The Battle of Hastings (briefly)

In October 1066, near the English city of Hastings, one of the most bloody battles of the Middle Ages occurred. It was the next link in the confrontation between the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons. This battle, whose outcome had a huge impact on the further course of European history, was disastrous for the British and their King Harold II. In the memory of the descendants it survived as a battle at Hastings.

Events that preceded the battle

But before we start talking about the battle itself, let's say a few words about the events that preceded it and served as a reason for it. The fact is that the Norman leader, the Duke of Wilhelm, received from the former English King Edward the Confessor an oath of promise that he would make him the heir to the English crown. The reason for this was that even before entering the throne, Edward, having reason to fear for his life, spent 28 years in Normandy under the auspices of the duke of this country.

However, when the danger was over and Edward returned to England, safely spent on the throne years of his fate, he forgot his oath and, dying, left no orders in favor of the Norman duke Wilhelm, who was waiting for the promised crown. After his death, Edward's relative, the new King of England Harold II, ascended to the throne. Like every deceived man, Wilhelm was indignant, and the result of his anger was the landing of the seven thousandth Norman army on September 28, 1066 on the coast of England and became a tragic battle for the English crown at Hastings.

Invasion of the Normans

The appearance of the Normans off the shores of the Foggy Albion looked extraordinarily impressive. According to contemporaries, they crossed the English Channel on a thousand ships. Even if this number is somewhat exaggerated, still such a flotilla had to fill all the visible space, up to the horizon.

I must say that the Duke of Wilhelm chose a very favorable moment for the invasion. The year of the Battle of Hastings was very difficult for the British. Shortly before that, they had waged military action against other invaders - Norwegians. The English army won them victory, but was exhausted and needed rest, because its enemies were fearless and famous warriors - the Vikings. The battle of Hastings, therefore, was doubly heavy for them. King Harold received a report on the invasion of Wilhelm, while in York, where he was engaged in the replenishment of the reserve and other matters related to the army.

Two of the strongest armies in Europe

Immediately collecting all available forces, the monarch hurried to meet the enemy and on October 13 came close to the camp, broken by the Normans 11 kilometers from the city of Hastings. Before the battle began, there remained only a day - the last day of the life of King Harold II and many of those who stood under his banners.

On a wet autumn morning in the field, already cleaned by peasants and therefore naked and unattractive, the two largest armies of medieval Europe came together. Their number was approximately equal, but they were qualitatively different from each other. The army of the Duke of Wilhelm consisted mainly of professional soldiers, well-armed, trained and having a rich military experience behind them.

Weak places in the army of King Harold

Unlike their opponents, the Anglo-Saxons brought an army on the battlefield, the main part of which was manned from the peasant militia, and only a small part of it consisted of representatives of the service nobility and elite troops-the personal royal squad. Only they had with them two-handed swords, battle axes and spears, whereas the militia's weapons consisted of the most random items-peasant forks, axes, or simply sticks with stones tied to them.

And two more important drawbacks of the Anglo-Saxon army - it had no cavalry and archers. It's hard to say why this happened, but in those days, riding on horses, the British dismounted before the battle and went on the attack only on foot. Also incomprehensible is the lack of bows, this powerful and effective weapon of the Middle Ages. To top it all off, it should be noted that the swift march-throw across the country could not but exhaust the troops, already tired by the previous battles.

Day when the Battle of Hastings took place

So, everything is ready for a decisive battle. At 9 am on October 14, 1066, the famous battle of Hastings began. Briefly describing the situation of the two armies before its beginning, it should only be noted that the British lined up, pushing forward well-armed but a few elite units, and behind their closed shields were poorly armed, albeit morale-filled peasant militiamen.

Normans also built three battle columns, which allowed them to maneuver in accordance with the situation. Their left flank consisted of Bretons, the right flank was from French mercenaries, and the main forces were concentrated in the center-heavy knight-armored Norman knights led by the duke himself. Ahead of these main forces were archers and crossbowmen, striking the enemy even before coming into contact with him.

The beginning of the battle

The battle of Hastings is covered with many legends, and now it is difficult to distinguish real events from fiction. Thus, in some literary sources it is told that it began with a traditional duel for those times. A mighty Norman knight named Ivo summoned an equally glorious warrior from the ranks of King Harold to the duel. Defeating him in a fair fight, he, in accordance with the customs of that era, cut off the Englishman's head and took it as a trophy. So unsuccessful for the Anglo-Saxons the battle began at Hastings. Killed was not just one of the warriors, the one who embodied the entire army of King Harold was killed.

