The Battle of Hastings

Background

On October 14, 1066: The Saxon king, Harold II after defeating the invading Norwegian army, led by Harald III at Stamford Bridge, the September 25, 1066, learns of the plans of William the Conqueror, Duke of finally, Normandy invading England, for which France embarked on 8,000 men and then landed on 28 that month in Sussex. His leading logistics, which forced him to use 600 vessels to cross the channel, included a large number of horses had to bring along as the cavalry was an important part of the Normans and French armies. The Normans and the Anglo-Saxons descended from Danish and who had blood ties between nobility.

A forced march, the Saxon King Harold II, decided to face the invading Normans and down the road to Hastings with his troops to block the move to London to William and his men.

Introduction

October 1066, both forces deployed at 14 km from the village of Hastings. Harold's forces located on the hill of Senlac, a slippery slope to the right and the stream of astern left. Was that a good location that forced the Normans to attack from the front and uphill? In the rear, Harold decided to Fyrdmen while occupying the leading rows of well-armed veterans. William, meanwhile, ordered front row MNE their archers and crossbowmen then the infantry, and behind his cavalry. The left flank it occupied by the cavalry and infantry Britons and Franco-Flemish forces, all protected by the archers (Bertrand, 12).

The first Norman invasion came in the midst of serious disputes over who should be the new king of England. On the death of Edward, the Confessor in 1066, the original throne became vacant, as Edward had no children. The Saxon nobles gathered then in the Witenagemot (general assembly) and elected as the new king Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex and victorious general in the wars against Wales and Scotland. To him also joined a slight relationship with Edward, it was his brother.

Naturally, not everyone saw this sequence with lovely eyes. Edward himself had remained on the throne with the support Danish and related to the Duke William of Normandy (a descendant of Vikings turn and cousin of Edward) and Harald III, king of Norway and Denmark (Bridgeford, 151).

William of Normandy was a bastard and therefore, could not ascend the throne. However, Edward was such a good relationship with him that came to promise before he died. Besides this pretext, William had the advantage that provided the support of the Church of Rome (which sought to increase its influence in a kingdom without religion like England), Anglo-Norman nobles of Saxony and some important, including Toting Godwinson Earl of Northumbria and brother of Harald.

Harald III was the first to make a move, invaded England from the north with a fleet of 300 ships and 5,000 men, joined by the support provided by Toasting. However, when his army marched south to London to take the men of Harold II met him and engaged in a fierce battle of Stamford ...