The Saxons saw the return of Halley’s Comet in 1066 as a perilous omen for the future of England and the newly crowned King Harold prayed that it did not foreshadow things to come. While King Harold prayed over Halley’s Comet, the Duke of Normandy, William the Bastard, prepared his army for an attack to claim the crown from King Harold, which William believed, was rightfully his. At the time, King Harold had no idea that his greatest fears would come to fruition, nor fathom that he would be the last Saxon King to rule England. The Battle of Hastings fought on October 14, 1066, between the Normans and Saxons would incredibly change the course of history for the Normans, but for the history and culture of England as well. This paper will contain an analysis of the Battle of Hastings in order to assess an alternate outcome based on the lack of intelligence used, how certain intelligence techniques could have benefited the English, and what that alternate future may …show more content…
When Edward died in January of 1066, the English council crowned Harold Godwinsson, Edward’s brother-in-law, King of England (Weir 2001). After the death of Edward, there were two individuals vying to take England as their own; William, the Duke of Normandy, and Harald Hardrada, the Norwegian King who wished to reclaim Northumbria (Ibeji 2011). Harald Hardrada and Tostig, the brother of King Harold, attacked Northumbria on September 20, 1066, and fought with the forces of Earls Edwin and Morcar. The Earls’ forces could not hold off the Norwegians so King Harold gathered up his forces and marched 180 miles to Stamford Bridge to face the Norwegians on September 25, 1066. King Harold and his men defeated Harald Hardrada and his brother Tostig, but his men were severely tired and