Battle Of Hastings Flashcards
Who did William have support from
Asked the pope for support against England
He agreed and called his invasion a holy crusade against England as they were not as Christian as the Norman’s
This made Norman’s feel like God was on their side
During spring and summer how big ships did William have built and what else did he gather
Built so they could carry 2000 horses
They also gathered 13 tonnes of grain and 13 tonnes of hay everyday to feed them
Why couldn’t William cross the channel
The wind was blowing against him stopping his ships leaving France
Some of his ships attempted to cross the channel but were wrecked in the storm and some of his men drowned
When did the Norman’s finally manage to cross the channel
27th September 1066 and landed in pevensey the next day
What did William do when he arrived in pevensey
Harold was still in the north so William managed to build castles and plunder local villages for supplies
What did Harold do when he found that William has invaded the south
He took his men south and stopped in London to gather new soldiers however he still didn’t have as many as he did before the Viking battle
His aim was to get to pevensey quickly and surprise William
Why were the Norman’s not surprised by Harold’s army
Their scouts spotted the English coming
Where did Harold stop
Senlac hill in Hastings to get high ground
What was Harold’s front line made up of
Well armed house carls who were experienced warriors and stood in a shield wall at the top of senlac hill
Who was behind Harold’s house carls
The fyrd made up of peasants some had training but others just carried pitchforks
What did Williams men consist of
Archers
Cavalry on horseback
Soldiers on foot
Mercenary
What did William have with him
A papal banner sent to William for support by the pope
How many men did William have
7500
When did the battle of Hastings start
14th October 1066
Why did William initially struggle to attack up senlac hill
The English threw spears axes and rocks down the hill as William charged up
And Harold held a tight shield wall
What was the 1st turning point in the battle of hasting
The Norman’s began to weaken
They continued to attack the anglo Saxons shield walk but eventually fled back down the hill
Some English followed the Norman’s and were slaughtered
Why did the Norman’s start to fear the worst
The shield wall remained tight
And there had been rumours that William had been killed
Therefore William took of his helmet to prove to his troops he was alive
Why did William take his helmet of
To keep moral alive
Why was there a pause in battle
Battles often stopped so people could eat drink and take back the wounded
What must Harold do overnight to defeat the Norman’s
Keep the high ground and his shield wall
What was the second turning point
As they started fight again William sent his men up to attack the shield wall
The Norman’s then did a feigned retreat and the English chased them down the hill
Breaking the shield wall and weakened the English as hole started to appear in there line
What was Williams last final push
William sent all his men up the hill while archers fired on the English line
They broke through the gap in the line and started a full scale battle
How did William win the battle
His archers focused on Harold’s position and was eventually killed with what most people believe was an arrow through the eye
What happened to the remaining English army
Many survivors fled and some were surrounded and killed by the Norman’s
3 reasons why the battle was won by William
Williams leadership and tactics
Harold mistakes
Military
