The Norsemen and William the Conqueror (part IV).

Battle Abbey. Built by William I in 1070, near the place of the Battle of Hastings.
Photo: Anthony McCallum, 2012. Att.: WyrdLight.com
Lic. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

Senlac Hill.


On that morning of October 14th of the year 1066, there was something in the air. Was easy to feel great and serious events approaching. King Harold II of England came right on time for his appointment with history. With his army he was blocking the road to London. So he was showing his decision to stop the Norman invasion there, no matter the cost. It was about to ocur a medieval joust, to determine not only who would be king, but also the future course of the nation.

Setting aside the blood relations that William might claim, it was clear that Harold was trying to impede a foreigner´s invasion to England. Despite their distant common origin with the Saxons... the Normans had become a real strangers. They had absorbed the Francs  (romanized) way of life, for more than a century. In other words, it was not only about power: they were fighting for their land.

The English Channel or Canal de la Mancha. Satelital photo. Source: NASA. Formatted by: Stw (Wikipedia.de)

Until then, the duke William had counted with the magic touch of luck. They stayed two months of anxious waiting, almost stranded at the coast of Normandy. But the winds they needed to sail through the English Channel, finally blew... and it happened in the very right moment! Finally, the crowded fleet of sailing ships arrived to the south coast of England (Sussex), and there were no Saxon defenders waiting.


The Battle of Hastings.


It was nine o´clock on that morning, when both armies stood face to face. Harold set his forces (about seven thousand men) over a low hill; that position gave them some advantage. The Saxon army consisted of three compact blocks, a true human barrier. Covering the flanks were peasants and drafted people... they were the Fyrdmen. Although they almost had no military training, their courage made them tough fighters. On the central block, the very heart of that army, was Harold, protected by a real elite corp: the legendary huscarls.

Battle of Hastings, October 14th of 1066. Armies´ positions:
Norman in blue color. Saxon in red color.
By: Hoodinski, 2016. Source: Bitwa pod Hastings.
Lic. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

On the Norman side there were four corps: Breton and French mercenaries were at both flanks. William himself commanded their invincible cavalry, on the center... The first row consisted of archers and crossbowmen, forming a very effective vanguard. But the duke was facing another difficulty: for him was not enough to win the battle, he had to finish it as soon as possible! If his army resulted weakened, it would have been very hard to go on with the invasion of England. Hence, he had to force the battle and also use clever strategies. 

Bayeux Tapestry, scene 51. Battle of Hastings. Norman archers and knights. Photo: Myrabella, 2013.

The Bayeux Tapestry.

Bayeux Tapestry, scene 48. William goin to the battle. Image taken from Ulrich Harsh´ website, 2011.
Source: http://hs-ausburg.de    {{PD-US}}

Soon it results evident that they tried to show the battle as realistic as possible. The tapestry so becomes a graphic chronicle, as an old comic strip in which was caught on and fairly transmitted the violence of the combat... At first, we can see the duke William armed and ready to fight. Leading his men, he rallied them to go and meet the enemy. Their kind of armament is showed and also an innovation by those days: the use of stirrups. This would increase the efficacy of the cavalry corps in the near future.

Bayeux Tapestry, scene 53 (detail).
The Norman cavalry facing the Saxon infantry.
Source: Lucien Musset, The Bayeux Tapestry, Boydell Press, 2005.
{{PD-US}}

In addition, we can see that Harold´s army consisted only of infantry corps. Their fundamental weapon was the feared and flashing Danish axe or Viking axe. It was a true death sentence to those within its reach. Is possible to affirm that according to their armament, the Saxons were an obsolete, but still very dangerous enemy...

Bayeux Tapestry, scene 52a. Imagen taken from Ulrich Harsh´ website, 2011. Source: http://hs-ausburg.de {{PD-US}}

On the next scenes there is a norman calvalry charge, supported by bowmen. In turn, the brave huscarls are facing them, protected by their shields, throwing spears and ravaging with their axes. Harold´s brothers die in the middle of the combat. 

Bayeux Tapestry. The horses at Hastings.
Source: http://seattlegis.com   {{PD-US}}

The scales still have not tipped to any side... the Saxons keep steady: the wounded horses collide and roll to the ground along with their riders. There we can see William´s half brother, the priest Odon, also fighting. Another scene shows a great many men and horses dead bodies. In no way the Bayeux Tapestry is telling about an easy victory. On the contrary, it is the depiction of a bloody and terrible battle.

After he fell off from his horse, the duke William lifts his helmet, to show his men that he is still fighting. Then, the bowmen and the calvary begin to take control. On the next scene, perhaps the best known of the tapestry, we see the dead of king Harold amidst a great slaughter. But is not clear how he was killed. Some historians think that his death is represented there as a punishment from heaven...

Bayeux Tapestry,scene 57. King Harold´s Death. Image taken from Ulrich Harsh´website.
Source: http://hs-ausburg.de  {{PD-US}}

The last scene shows the end of the Saxon´s resistance and the chase of those who came out alive from the battle. The description of the events on the famous tapestry, finish there. It is possible that another piece, showing the ascension of William to the throne of England has been lost.


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Images from England History. The Battle of Hastings.
By: Joseph Martin Kronheim.

To this description of the Battle of Hastings, we should add that they fought till dusk and the outcome was uncertain almost all day. Harold´s forces held their enemies´ charges off one by one, producing them many casualities... while the England army kept well organized. The archers and William´s cavalry itself were not very effective, because the slope of the field worked against them. By keeping their strategy, the Saxons would have driven the Normans to a wearing situation, to retreat and even to lose the battle. But once again chance smiled for the duke of Normandy.

