The Norman Invasion

Harold's men had won a great history at Stamford Bridge, but only two days later, the dreaded invasion of the Normans occurred. William had been delayed for weeks while waiting for favorable winds, but finally they came. On September 27, 1066, the Normans arrived on the coast of England at Pevensey. William immediately ordered the construction of a castle out of Roman ruins there. The next day, he moved on to Hastings, and ordered the construction of another castle. These vents are depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. Harold heard of his arrival on October 1 or 2, 1066, and immediately collected his exhausted men and marched south to meet the new invader. He and his army rode 255 miles to Hastings, stopping only in London for reinforcements.

On Friday, October 13, 1066, he reached the location now known as Battle. There was nothing there but a ridge and an apple tree, referred to in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. His exhausted men spent the night drinking and singing. William learned of Harold's arrival at Battle and quickly set out to meet him in a surprise attack. On Saturday morning before the sun had yet risen, he left and by 8:00 A.M. had reached the south-east side of Battle and could see Harold's linesl. From William's vantage point on Telham Hill, he could see down into the marshland, a valley which separated him from Harold's line, positioned on the ridge at Battle. Click here for a wonderul panoramic view of the battlefield; click here to see a wonderful diagram of the battle lines (scroll down the page for the daigram).

Both forces numbered around 7,000 men. The English line stretched from the east to the west for about 600-800 yards, and consisted of a line of 10-12 ranks of infantry and archers. King Harold stood in the middle, surrounded by his housecarls or bodyguards.

William's line was about 400 yards from the English front rank, and he positioned his archers first, then his infantry, and then the cavalry. There were three blocks of lines: the Bretons on the west, the Normans in the center, and the French on the east. Duke William was in the center with the Normans.

This is the place where William's forces first met those of King Harold. Here, Harold's right wing fought the first attack of William's troops, launched by the Breton infantry.

After this first attack, the Bretons continued to assault the English lines. From the rough ground in this photo near a marshy pond, they eventually managed to capture this grassy knoll. William's forces had the disadvantage here of having to press uphill. The struggle was difficult and , despite the Norman skill at the use of the couched lance and their ability on horseback, the English forced them to retreat on several occasions. Nevertheless, they eventually occupied the knoll.

The battle raged on until at one point near this location, a cry went out among the Normans that William had been killed, causing great alarm among the ranks. William raised his helmet to let the army know he was still alive. The English took advantage of the chaos, charged down the hill and broke the Norman ranks. William counter-attacked, and continued to press up the hill. Still, the English held on.

Stop for a moment and survey the battle grounds from this point, and then let's walk on. As we continue, one can see that the ground slopes upward to the right. It was near here that the Norman army first assembled. From here, William attempted the feigned flight maneuver, where a small group of knights feigned retreat in order to lure the other side into breaking ranks and pursuing. Some chroniclers, such as William of Malmesbury, argued that this was the turning point of the battle.

This photo shows the grounds directly in front of the abbey and the location of Harold's army. Looking down on the battlefield from here, one sees what Harold would have seen. The battle was the most vicious here. William made a final push and his archers fired volley after volley of arrows into the English ranks. The archers were shooting uphill and, consequently, they aimed high. Harold's brothers were killed, and one of the arrows struck King Harold in the eye. This event is immortalized in the Bayeux Tapestry. Harold did not die, but as he was trying to pull the arrow from his injured head, Normans surrounded him and cut him down with their swords. The English army quickly disbanded, with the Normans in pursuit.

Although the Normans had won the battle, the English had not yet conceded final vistory to the Normans. Late in the afternoon the Normans encountered a number of Saxons who had not been involved in the battle but who had arrived later. They were positioned behind an invisible ditch, which later became known as the Malfosse or evil pit. Many of the Norman horses and men tumbled into this pit where presumably they were finished off by the Saxons. The location or the historicty of this event has never been firmly established. nobody has been able to locate its position or confirm that it ever really happened at all.

In the aftermath of the battle, Harold's remains were denigrated, and were piled up with other English bodies which had been stripped of their armor and other valuables. His mother offered to buy the body from William, but he refused. His mistress Edith Svenneshals recognized the body by birthmarks. According to the Norman Carmen, William had the remains wrapped in purple cloth and had them buried on a cliff near the shore. The epitaph read, "by command of the Duke, you rest here a king, O Harold, that you may be guardian of the shore and sea." He then assumed the title of king. The Annals of Waltham Abbey contradict this story, and record the Christian burial of Harold on the insistence of two canons there.

A legend related in the Vita Haroldi written by a monk at Waldham abbey claim since his remains have never been officially identified, Harold never died that day. The Vita argues that Edith made a mistaken identification or, perhaps, chose any body to identify in order to cover for Harold. According to the Vita, Harold went to Denmark to ask his cousin King Swein for refuge, then went on an extended pilgrimage. As an old man, he returned to England and lived as a hermit on the cliffs of Dover. Later he went to Shropshire, where he called himself Christian and wore a cloth over his face. He ended his life as a hermit outside the walls of Chester in England. While on his deathbed, he confessed his identity to a priest. None of these claims can be substantiated, but nevertheless, Harold lives on in legend. Every year, on October 14, a notice appears in the London newspapers honoring the memory of King Harold.

Continue to the next page: The Aftermath of the Battle: From October to William the Conqueror's Coronation

Copyright © Dr. Deborah Vess 1999. All rights reserved. Photographs by Dr. Deborah Vess. Visitors to this site are welcome to use the photos and other information for educational purposes provided that user acknowledges the source.