Battle of Hastings 1066 – The Day England Changed Forever

In 1066 King Edward of England died without children, and three men wanted his crown: Harold Godwinson, crowned the very next day; William, Duke of Normandy; and Harald Hardrada, King of Norway. Harold beat the Norwegians at Stamford Bridge in the north – and three days later William landed in the south. On 14 October 1066 Harold's shield wall of housecarls and fyrd stood on a ridge near Hastings against William's archers, foot soldiers and mounted knights. This animated documentary follows the whole story: the succession crisis, Halley's Comet, William's fleet, Harold's march north and back, the landing at Pevensey, and the battle hour by hour – the knights against the shield wall, the Breton flight, the feigned retreats, the fall of King Harold – and what came after. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:26 A kingdom without an heir 01:26 William's fleet 02:16 Hardrada lands in the north 02:45 Harold's march north 03:10 Stamford Bridge 03:33 The landing at Pevensey 03:58 The eve of battle 04:43 The Battle of Hastings 05:31 Archers and the first attack 06:10 The knights charge 06:29 The Breton flight 07:24 The feigned retreats 08:22 The fall of King Harold 09:00 Rout and the Malfosse 10:03 Aftermath 11:18 End Notes: the sizes of the armies are uncertain; modern estimates are shown as such. The battlefield, unit positions, routes and map borders are simplified reconstructions; the traditional site at Battle is used. The portraits are artistic reconstructions; no portraits from life survive. Achilles - Strings by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Five Armies by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Hero Down by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.