studying history where it was made

Nowadays Hastings is a popular seaside resort in East Sussex, the South-East of Great Britian. You will find an amusement park for children, gaming arcades and a lively old town with cramped souvenir shops and cafés. But if you lift your head you will see the ruins of a castle standing proudly on a steep hill, reminding you that the city is steeped in history. In fact, there is one important event of English history that took place near this town almost a thousand years ago: the Battle of Hastings (1066).

After visiting the city last weekend I did some research on the Battle of Hastings and I will try to summarize what happened.

In January 1066, King Edward III had died. He left no heirs and there were no strict rules as to who was to become the new king in such a case. There were four people who claimed to be a worthy new king:

• Edgar the Atheling
• Harald Hardrada, a Viking king
• Harold Godwinson
• William, Duke of Normandy

Harold Godwinson

Harold did not have royal origins, but he was popular among the citizens and the Witan, a council of wise men, decided that he should be the new king. William was a distant relative of the deceased king Edward. Allegedly Edward and Harold had promised to make him king of England, which would make Harold's claim illegal.

In September, Harald the Viking king tried to invade England and claim the throne for himself. His men were defeated by Harold's army in the Battle of Stamford Bridge in the North-East of what is now Great Britian.

At the same time, the Normans under the command of Duke William invaded the South of the island. There was no one to stop them as the military was busy in the North-East. Harold's men raced back to the South to fight the Norman invasion. The Saxons (Harold's army) built a massive shield wall and at first it seemed that they would win, but the Normans played a trick on them: they pretended to retreat, which caused the Saxons to give up their formation and chase after the invaders. Now the Normans could easily attack the Saxons and eventually won the battle. According to a legend, Harold was killed by an arrow in his eye, but the evidence is not clear.

Some of the information known about the Battle of Hastings today comes from the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidery that shows battle scenes. On this embroidery we can see a man with an arrow in his eye who was believed to be Harold. Newer interpretations suppose that it was another soldier, as people standing are usually survivors, while people lying on the ground are those killed in battle.