Battle of Hastings: Difference between revisions
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'''The Battle of [[Hastings]]''' took place on 14th<ref>by the calendar in use at the time; 20th by the modern calendar</ref> October 1066, when the defending [[England|English]] army, also called the [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] army, led by [[Harold II Godwinson|King Harold]], engaged invading [[Normans]] on Senlac Hill near Hastings, England (now the town of [[Battle (East Sussex)|Battle]]). The Normans won decisively and Harold was killed, effectively ending Anglo-Saxon rule of England and establishing the Norman line of monarchs. For the next three centuries, [[Norman language|Norman French]] would be the [[language (general)|language]] of much official correspondence, and [[English language|English]] would absorb a substantial amount of its vocabulary. The Norman conquest critically changed the course of England's history. | '''The Battle of [[Hastings]]''' took place on 14th<ref>by the calendar in use at the time; 20th by the modern calendar</ref> October 1066, when the defending [[England|English]] army, also called the [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] army, led by [[Harold II Godwinson|King Harold]], engaged invading [[Normans]] on Senlac Hill near Hastings, England (now the town of [[Battle (East Sussex)|Battle]]). The Normans won decisively and Harold was killed, effectively ending Anglo-Saxon rule of England and establishing the Norman line of monarchs. For the next three centuries, [[Norman language|Norman French]] would be the [[language (general)|language]] of much official correspondence, and [[English language|English]] would absorb a substantial amount of its vocabulary. The Norman conquest critically changed the course of England's history. | ||
The battle was ostensibly fought to assert a Norman claim to the throne by [[William I of England|William, Duke of Normandy]]. Edward the Confessor, had | The battle was ostensibly fought to assert a Norman claim to the throne by [[William I of England|William, Duke of Normandy]]. Edward the Confessor, had become the Anglo-Saxon king of England in 1042. Harold was a powerful man who had brought Wales into the kingdom and mollified the Northumbrian rebels. He died childless, resulting in a succession crisis which culminated in the Battle of Hastings.<ref name=edconfess>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/edward_confessor.shtml Edward the Confessor (c.1003 - 1066)]. BBC History</ref> | ||
::<font face=”Gill Sans MT”> "It is neither clear nor likely that Edward had designated William as his heir, as the Norman duke claimed when Edward died, but it is possible."</font><ref name=morillov1/> | ::<font face=”Gill Sans MT”> "It is neither clear nor likely that Edward had designated William as his heir, as the Norman duke claimed when Edward died, but it is possible."</font><ref name=morillov1/> | ||
Revision as of 10:35, 9 December 2012
The Battle of Hastings took place on 14th[1] October 1066, when the defending English army, also called the Anglo-Saxon army, led by King Harold, engaged invading Normans on Senlac Hill near Hastings, England (now the town of Battle). The Normans won decisively and Harold was killed, effectively ending Anglo-Saxon rule of England and establishing the Norman line of monarchs. For the next three centuries, Norman French would be the language of much official correspondence, and English would absorb a substantial amount of its vocabulary. The Norman conquest critically changed the course of England's history.
The battle was ostensibly fought to assert a Norman claim to the throne by William, Duke of Normandy. Edward the Confessor, had become the Anglo-Saxon king of England in 1042. Harold was a powerful man who had brought Wales into the kingdom and mollified the Northumbrian rebels. He died childless, resulting in a succession crisis which culminated in the Battle of Hastings.[2]
- "It is neither clear nor likely that Edward had designated William as his heir, as the Norman duke claimed when Edward died, but it is possible."[3]
Following the battle, William, Duke of Normandy (later William I, also known as William the Conqueror) came to the English throne.
The battle was memorialised in the Bayeux Tapestry, and Battle Abbey was built on the battlefield, founded by William.
References cited in text
- ↑ by the calendar in use at the time; 20th by the modern calendar
- ↑ Edward the Confessor (c.1003 - 1066). BBC History
- ↑ Morillo S (1996). "Introduction" in Morillo S (ed.) The Battle of Hastings: Sources and Interpretations. p. xiii. Boydell Press. ISBN 9780851156194.