It happened unexpectedly when the Saxon Fyrdmen repelled an attack of Breton soldiers. The latter moved back almost running, in retreat, and the inexpert English recruits went behind them. In the middle of their exitation, they soon found themselves surrounded  by the Norman cavalry... and were killed without mercy. This lack of discipline between king Harold´s forces became out of control. It happened several times along the battle! 

Battle of Hastings. Engraving por: W.Bromley, 1804. According to
a picture from Philip James de Loutherbourg. Retouches: Jappalang.
Source: Google-hosted LIFE photo archive.

The Battle of Hasting was so fierce, that for a moment many people thought that the duke William had perished. Sure it would have meant the collapse for his army; the truth was that he only lost his horse. As he rode again, was showing his face while he rallied his men... By that time, maybe the Normans were considering a retreat, but William was not that kind of man. At least, he would need to change the tactics.

William cleverly adapted his strategy, when he saw the lack of discipline among the enemy. So he ordered his men to strongly attack, but the next time they will pretend retreating... and the Saxon recruits always swallowed this bait! They began to abandon their ordered formation with triumphant shouting, chasing the "slippery" Normans. When they came to realize the situation, it was too late: they were in the middle of the enemy field.  Many men were slaughtered that way. This finally opened notorious gaps into Harold´s corps and they could not hold off their rival any longer. It was all over, the only thing ahead was to resist till the end and die fighting or to run away, saving what they still could.

Harold´ death. Engraving by: Edmund Evans, 1864.
From: Harold II, A Chronicle of England,
by James William Edmund Doyle

We can see that once the Saxons broke their formation, became an easy prey for the bowmen and the cavalry of the duke William. By sunset, there was no hope for king Harold and his huscarls: at the end, they were completely crushed. That day, the saxons went all in and  had lost...  As we said before, there is no certainty about the circumstances of Harold´s death. According to some, his body was recovered and buried at Essex, into an abbey, with royal honors. But his tomb has never appeared. Also, according to some tales, he survived that day and could escape from England!

England map, showing the main events
which leaded to William´s crowning on December 25th of 1066.
By: Alonso de Mendoza, 2012.

Some scattered groups kept on fighting till it got dark, struggling as they retreated. But at Hastings, William II of Normandy had fulfilled his goals, destroying the best of Saxon forces. So he had cleaned the path to seize England. On Christmas Day that year, he was crowned as king at Westminster Abbey. The same scorned man who many had made fun of, because he was a bastard, now was William I of England. But History had reserved him another name, from now on he would be better known as William the Conqueror!

William the Conqueror. By: Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville, 1883.
Source: History of France from the Earliest Times to the Year 1789.
 By: Francois Grizot. London, 1883   {{PD-US}}

The Saxon lords of the north uprised for several years more... they got some support from Malcolm III, king of Scotland. Their forces  even had beaten the Normans in battle, when the strong king William took over the situation by himself. The lands between York and Durham would show the scars he left, for a long time. The cruelties and excesses committed would not be forgotten for many generations. William devastated everything there as a lesson, to prevent any other future rebellion.  And what the weapons could not achieve, he did by using diplomacy.

Malcolm III of Scotland, unknown author. {{PD-US}}

The final chapters of the resistence against the Normans (1071), were merely written by guerrilla groups. They found shelter at a swampy zone, not very far from London. Due to the intrincated place, they were succesful for some time. But William little by little increased his pressure, until the rebels surrendered. It seems possible that those events have given origin to the Legend of Robin Hood and his merry Saxon outlaws...

After some centuries, the Saxon´s dominance over England reached to an end. William I would rule till his death and his lineage has lasted through time. Since then, every England monarch, including Elizabeth II... the present queen, has descended from this remarkable man.

Battle Abbey, a look from Hasting battlefield. Photo: Ealdgyth, 2010.
Lic. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

Besides, England was a country which had suffered many invasions through the time... but it would never be succesfully invaded again. All that, points at some stability, with its fundamental basis built on William´s times. He managed to modernize the nation, with a goverment that sure was the best in Europe by then. But is important to add that many abuses occurred, most of all with the Saxon lords.


The Norman´s influence was also felt in other ways. Among the most important was the French language, first spoken at the royal court. With time, it began to mix with the common people speech: the English. They would also receive an important legal contribution, such as the Roman Law. This permitted to modernize the  old English legislation. William organized the new state, based on the Norman feudal system and made a properties census with tax purposes. All that, finally introduced positive changes so attracting the general well-being.

William the Conqueror´s Tomb. Saint-Étienne, Caen, France. Photo:
Supercarwaar, 2015. Lic. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

Besides his condition of monarch of England, William still was the duke of Normandy. This would keep him very active, while he spent most of his time traveling and fighting along his possesions between the British island and the continent. He had to confront many uprisings, even Robert´s, his elder son. Also he made war to France for his anexation of Maine county.  By the year of 1087, while he was fighting at Mantes, he had a riding accident. Fatally injured, they moved the king to Rouen, where he died on September 9th. His remains were taken to the city of Caen, at Saint-Étienne church.


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With the passage of time,  Saxons and Normans finally formed the modern English country, which is a part of today´s United Kingdom. They have built a great nation, with virtues and faults... but which has marked Human History with a possitive balance, there is no doubt.

London Tower. Its original nucleous was built by
William the Conqueror. Photo: Simdaperce, 2008.
Lic. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike3.0 Unported

On that day of the year of 1066, we may affirm that a new nation was born. What could have happened if William the Conqueror had failed invading England? This is a question without answer. But everything from that moment surely would have been quite different. This is the reason why the Battle of Hastings is considered as one of the most decisive, a real turning point in History...