizing over an invasion and to dedicate his full thought to the campaign which lay ahead. When he did embark on the campaign, the weather was in the favour of the Normans. Initially, William had intended to embark in July but owing to adverse winds, the invasion was delayed from the end of July to September; first at the River Dives and then at St. Valery on the Somme. Additionally the Navy were no longer at seas as only remained on the Seas until the 8th September. With the amalgamation of clear seas and good weather on the 28th September, the day of crossing, The Saxons crossed the channel in just over 24 hours. Moreover, unbeknownst to William, this also was an extremely auspicious time for him because if he had arrived at his intended time of crossing in July, Harold and the Saxon army would have been waiting for him. However, it was a time of unease for Harold that year, as it was apparent that England was going to be invaded by either a Norman or a Scandinavian Force, and so Harold was nervous throughout the entirety of his nine month rain. Harold, thinking that he could be ubiquitous, had troops both at the North and at the South, waiting in vain for these invasions; however this only tired out his troops and stretched his resources. The Scandinavians arrived first, and so Harold made the southern fyrd march north to fight the Vikings. The battles of Gate Fulford, led by Edwin and Morcar, and the Battle of Stanford Bridge, were both won by the Saxons, boosting their morale but nonetheless they suffered great losses and the troops were tired where…

    • 1148 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This battle caused a huge change in the environment and government policies. A major significance in this event was the amount of lives that were taken based on a petty battle. Up to at least 10,000 men were believed to have died in this battle, it is yet to be true since there is no leftover evidence of bodies buried. In my own opinion, the question I continue to ask myself is, Why was Harold Godwinson’s army so unprepared knowing William’s constant anger toward the fact he was not in power. Reasons why Harold was unprepared as because Duke William had attacked before they were properly ready. While in battle, some of his best fighters as died in the previous battle, The Battle of Stamford Bridge, and the rest of soldiers were tired from the battle and the journey south. While in battle, the English were holding it together but the Normans tricked the English by pretending of retreat back. The English followed behind, leading their strong position on a hill, but then Harold Godwinson had died. In the event of his death, his army grew weak and ended up losing the battle. In this battle though, William was extremely lucky and only truly won based on the trick he played on the English during the battle. When William conquered the Normans, he completely had begun a new policy. Though, William wasn't fully English he still brought his native tongue to the English court. Some forms of French would remain the…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Battle of Hastings was one of the most important and famous battles in English history. In 1066, which is almost 951 years ago, the battle was fought between William of Normandy and his army from France, who were called ‘normans’, and King Harold II and his English…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays