todayinhistory: October 14th 1066: Battle of Hastings On this day in 1066, the Normans, led by Willi
todayinhistory:October 14th 1066: Battle of HastingsOn this day in 1066, the Normans, led by William the Conqueror, defeated the English forces at the Battle of Hastings. In January 1066, the childless King Edward the Confessor died, with Harold Godwinson named as his heir. However, across the seas in Normandy, Duke William was planning to invade England and claim the throne for himself. Despite having a relatively weak claim to the crown - his great-grandfather was the late Edward’s grandfather - William was determined to launch an assault on Harold’s forces to fulfil a promise Edward had supposedly made to make William his heir. Before this could be done, William needed the support of his nobles, who desired legal and spiritual justification for the potentially costly venture, and promised powerful barons land in his new kingdom. William was not the only contender for the throne, and Godwinson’s brother Tostig pledged his support to Norwegian king Harald Hardrada, and together they planned to invade Northumbria. William waited, hoping to use the Norwegian invasion as an opportunity to make landfall in the south of England while Harold was distracted in the north. On September 25th, the English forces defeated the Norwegians at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Willam siezed the moment, and landed on the southern coast of England, causing havoc in order to force Harold to face the invading Normans. On October 14th, the English and Norman forces met on the battlefield at Hastings, with Harold’s 5,000 weary Englishmen vastly outnumbered by the 15,000 Normans. The English defense was initially successful in holding off the Normans, but they soon crumbled. King Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, died in the fray, according to the Bayeux Tapestry from an arrow in the eye. William continued to face resistance from English forces, but by December his victory seemed assured, and William the Conquerer was crowned king of England on Christmas Day. -- source link
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