Though William's army had been waiting to sail for months, the threat of Harold's force on the coast put him off invasion. Only when the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada launched a similar attempt on the throne in the North, did William cross the channel and confront the English on 14 October 1066, 11 miles north west of Hastings in Kent.
Despite larger English numbers and high ground, in the Battle of Hastings the Normans had a tactical advantage - a mixed force two parts infantry, one part cavalry and one part archers, while the English force was made up mainly of infantry - including the fearsome huscarls which were the backbone of his army.
A relic of the Viking age, these professional warriors carried long-handled axes with a swing big enough to cleave a knight from horse to helmet.
After failing to break the English lines, which held up an impenetrable shield-wall on the slope, William began to feign retreat, hoping to draw out the English in pursuit so that gaps might be left in their defences. Harold's tactics were limited by his inflexible army and wearied from their march south after fighting off Harald Hardrada. Somewhere in the fighting - the arrow to the eye, though unproven, remains the most compelling myth - Harold Godwinson fell, and the army began to crumble. Only his loyal huscarls remained, forming a defensive ring around their king's body, they fought to the end.
World History