Encouraged by such success, the Normans started the battle first. The chroniclers of those years testify that their archers and crossbowmen showered the Anglo-Saxons with a cloud of arrows and crossbow bolts, but, hiding behind the closed shields of the elite units standing in front, they were practically invulnerable. And then the Normans showed true skill in shooting. They sent their arrows almost vertically upwards, and those, having described in the air the corresponding trajectory, hit the opponents from above, causing them considerable damage.

Attack of the heavy cavalry Normans

The next vivid episode of the battle was the attack of the heavy Norman cavalry. Skilful knights rushed forward, sweeping away everything in their path. But we must pay tribute to the courage of the British: they did not flinch before this avalanche of steel. As you said, their first rows were well-armed soldiers from the Duke's private squad.

At their disposal were the so-called Danish axes. These are specially manufactured combat axes with a handle up to one and a half meters long. According to the testimony of contemporaries, the blow was cut by such an instrument by a knight, chained in armor, and his horse. As a result, the Norman cavalry retreated, bearing considerable losses at the same time.

The tactics of false digressions

But at this time on the left flank occurred events, completely unexpected for the British. Normans very skillfully applied the tactics of false retreat, showing outstanding training and coordination of actions. Convincingly imitating panic and retreat in their ranks, the Normans provoked the Anglo-Saxons to an unprepared counterattack, which upset their positions and proved disastrous.

After wresting a considerable part of the soldiers from the common combat ranks, the Normans suddenly turned around, enveloped them in a dense ring and destroyed all of them. Unfortunately, the soldiers of King Harold did not draw any conclusions from this failure, which allowed the opponents repeatedly to repeat this trick.

Death of King Harold

The losses suffered by the British undoubtedly weakened their fighting capacity, but nevertheless they continued to give the enemy serious resistance, and it is not known what outcome the Battle of Hastings would have had had it not been for an accident that in many ways became the cause of the tragic outcome of the battle for England.

The historical chronicle of those years tells that the fearless King Harold II was seriously wounded by a random arrow. She pierced him in the right eye, but, according to the same chroniclers, the courageous warrior did not leave the ranks - he wrenched his hands with an arrow and, bleeding to death, again rushed into the battle. But, weakened by injury, he was soon chopped off by Norman knights. Almost simultaneously with him, both his brothers, commanding the troops, were killed.

The defeat and death of the Anglo-Saxon army

So, the king was killed in the battle of Hastings along with his brothers. The army of the Anglo-Saxons, who remained without command, lost the most important thing-morale. As a result, in a matter of minutes from a formidable army, she turned into a crowd demoralized and fleeing. Normans overtook the distraught people and killed them mercilessly.

So infamous for the English crown ended the battle of Hastings. The king was killed, and his chopped body was taken to London for burial. Killed and his brothers, and along with them on the battlefield were left to lie several thousand soldiers who fell for their king. The English take care of their history, and in the place where this battle took place centuries ago, a monastery was founded, and the altar of its main temple is exactly where Harold II died.

The defeat that gave impetus to the development of the state

Having won at Hastings, the Duke of Wilhelm sent his army to London and easily captured it. The Anglo-Saxon aristocracy was forced to recognize his rights to the throne, and in December 1066 the coronation took place. According to modern researchers, these events have radically changed the whole course of European history. With the accession to the throne of the Duke of Wilhelm, the ancient and obsolete Anglo-Saxon state went down in history, giving way to a centralized feudal monarchy based on strong royal power.

This served as a powerful impetus, which enabled England to become one of the most developed European powers in a short time. Despite the fact that the king was killed in the Battle of Hastings and his army was defeated, this defeat turned out to be an undeniable benefit for the state. There was one of the paradoxes to which history is so generous. Ask yourself the question: "Who won the battle?" The answer suggests itself - the Normans. And tell me, who ultimately benefited from this historical benefit? The English. So with the answer to the question, who won the battle at Hastings, do not hurry.

Reflection of this event in modern culture

This historical event, which took place nine and a half centuries ago, constantly evokes interest among scientists, people of art, and simply among those who like to dig in the dust of the past centuries. In the literature he devoted his works to Heine and AK Tolstoy. The Italian power metal band "Majesty" released in 2002 the album dedicated to this battle. It included 12 tracks. And British filmmakers made two films, the stories of which are based on the famous battle.

The computer game created for the plot of this event won popularity among the youth. That's only his real name is often pronounced incorrectly, using the expression "Battle of the Hastings." However, these are only the costs of the youth subculture. In general, such a broad interest in the history and events of the past centuries is, of course, a very welcome fact.