Three weeks after destroying a Norwegian army at Stamford Bridge, King Harold II met William of Normandy on a ridge seven miles north of Hastings. The English, all on foot, locked shields across the top of the slope; the Normans attacked uphill with archers, spearmen and mounted knights. For most of the day the shield wall held. A Breton rout and a rumour of William's death nearly ended the battle in the morning, but William rallied his men and cut down the English who had broken ranks to pursue. Feigned flights thinned the line through the afternoon, and late in the day Harold was killed. Leaderless, the English broke at dusk; only his household fought on around his body.
Battle plan · Norman Conquest of England
Battle of Hastings
- 14 October 1066
- Senlac Hill, Battle
- Decisive Norman victory
The armies
Normans, Bretons and French
William of Normandy · Alan the Red · William fitzOsbern · Eustace II of Boulogne
| Unit | Arm | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Archers and crossbowmen | Archers | 1,500 |
| Breton, Angevin and Poitevin footAlan the Red | Infantry | 2,000 |
| Breton knightsAlan the Red | Heavy cavalry | 500 |
| Norman foot | Infantry | 2,500 |
| Norman knightsWilliam of Normandy | Heavy cavalry | 1,200 |
| Duke William and the papal banner | Commander | — |
| French, Flemish and Picard footWilliam fitzOsbern | Infantry | 1,500 |
| French and Flemish knightsEustace II of Boulogne | Heavy cavalry | 500 |
| In this plan | 9,700 |
English army of Harold II
Harold Godwinson · Gyrth Godwinson · Leofwine Godwinson
| Unit | Arm | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Fyrd of the right wing (outer) | Infantry | 900 |
| Fyrd and thegns of the right wing | Infantry | 1,600 |
| Housecarls of the royal householdHarold Godwinson | Heavy infantry | 2,000 |
| King Harold and the Dragon of Wessex | Commander | — |
| Fyrd and thegns of the left wing | Infantry | 1,800 |
| Fyrd of the left wing (outer) | Infantry | 700 |
| In this plan | 7,000 |
What the sources report
| Normans | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength, this plan | 10,000 (7,000–12,000)Modern estimates; contemporary figures run from 14,000 to 150,000 | 7,500 (5,000–13,000)Most historians argue for 7,000–8,000 |
| Losses, this plan | unknown | unknown |
| Strength, Wikipedia | Unknown, estimates range from 7,000 to 12,000 | Unknown, estimates range from 5,000 to 13,000 |
| Casualties, Wikipedia | — | — |
Infobox figures from “Battle of Hastings” on Wikipedia (revision 1380225409), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plans and pictures
PlanBattle of Hastings, 1066Public domainCommons ↗
PictureBattleNormannenAgnete · Public domainCommons ↗
PictureBayeux Tapestry scene51 Battle of Hastings Norman knights and archersMyrabella · Public domainCommons ↗
PictureHastingsbattlefieldandbattleabbeyruinsbetaEaldgyth · CC BY-SA 3.0Commons ↗
PictureSchlachtfeld Schlacht bei Hastings juni09Mac-man.yc · Public domainCommons ↗Notes
On this reconstruction
The contemporary accounts contradict one another, and only the start at about nine in the morning and the end at dusk are undisputed. Most historians place the English on the ridge where Battle Abbey now stands (some prefer Caldbec Hill), and the numbers on both sides are modern estimates. How many feigned flights there were, and where the Malfosse was, are not known. The abbey, Caldbec Hill, Telham Hill and the road stand at their real coordinates; woods, marsh and brook are schematic. The hours are approximate, from the order of events in the accounts.
Sources
- William of Poitiers, Gesta Guillelmi · public domainThe fullest account, by William's chaplain; source of the feigned flights.
- Guy of Amiens (attributed), Carmen de Hastingae Proelio · public domain
- Bayeux Tapestry · public domainShows the deaths of Gyrth and Leofwine, the fight on the hillock and the death of Harold.
- Wikimedia Commons, Battle of Hastings, 1066 (plan) · public domainThe curved English line and the angled Norman divisions follow this plan.
- Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap contributors, Landmark positions · ODbL-1.0Coordinates of the farms, villages and hills the plan is laid out on.
- Wikipedia contributors, Battle of Hastings · CC-BY-SA-4.0Dispositions, timing and sequence as summarised in the article.
Facts gathered from Wikidata (CC0), Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikimedia Commons (licence per file); the plan and its text are timeastra’s own.