đź“ťIDEA PARAGRAPHS - Battle Of Hastings Historic Site Flashcards
State the idea paragraph for
Mistakes in the movement of troops as a reason for the pit come of battle
D) Harold made a general mistake in asking his troops to move so quickly down to the South of England from stamford bridge covering 200 miles in 4-5 days
E) this would have a had negative effect on troops in any battle, it meant that by the time they arrived at their destination as they were tired and hungry
A) Harold’s mistake effected the outcome of Hastings specifically because williams troops were well rested having benefited from 7 days of plundering, feasting and training. This meant they were more fitter to fight than Harold’s troops
State the idea paragraph for
A lack of archers as a resource or as a mistake compared to William as a reason for the outcome of battle
D) Harold had archers at the battle of stamford bridge and would have been able to use these to good effect in firing at Harald Hardrada s vikings from a distance whitest there fest of his soldiers approached. Ultimately Harold won the battle of Hastings
E) at Hastings, Harold did not have archers, having not allowed them to plunder after stamford bridge, many refused to accompany him down south
A) at Hastings itself, Harold’s lack of archers meant his soldiers were mostly fighting close up on the defensive rather than being able to attack. In contrast William was able to use archers to good effect in attacking from afar as his cavalry charged to try to break the shield wall
State the idea paragraph for
Mistakes I’m choosing higher ground as a reason for the outcome of battle
D) mistakes made by Harold specifically at the battle of Hastings rather than include his decision to position his troops on the higher ground of senlac hill
E) this was a mistake as Harold had no archers which meant he couldn’t defend his army as the enemy approached
A) it also would have made it very difficult for him to defend his army as they attached and therefor helps to explain why the AS never launched a counter attack during the battle
State the idea paragraph for
Lack of cavalry as a resource compared to William as a result for the outcome of the battle
D) the normans believed in the use of cavalry but the AS didn’t. The Normans thought that cavalry was heroic and bald, particularly since a cavalry charge was fast and quick to recall and regroup. The normans used cavalry to a good effect at???
E) whilst the Anglo Saxons preferred to use horses for transport only and thought the brave thing was to stand and face the enemy in battle
A) the effect this had on the battle of Hastings was that the normans were able to repeatedly attack using their cavalry when some of the AS fyrd broke away from the shield wall and the Norman cavalry were quickly able to re attack to pick these troops off
State the idea paragraph for
The use of the shield wall as a tactic as a reason for the outcome of the battle
D) the anglo Saxons had always used the shield wall as a strong defensive structure
E) it allowed them to gradually approach their enemy until close enough to deploy the house carls with their battle axes in close combat
A) at the battle of Hastings, the use of the shield wall meant that for the first part of the battle the Norman cavalry charges and use of archers were relatively ineffectual. It was only when the members of the fyrd broke ranks and were killed by the cavalry that the shield wall began to brake down
State the idea paragraph for
The feigned retreat tactics as a reason for the outcome of battle
D) William used the tactic of guerilla hit and run tactics to good effect in gradually picking away at the enemy every time his spies alerted him to a section of the enemies army undertaking a manoeuvre away from the main body of its army
E) he did have to do this previously in foreign campaigns when outnumbered
A) at the battle of Hastings, this kind of tactics can be seen in feigned retreat where william’s cavalry were initially able to pick of those members of the fyrd that had broken away the shield wall and then to repeat the process using the feigned retreat until the shield wall no longer had enough men to hold
State the idea paragraph for:
Building a fortress as a tactic as a reason for the outcome of the battle
D) when invading a country, William sought to capture a fortress and to plunder the local surroundings until the presence of his troops became so expensive and troublesome that the country’s leader would either surrender or reach a treaty
E) prior to the battle of Hastings, William perused his usual tactics but rather than capturing a fortress, he used his flat pack castle to convert the old Roman fortress at Pevensey into a stronghold
A) he did do the usual thing of sending his troops out plundering. This had two effects; his troops had somewhere safe to rest and they were also well fed whilst waiting for Harold. It also meant that Harold was forced to return down south quickly because William’s troops were doing so much damage
State the idea paragraph for:
Reluctance to fight as a tactic as a reason for the outcome of battle
D) William, as well as most medieval leaders were reluctant to engage in a full blown battle
E) since of killed the battle was definitely lost
A) at Hastings however, William was obviously prepared to fight and has therefore assembled a massive invasion of 700 ships to carry 7000 soldiers and 3000 horses. He had also secured the support of the pope and carried a papal banner meaning his soldiers knew god was on his side
State the idea paragraph for:
William’s clear visibility as good leadership as a reason for the outcome of battles
D) William took great care to ensure that his troops knew he was still alive
E) he rode up and down with his helmet visor up to make sure they would still obey orders and fight properly undertaking their cavalry charges
A) this clearly visible leadership contrasts with the failure of the AS to mount a counter attack against the normans which may be Harold’s half brothers ??? Had been killed early on in the battle and therefor there was no one to lead and inspire the troops
State the idea paragraph for:
Good leadership as a reason for the outcome of battle
D) William had previously been unwilling to fight in full blow battle and instead tended to use a combination of hit and run tactics and plundering to deal with his enemies
E) these tactics are very useful in preserving William’s life
A) the battle of Hastings however is different since William obviously realised that in order to produce truly decisive results, he needed to be prepared to fight and so as a leader, he fully prepared raising an army of 7000 soldiers and 3000 horses
State the idea paragraph for
Harold being unlucky as a reason for the outcome of battles
D) his shield wall began to break down one of William’s archers hit Harold in the eye
E) the archer could not have been aiming at Harold, he would have been difficult to see at a distance and protected by what was left of the shield wall
A) the death of Harold meant that most of his untrained troops did not have the discipline to continue fighting and the battle was lost
State the idea paragraph for
Luck as a result if the outcome of battles
D) Harold was unlucky that he had chosen to focus his troops in the south when it was actually Harald Hardrada that invaded first
E) this meant his troops had to quickly travel to the north east. Harold was further unlucky when the wind changed whilst he was away, allowing William to land at Pevensey
A) the effect of all this for the battle of Hastings was that Harold’s troops were exhausted by the time they arrived at senlac hill compared to William’s troops who were well rested and fed, having had to wait for Harold’s troops to march over 200 miles
