The Battle of Hastings, which took place on 14 October 1066, was the moment William of Normandy invaded Britain and defeated King Harold II. Simon Marsh from The Battlefields Trust says it’s significant because it marked the end of one era and the beginning of another, as England went from being Anglo Saxon to Norman. The Normans brought with them “a different administration, language, motte and bailey castles, the Domesday Book – a whole new way of doing things.”
So, what did the battlefield look like?
The Battle of Hastings took place on Senlac Hill, seven miles outside of what is now Hastings, on the Hastings peninsula: “Senlac Hill is a really good position because you’re sat on top of the hill on the main road down into the peninsula, which was surrounded by water on both sides at this time,” says Simon Marsh.
The ground at the bottom was a bit marshy and spongy but it didn’t stop the Normans, under William, marching his cavalry (men on horses) into battle against Harold on the hill, and breaking the lines of Anglo Saxon foot soldiers. Men will have carried shields and weapons such as spears, swords and axes. It will have been a noisy and violent battlefield – you can get an idea of the battle itself from the Bayeux Tapestry.