The Battle of Hastings

The Battle of Hastings:

The Anglo-Saxon and Norman armies were the same size, but there were important differences between them. Both had advantages and disadvantages that affected the outcome of the battle.

Key Terms:

• Housecarls - trained soldiers who were also bodyguards to their lord.
• Fyrd - working men, mainly peasants, who were called to fight for the king in times of war. This allowed the army to be replenished after each battle.
• Shield Wall - making a defensive 'wall' with shields, to protect the army's line. Bands within the fyrd would have known each other well, making the sheild wall more effective.
• Feigned retreat - pretending to retreat to tempt the enemy to follow so that they could be surrounded and killed. This was a well known Norman tactic.
• Mercenaries - soldiers who fought for whoever could pay them.

The Battle of Hastings:

• Harold's army was able to position itself along a ridge at the top of a hill. That meant that William had to attack uphill.
• The battle lasted eight hours - a very long time for a medieval battle. This was perhaps because each side were quite equally matched. There were different phases to the battle.
• William's archers were first to attack, but the archers had to stay out of the English javelin range and…