Battle of Hastings: Preparations Flashcards
What did William do when he found out Harold was king?
sent messengers to ask Harold to respect the oath that he had made to William in 1064. Harold ignored the messengers, but knew that a battle was likely and so began to prepare
Harold’s preparations for Battle of Hastings: Navy
Harold expected an invasion from Normandy so needed a navy to stop the Norman fleet from landing. He did not have ships of his own, so demanded them from sailors around the country-created a navy bigger than anyone had before
Harold preparations: Army
How many men? What were the groups?
- Professional band of housecarls (most experienced, well armed)
- Called on thegns (lords) to come and fight for him and bring the fyrd (ordinary people called up to fight) with them (were less well equipped and experienced but were not useless)
- Harold raised an army of several thousand by May 1066
Harold preparations: Army
What were his 2 weaknesses?
- no calvary- all on foot
- no archers
Where did Harold station his men? What didn’t go to plan?
army was stationed across the South coast and navy were close by waiting for the Norman invasion
8th Sep 1066- William didn’t come. Had to send fyrd home as supplies were low and harvest needed doing
William’s preparations: France
- Had a good relationship with the king (only 14 so wasn’t a threat)
- William was most powerful man in north – west Europe after extending his control/ influence across much of France and even as far as Italy
William’s preparations: God
- sent his Norman bishop Lanfranc to Rome to persuade the Pope that the English Church needing reforming
- Pope gave a Papal Banner to William – this meant that he had the Pope’s support in what was now a ‘holy war’
William’s support: Army
How did William recruite? What type of soldiers?
- William recruited men from all over France and Sicily
- William had promised them land and riches
- 8000 men were ready to sail across the Channel to England
- Knights trained since 3
- Calvary with horses trained to kick and bite
- Had infantry and archers too
William’s support: The Fleet
-didn’t have a navy - used large number of flat – bottomed boats that could transport horses and ‘flat pack’ castles that could be built quickly on arrival
Where did William position his fleet and why? What did William instruct them to do?
- positioned his fleet to the mouth of the River Somme, halving the journey to England to around 20 miles
- He made them wait for the right time to cross the Channel (when the weather conditions were right) but made sure they were well – fed whilst they waited
What were the advantages of William’s preparations? (3)
- time to prepare
- got political and religious support- soldiers felt confident
- Positioned his fleet at River Somme- cutting down journey to England
What were the disavantages of William’s preparations? (3)
- no suprise
- promised land and riches to his soldiers- had to buy loyalty
- had to build boats (no navy)
- man gathered for a long time- lose moral
William’s preparations: The Army
How many horses/ soldiers did he have by August?
William had no army, and called on his lords to bring themselves and their knights to support him. By August, William had 7,000 soldiers including archers and cavalry, with 3,000 horses.
William’s preparations: The Navy
How many ships did he have by August?
no navy and therefore asked his vassals to provide ships, however they did not provide enough. Therefore, William ordered hundreds of ships to be built, which took more time. By August, he had 700 ships
