Site of the Battle of Hastings, 1066

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This is the 1066 battlefield, now with new tourist experience.

About the Battle
The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman conquest of England. The location was a hill approximately six miles north of Hastings, on which an abbey was subsequently erected, and the town of Battle in the modern county of East Sussex.

The battle took place on October 14, 1066, between the Normans of Duke William of Normandy ("William the Conqueror") and the Saxon army led by King Harold II. Harold was killed; traditionally, it is thought he was shot with an arrow in the eye. Although there was some later Saxon resistance, this moment is seen as the point at which William gained control of England. The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events before and at the Battle of Hastings.

After King Edward "the Confessor" died, King Harold became King. However, William believed that he had been promised the throne. He landed with several soldiers near Hastings and marched inland. King Harold, tired after the Battle of Stamford Bridge met him on this field.

The English army held higher ground, and the 'shield wall' protected it from the Norman charge. However, as the knights turned around and fled, many soldiers in King Harold's army (many of which were armed peasants) went after them. The charge turned around and fought back, this time with the shield wall broken and the army was defeated. King Harold was killed during the battle: it is a bit ambiguous on the Bayeux Tapastry as to how he was killed.