Battle of Hastings

Was there any element of suprise that would have been advantageous to HG?

• element of suprise had been so effective against HH, so HG tried this again at Hastings

• However, norman dukes had already warned william of the arrival of the english forces and so they were expecting their arrival and were prepared for battle.

• HG took up post on senlac hill- best defensive position in the area

Who had the advantage going into the battle?

William had the advantage:

• HG’s army was weary and exhausted from the long march from Stamford in the north to Hastings in the south and from fighting in the battle.

• 1/3 of his men had died, another 1/3 were left behind as they were too weak to keep up. Many were injured. So, harold had to boost his army with Fyrd (peasant fighters, not fully trained, skilled or strong) and were inferior to the men he had lost

The Norman forces had calvary, which were a huge advantage, as the speed and force of the horses would be devastating to infantry, of which the English only had.

archers also provided a great advantage to W as archers were long range and could attack from within defensive line which were protected areas.

Features of the British offense and why was it effective at first?

English forces standing shoulder to shoulder on the ride, tightly packing them together. shields overlapped forming a shield wall

HG’s men were so densely packed that the dead were unable to fall and so the Normans couldn’t break the English line. Norman arrows also couldn’t infiltrate them as the shield wall remained firm

top hill advantage→ Norman cavalry couldn’t charge up the steep and uneven ground, boosting the effectiveness of the shield wall

What was feigned retreat?

• rumour spread that william had been killed, so normans panicked and began to rush down hill in retreat

• caused the english above, on the hill, to break ranks/formation in order to persue them

• william was revealed to be alive, normans immediately rallied and turned on the english (who were persuing them in a free formation)

• they cut them down and managed to break their alignment

• the shield wall formation could not be effectively and quickly returned and so the Normans charged in infiltrating the British defence.

• the main battle tactic had crumbled. now the full advantage of the cavalry and archers could be seen.

Why was the British offensive not very effective compared the normans?

superiority of norman troops:

• William was a more effective military commander and leader of his troops

• the Norman army was more flexible and could work more effectively is disorder——they were more disciplined and trained together, so much better than the fyrd fighters. → Norman army had better weapons

• Norman army also had cavalry and archers as well as infantry. there were organised levels of troops providing a set structure in the chaos of battle

• shield wall was an old technique, that worked in certain conditions and wasn’t very flexible, once broken the English offensive would fall. so, a vulnerable technique.